MUPPET OF THE WEEK? - Dave Prentis

I'd like to nominate Dave Prentis, General Secretary of UNISON, the biggest trade union in the UK, as a contender for "Muppet of the Week". After all, he's had a stinker.

Not only did his hopes of bringing the nation to its knees on Wednesday, with the strikes that got minimal support from UNISON members let alone the rest of the population, he then went on to make a big fuss about a joke made by Jeremy Clarkson on The One Show that has spectacularly backfired (clearly he hadn't watched while clip because if he had he would have seen it was a joke about balanced journalism on the BBC and Clarkson makes it clear he presented two contrasting opinions, not his own). Still, Prentis in his wisdom (lol) threatened legal action against Clarkson and wanted him sacked by the BBC.

Comrade Prentis gets paid nearly £100k a year for leading UNISON through gaffes like that, plus various benefits, expenses and generous pension and, while encouraging the low-paid to give up a day's pay just before Christmas, Prentis won't, of course, have lost a penny of wages.

Surely there's no one else who's had a worst week?

Still, things could get worse for Prentis, maybe his members will realise embarrassing them twice in one week doesn't justify such a huge salary and get rid of this Calamity Jane.

OPINION: Clarkson, UNISON and over-reacting

UNISON, the already dis-credited trade union after their "damp squib" support for the November 30th strikes, is now threatening to sue Jeremy Clarkson because of comments he made on the BBC's early evening magazine show, The One Show.

Jeremy Clarkson has always taken on the role of the rieght wing, anti-environment, blokey pantomime villain - it may have been an ill-advised, badly-timed comment but it is clearly said with humour. And it is free speech!



UNISON have little credibility left. Yesterday, and at other marches and protests earlier in the year, members of UNISON and other unions will all have chanted together phrases like "Hang the bankers" or "Shoot the Tories" - I do hope that UNISON's leadership will be reporting every single one of them for inciting violence. or is that not the point?

No, it's idiotic, intellectual pygmies that are union leaders with too much money to spend, desperately seeking publicity for their lost cause.

If any UNISON members watched the whole interview, I'm guessing most who have been so vocal in their complaints haven't seen the whole interview, they will see it was a joke about the need to have balance on BBC programmes. But that would get in the way of a good story wouldn't it? Facts and truth - not things modern unions dabble with.

It's time that unions, like UNISON, were brought into line with mainstream society and not in the hands of dangerous extremists and fat cats who benefit by causing national strife.

Clarkson says things and it gets publicity. Get over it. Or are the unions now anti-free speech and lacking any sense of humour?