WITH FRIENDS LIKE ANDREW LITTLE WHO NEEDS ENEMIES?

So Andrew Little, head of the Engineering, Printers and Manufacturers Union (EPMU) has decided not to put his name forward as a Labour candidate in this year's general election.

With some people suggesting that he could be a future Labour leader, Little has decided that perhaps being a member of the losing team would not be an auspicous start to a glittering parliamentary career. He may also be waiting to see how the political dominoes fall before making his move.

Little says he thinks he can continue to contribute to helping the working class which will be news to the working class given the EPMU's lousy track record.

The EPMU bureaucracy is to the right of the Labour Party and has consistently sold out its membership. The EPMU focuses on making deals with employers rather than defending the interests of its members.

Here's how one worker describes the EPMU:

'They don't want to shake the boat, just work with bosses and lobby the government. They go on and on about collaboration with the boss - they call it "partnership", support the Labour Party to the hilt, and don't really give a shit about workers in the EPMU,apart from collecting their dues.

Hardly a glowing reference for Andrew Little, the 'champion' of the working class.