Now we can all sing from same sheet

THE Messiah came to Manchester yesterday in the guise of a whitehaired politician in a dark suit.

Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell didn’t just tell the Trades Union Congress what they wanted to hear. He gave them a blueprint for socialist government “with your advice in our ears”.

Decades of austerity and antitrade union laws will be swept aside.

This was an unashamed election manifesto for the workers and it was music to the ears of his audience. He sings their song.

It’s easy to forget trade unionism is actually big business. Tens of millions pass through union coffers every year and general secretaries are paid like private sector CEOs.

But business has been declining for years and unions have to run fast just to stand still. That’s why their New Deal for Workers is also a new deal for unions.

Thirty years ago, 80% of workers were covered by trade union deals. It is now 26%. Union membership peaked at 13 million. Now it’s fewer than six. That’s why a vow to restore a balance of power is so critical.

If Labour can do that, joining a union will be more attractive.

McDonnell, son of a Liverpool docker, drew on his family history of casual employment to condemn the worst levels of work insecurity in 80 years. Trade unionists have been waiting almost as long as that for a Labour politician to use this kind of language. He speaks theirs, and, rightly, they love it.

There’s just that little problem of a general election to overcome.