Unions are very political in the UK don't forget. They have direct, open ties to the Labour party (eg. funding, getting to pick candidates, etc). This may not

Unions are very political in the UK don't forget. They have direct, open ties to the Labour party (eg. funding, getting to pick candidates, etc). This may not bother someone who is already a Labour voter, but if you were a Conservative/Lib Dem/Other, you might be very upset that your membership of the union is directly aiding a party that you oppose. Even if the other benefits of unions are actually quite good for you. It's sad that the 70's/80's miners strikes and such have divided the country in this way. It was before my time, but looking at the history, I look at the behaviour of certain unions from back then and agree with why they had to be reined in (even if I don't necessarily agree with the how). But on the other hand, it's turned the political landscape into a false dichotomy of Pro-union/Anti-union, whereas really it's a mixed bag depending on which union you are talking about. I'd love to be pro-IT union whilst also anti-RMT (eg. London Underground...), but it's not possible in the current political climate.