Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Must be nice...

I have often wondered what it would be like to be able to afford to go on strike, it must after all be nice to be able to do so. That said, I've never been in a position where I've needed too, or felt pushed into going on strike, not even during my sojourn in the public sector as a railway and bus worker. The other places I've worked for if I haven't liked them, I've simply moved on to something different (not necessarily better, but the trend was ever upward)
Telegraph.
Unite, Britain's biggest union, is understood to be leading calls for a super-strike in protest against the Government cuts. A document drawn up by the union described a general strike as "desirable", according to the Financial Times. The newspaper reported that Unite believes: “It would be a landmark in our movement’s recovery of its morale, strength and capacity to play a leading part in a society crying out for credible and honourable leadership." However, other less radical unions would be likely to oppose the idea.
This would be Unite as led by Len McClusket on £122,434 per annum plus perks who can clearly afford to go on strike with his members, bearing in mind that they'll be on strike and he'll still be raking it in. I also had to stifle a guffaw at a communist union leader going on about 'credible and honourable leadership' as most communists (and indeed much of the more strident left) wouldn't know credible and honourable leadership if it came up to them and nutted them in the face. Indeed much of the history of the left shows that whatever happens, the scum always rises to the top and then proceeds to murder, intimidate and jail any and all opposition whilst running the economy into the ground via corruption and magic money tree economic policies. It should also be noted that Len was a supporter (though not as member) of the infamous Militant Tendency movement which nearly crippled the Labour Party and made them unelectable for years.
If such a strike does happen (unlikely in the extreme) it will be a massive own goal for Labour and a gift to Cameron.
Whilst I have no problem with the far left causing Labour to commit political suicide, I do wish they'd find a way to do it without impoverishing union members and inconveniencing the rest of us.
I can live without either...

3 annotations:

John M Ward said...

That's about the size of it, yes.

Even when I was in the Civil Service, before the Commies had taken over running the Unions (though they had been trying for years, and later succeeded, after I had left), the members were merely pawns in the then leaders' plans.

There was perpetual calling for donations for our 'courageous and principled brothers and sisters' on long-term strike for much of that time, and an ever-Leftward turning of the whole movement.

The Union leaders, of course, were then (as now) living the life of Riley with no cost or risk to themselves...

What has happened now was inevitable, and I realised it even back then, so I was pleased to be able to get out in 1996.

Anonymous said...

John M Ward : are you referring to Communist fire brands like Kate Losinka (OBE for services to the Conservative Party) by any chance ? :-)

Anonymous said...

I'm sure that the originators of the Trades Union Movement didn't envisage that there would be a non-touchable hierarchy in place.

Unions lost their raison d'etre the moment leaders set themselves above their members,

O/T but I thought you could do this better justice than me;

<a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/frank-field-white-working-class-should-take-citizenship-tests-8559004.html>White and working class?</a>