The problem we have always had with the PLP is that much of them no longer see themselves as elected representatives of the movement (in part because a lot of them haven't been elected but were parachuted and imposed from the time of Blair) but as
the unaccountable leadership of the Party with a job for life.
While Oakey implies that the union
leadership is somehow
unaccountable, able to do whatever it wants, the reality is that union leaders at all levels — from shop stewards to presidents — are elected to their roles for fixed terms by either workplace colleagues or the broader membership.