I see that there has been loads of sabre rattling at the TUC today. Strike Brothers, strike.
Well this blogger has seen it all before in the 1970’s, and remembers it well.
Remember the rubbish piling up in the streets? Well yes, but in fact most sensible people double bagged their rubbish, and left it in neat piles on the pavement.
Firemen’s strike? The armed forces did a very creditable job with their ancient green goddesses.
Bodies piling up? Well yes, but in temporary mortuaries.
In fact we lived through those strikes with very little real hardship, mainly just a slight inconvenience.
The TUC would have us think that strike action would win this time. Well comrades you must have forgotten the lessons learned. Not only did new legislation,resulting from those strikes emasculate the unions, it kept the labour party out of power until we had the con-trick of New Labour in 1997.
Now that union membership has fallen by 50% since those days, you may, Comrade Crow, and you other Union oligarchs, find that you are fighting a battle that you can’t win.
So I’m laying down the gauntlet. Strike and be damned forever. And of course you’ll take the Labour party with you to the Ninth circle in hell.
Some bluff calling needed, methinks. All these Granuiadvertised non-job holders should, if they've got any fucking sense, be very wary about coming out on strike. When the news headlines are shouting that every outreach worker, counsellor, facilitator and person with the word 'officer', 'co-ordinator' or 'manager' in a job title that didn't exist in 1990, has downed tools and are standing around braziers and the rest of the country simply doesn't see any difference at all it'll indicate exactly where the cuts can be made.
ReplyDeleteWhat'll actually happen, or what my deeply ingrained cynicism tells me to expect will happen, is the government will cave in and the country will implode in 10-20 years.
Like you FE ..I too remember the strikes of the 1970's (Firemen x 2, Ambulance Crews x 2, Nurses, Miners & Council workers) .. and well recall living & working through them with little or no trouble, despite bringing up a young child at the time ..
ReplyDeleteLet the boneheads led by Crow & Co & supported by Harridan Harmsmen go on strike .. as you rightly point out, in the long term the only casualties will be themselves ..
Fuck 'em ...
I am a member of the NUJ. If they call a strike, my membership is being withdrawn.
ReplyDelete