Paul Embery There is a scene in the TV adaptation of that superb 1980s political novel,A Very British Coup, in which Labour prime minister Harry Perkins, determined to push through a new green energy policy, is rebuked by the leader of the United Power Workers' Union, a character named Reg Smith. “My union see job losses ahead,” argues the battle-hardened Smith, “and they won't be bought off with promises of windmills”.