I joined Unite Community after I retired, not with any expectation of personal benefit but as a gesture of solidarity. Even as a pensioner I can easily afford £2.38 a month, less than the price of a pint of beer in a pub!

I recently voted for Unite to continue its political levy although I rather object to any of it going to the Labour Party, in fact I’m in favour of disaffiliating. I could opt out personally while supporting the levy generally, but it’s a miniscule amount so not worth bothering.

I did receive an unexpected benefit when the union won me a compensation payment for missold PPI. It was also a benefit to the union who received 25%, but it was substantial enough that I still have a decent bank balance several years later. Carefully managed it means that the cost of Tories crisis hasn’t hit me yet, so I don’t have to cut back on donations to the various causes I support.

I don’t understand Sharon Graham’s claim that continuing Unite’s affiliation with Labour enables the union to put pressure on the party, I believe Mick Lynch of RMT shares her view. I don’t see how you can “put pressure” on the party by threatening to withdraw funding, for example, unless you actually do it!

I’m saddened to hear that Ken Livingstone, despite being expelled from the party, is another who thinks that voting Labour is the only way to get rid of the Tories. I voted Green in the Selby by-election and exchanged one Tory MP for another!

It will surprise nobody reading this to be told that, in my opinion, the parties over! There’s nothing to be gained by trying to revive it, socialists need to work together for an alternative – if not one party then a coalition of progressive parties that can hold the balance of power in a hung parliament. Sadly, we’re a long way from that at present.

Union involvement is important, but they need to divorce themselves from a party that’s proving itself to be anti-union and ally themselves instead to community organisations such as DPAC and Just Stop Oil!

I didn’t vote for Sharon Graham as General Secretary of Unite, I would’ve preferred Howard Beckett but he withdrew his candidacy. What really has me considering joining others in resigning is Graham’s decision to ban showing of the film Oh Jeremy Corbyn: The Big Lie on Unite premises, and even banning branches from making donations to the producers of the film. Unite has also banned Asa Winstanley’s book Weaponising Antisemitism.

This is authoritarian censorship on the grounds that they promote a “conspiracy theory” are proof in themselves that it’s not a theory but a fact! By blocking any discussion of the conspiracy they’re actively participating in it, and I’ll give Unite the same reason for resigning as I gave the Labour Party – by continuing as a member I would regard myself as complicit in a witch-hunt 😠

I wanted to write this blog before deciding whether or not to resign. If I chose to remain a member I would have sent a version of this blog to my branch secretary as an expression of my disapproval. Instead, I’ll be sending my resignation when I next receive notification of a branch meeting. In other circumstances I would have liked to be more active in the union but I’ll have to watch out for other opportunities.