I haven’t got much time to blog at the moment…hopefully later. Must admit just come from an interesting and useful TU history talk regarding the Russian Revolution and the Bolsheviks, which I may write about later.
On a current issue there’s a great article written by Seumas Milne about the BA strikes especially with Brown’s recent condemnation of the strikes and the growing anti-union hysteria peddled by the right-wing press. No surprise there!
But what is truly preposterous is the Tory and media insistence that the dispute confirms the grip trade unions, and the Labour-affiliated Unite in particular, have on the government. As the last couple of days have amply demonstrated, nothing could be further from the truth.
Not only have ministers once again backed the employer in an industrial dispute and denounced the union – as in every other significant national dispute over the past decade – they have resolutely refused to repeal any substantive part of the Thatcher government’s anti-union legislation, which would have almost certainly allowed the BA dispute to be settled last week, if not in December when the courts ruled the first round of strikes unlawful.
As anyone who has followed the twists and turns of New Labour in power over the past 13 years knows perfectly well, it is bankers and businessmen, not trade unionists, who have called the shots – with disastrous consequences for all of us.
Damn right!!
Interesting perspective will enjoy reading more when you are ready.
“it is bankers and businessmen, not trade unionists, who have called the shots – with disastrous consequences for all of us.”
Times are tough right now, and the bankers certainly share part of the responsibility. The Labour government played a major role in mismanaging the economy. Over-reckless consumers and homebuyers stoked the fire. But apart from bankers, can anyone name a businessman who has played a significant role contributing to the financial crisis? Didn’t think so.
I’d also urge a bit of perspective. Times are tough, but it’s nothing compared to the 1970s when the TUs had the country on its knees. 3-day week anyone? Rubbish piling up in the street? Bodies piling up outside mortuaries? Now those really were disastrous times.
For the benefit of your readers, could you perhaps elaborate which part of Thatcher’s legislation you’d have the government repeal?
It’s hardly surprising that Brown needs to cover up his party’s financial reliance on Unite and pretend (despite the influence of Charlie Whelan) that Unite has no influence. However, I’d prefer to see him stand back and let Unite drive BA to bankruptcy. As I’ve often commented (but received no response) this would precipitate a happy asset sale of slots, brand and aircraft to the highest bidder. No way anyone would purchase BA as a going concern, thus maintaining the 1970s T&Cs that the union is trying to defend.
Then we could enjoy watching all the cabin crew fighting each other for jobs at Virgin, Easyjet and Ryanair on a 35% salary cut. Solidarity, anyone?
The Seventies were not quite as bad as convential history makes out. Yes capitalism suffered one of it’s regular drops in the rate of profit and had some difficulty forcing ordinary working pay the cost. Mind you some of the iconic immges such as rubbish in Leicester Square were stunts in that case by Tory Westminster Council. The trade unions beceme the easy scapegoats for a crisis caused by others.
“Yes capitalism suffered one of it’s regular drops in the rate of profit and had some difficulty forcing ordinary working pay the cost.”
Yup, that’s the usual barmy socialist un-logic. Forcing working people to pay the cost – the cost of what? Living? Electricity? Bread? Hell you’re right – working people should get these things for free. And a pony. In fact, people who basically refuse to work should also get these things. Somebody else will pay. The tooth fairy will leave them under your pillow after I’ve read you a story, and the unicorn will stick his fantasy horn up the idle rich.
How about a few more iconic images – from the pages of the (hardly right-wing) bbc.co.uk
“The single most notorious action was by cemetery workers in Liverpool who refused to bury dead bodies, leaving more than 300 to pile up in a cold storage depot”
“My mother had to cross a picket line to get into the maternity hospital (they told her she couldn’t come in, her response is unprintable….). ”
“the working class got kicked in the balls by its own kind yet again”
“I remember changing a toilet roll when on secondment to our Sheffield factory and being seriously worried that someone might find out and accuse me of doing somebody else’s job. My predecessor had almost caused a strike by helping to sweep up some rubbish.”
“Left-wing union leaders and activists whipped up the disputes for their own purposes.”
“But much of the fault for this was Callaghan’s. He had opposed the legal restrictions on union power pleaded for by Wilson and Castle”
“Children’s hospitals, old people’s homes and schools were all plunged into trouble, depending on volunteers”
And, Tonyb, you want to talk about scapegoats?
Please, please, please, will somebody enlighten me by providing the name of a “businessman” (as referred to in Milne’s fatuous article) outside the banking sector whose behaviour contributed to the financial crisis?
Please will somebody also explain to me why the bankers should carry all the blame given that
– some people had colossal appetite for foolish borrowing
– other people had appetite for foolish lending
– politicians fanned the heat by throwing liquidity into the markets and pronouncing an “end to boom and bust”
Bankers were the intermediary in a world of foolishness. It’s like blaming the postman for the delivery of faulty goods that you ordered from a dodgy supplier.
Not that all was well with the financial sector by any means, but
1. the blame is spread far more widely than the financial sector
2. business, outside banking, is substantially innocent