Over at the Speccie, Ed Holmes has written a piece about the mechanics of Union beligerence. He highlights the recent public sector strikes that are targeted at popular events and times. He rightly points out that a militant minority tends to speak on behalf of the less militant majority. You can read it HERE. This is my reply:
These strikes always seem to emanate from the public sector or the former public sector, the main reason being that union membership has collapsed elswhere and of course, they stand little chance of bankrupting their employers but draw maximum embarrassment from governments.
In reality it is the last stand of the Union bully. They do not have popular support for the tactics they use, and indeed draw a considerable amount of obloquy.
Whereas it is fine to discuss the mechanics of how they do it, what needs to change is public perception. I have said it over and over that the Government needs to name the demons. It needs to ensure that the message is that unions today are a travesty of their historical intentions.
The Government cannot do this while the State media still has a sentimental attraction to the Tolpuddle Martyrs and their chief correspondents are openly left-wing.
There is though a ray of hope. When the last strike took place at the BBC, Paul Mason, one of their Lefties-in-Chief was quite vocal and indeed, articulate about the reasons for the strike. Was anybody bovvered? Did anybody worry that Newsnight got cancelled?
Union bullying has been kettled. Sooner or later, even the public sector will be defeated. I merely takes political will, and given the union's obvious death wish, the general public will be happy to pay their fare to Switzerland.
There is a more comprehensive analysis of current thinking here: http://www.economist.com/node/17851305?story_id=17851305&fsrc=rss
9 comments:
This is a very old fashioned view. Actually, it's far worse than that. It's wrong. It is not a view that any member of a trade union today would recognise, apart from what is portrayed in the terror press.
The truth is that most unions today are very much in touch with the mood of the times. They know what is reaaonable, and realistic. They know that the political views of their membership can no longer be taken for granted. They know that people want a fair return for a fair day's work but they know too what they are up against in terms of the international copmetition and that the days of Red Robbo and Scargill are long gone, and thankfully so.
If you took the time to devote a moment's thought farther than your atrocious prejudices you would not post such rubbish.
Come on Jim, don't beat about the bush.
Oh, all right then, But I'm not pleased. WW must do better.
I'm going to pop my head above the parapet and agree with Jim.
That was one of your worst posts WW. Unadulterated right-wing prejudice, not leavened with a single original thought.
Chorus: WW must do better.
I just spent an hour looking at my posts for 2006. They were a lot more fun then. Perhaps the blog has lost its way.
The trade unions were instrumental in the passing of the Disability Discrimination Act, and so arguably do have a role in the modern world. But the dinosaurs always seem to come out of the woodwork whenever the Conservatives are in power.
Did anybody worry that Newsnight got cancelled?
It was a delight not to have to stomach Humphries, Naughtie and Montague first thing in the morning on Radio 4. Perhaps the Beeb should take industrial action more permanently.
Perhaps the blog has lost its way.
Don't pack up your keyboard just yet, I've only just discovered your blog.
@ Hamish,
Unadulterated right-wing prejudice, not leavened with a single original thought.
That may be so - but it's gloriously cathartic.
Thank you once again for the (qualified) support Foxy.
Judging by the amount of investment in automation (Dockland Light Railway, supermarket checkouts, car park machines, cash machines, HMR&C online etc. etc.) I think the unions have done it to themselves.
Still, Bob Crow will be okay with his 100k p.a. plus the expense account and gold plated pension etc.
With all the employment legislation now, it makes far more sense to automate or offshore where possible.
...
Post a Comment