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Employment Bill [HL]

My Lords, I am not sure where in the situation we are talking about—membership of a political party by an individual trade union member—it was ever abused. It certainly was not abused in the 1980s. In the example given by the noble Baroness, Lady Miller of Hendon, in regard to the National Union of Mineworkers, as far as I know, there was never any question of a Conservative member of that union being expelled, and I am sure that there were some Conservative members. My second point is probably my better one. It was made by my noble friend when he opened the proceedings many hours ago. No other membership-based organisation is subject to the sort of restrictions in respect of political party membership as those which apply to trade unions, or certainly did until the court’s judgment. We therefore propose treating trade unions like other unincorporated associations. My noble friend used the example of golf clubs, but there are others. If this Bill is carried, trade unions will be treated—