This new poster bothers me. It looks like Cameron is in full headless mode now, and frantically trying to shore up traditional support to the right, as his support to the left comes under threat from Cleggmania. But what does this do to his carefully crafted image as a progressive Tory?

Their plans for tackling the deficit are going to throw tens of thousands of public sector workers on the dole just as soon as they can, and the resulting depression of consumer demand is going to make more businesses fold, and more people in the private sector unemployed. If they aren’t going to try to use public investment to grow us out of these precarious times, and are determined to risk a double dip recession, this can’t be the rhetoric for them to use on welfare.

Unemployment, is way less of a problem than under the 80s and 90s recessions, thanks to active government this time round, but it’s still a huge issue. People aren’t workshy scroungers, refusing the thousands of jobs on offer in a booming labour market – or at least the number who are refusing will be pretty tiny in terms of significant pots of cash to save towards the deficit. Why stigmatise people who’re unemployed in a recession for no fault of their own?

Cameron surely needs to consider this if he’s going to do well on his left. Fair dos for telling us straight (like Nick) that times are going to be tough – but this is telling us that he and his mates are going to kick us whilst we’re waiting for them to get better.

Hat tip Tim Ireland for the poster blank

I haven’t been a member of a Labour affiliated union for nearly ten years now – my current union don’t even have a political fund, let alone one that affiliates to Labour, but something really irks me about the latest Tory billboard – criticising Labour for taking union money (no, the one above is my take on it, not the original, which you can see here).

If the Tories are honestly able to believe Michael Ashcroft wants to give them his tax-dodge savings purely out of civic duty, rather than attempting to buy any kind of influence, it should hardly be too big a leap of faith that millions of union members might voluntarily give small change every month to Labour, collected through their unions.

It’s not because they want Derek and Tony to lean on Gordon in industrial disputes or that they think it will get them all a pay rise. It’s for the same reason that the unions started the Labour party. The party is a part of the labour movement, and it represents the interests of the ordinary working majority in the UK. Members of around a quarter of UK unions give funds to Labour in this way, and for this reason.

83% of Unite’s members seem to think that giving working people a stronger voice in politics is worth getting together and pooling a few pence a week. I think that’s pretty honest cash, that Gordon should be proud to be able to call on.

UPDATE 19/3/10: Carl has some good points on union party funding at Stronger Unions.