Strikes

[Max B Gold]

Its not caused by the energy crisis/ukraine war then?

Ok. Yes, it's a bit of that and a bit of Corbyn.

[Chelmsford Swimmer]

No it doesn't.

When external costs go up, there is less to go around, and someone somewhere has to pay. Its simple economics. We could of course borrow more, most peoples solution to everything, but not a popular solution when the necessary austerity follows.

Hmm. Doesn't really explain the accumulation of wealth by greedy capitalists at the cost of eroding the purchasing power of workers. Giving rise to unprecedented inequality. Seems like the "someone somewhere" losing out is the worker. Not the billionaires.

I don't disagree Max that its the wealthy that should be paying more, someone has to.

[Max Fowler]

Ok. Yes, it's a bit of that and a bit of Corbyn.

Are you saying that business is passing on more than their increased energy and material costs to consumers?

Wage increases have tracked below inflation and asset price increases for decades. The recent inflationary spike is caused in a large part by external factors beyond our control, but it is waking people up from the 30-year slumber. So any wage increases now must not only be viewed against the current 11.1% CPI figure (14.2% RPI), but also against this 30-year lag.

The bus drivers who recently won their battle for 11% wage increases are still worse off than a bus driver in 1982. The 1982 bus driver could have supported a family of four on their salary, bought a house, had one holiday a year and owned a car. The 2022 bus driver is unlikely to be able to do any of that if they're the sole earner.

The 1982 bus company would not have been as profitable, but it managed. The 2022 bus company will be part of a multi-national corporation that has sought every option to maximise profits and will not give a stuff if their 2022 bus driver has had reason to acquaint themselves with the local food bank.

I'm not suggesting we go back to 1982, but there needs to be some recalibration so that we claw back some of that wealth that was accessible to ordinary people then.

The 2022 bus company will also be shifting all those lovely profits abroad via interest payments to off shore holding companies and paying no tax in the UK.

The whole thing is f*cking f*cked.

But, as we all know by now, the tragedy is there is no other way.

[Max Fowler]

somebodies standard of living has to drop somewhere.

No it doesn't.

When external costs go up, there is less to go around, and someone somewhere has to pay. Its simple economics.

But if external costs are going up, someone somewhere is being paid more for whatever it is being bought. It’s simple economics.

[BoniO]

Are you saying that business is passing on more than their increased energy and material costs to consumers?

Wage increases have tracked below inflation and asset price increases for decades. The recent inflationary spike is caused in a large part by external factors beyond our control, but it is waking people up from the 30-year slumber. So any wage increases now must not only be viewed against the current 11.1% CPI figure (14.2% RPI), but also against this 30-year lag.

The bus drivers who recently won their battle for 11% wage increases are still worse off than a bus driver in 1982. The 1982 bus driver could have supported a family of four on their salary, bought a house, had one holiday a year and owned a car. The 2022 bus driver is unlikely to be able to do any of that if they're the sole earner.

The 1982 bus company would not have been as profitable, but it managed. The 2022 bus company will be part of a multi-national corporation that has sought every option to maximise profits and will not give a stuff if their 2022 bus driver has had reason to acquaint themselves with the local food bank.

I'm not suggesting we go back to 1982, but there needs to be some recalibration so that we claw back some of that wealth that was accessible to ordinary people then.

The 2022 bus company will also be shifting all those lovely profits abroad via interest payments to off shore holding companies and paying no tax in the UK.

The whole thing is f*cking f*cked.

But, as we all know by now, the tragedy is there is no other way.

Oh I dunno - other Countries seem to manage public transport better than we do.

[whittle76]

Sunak telling the Army to cover for striking paramedics when they were hoping to have some time off over Christmas has peed them off, that their wages are so low.
We had a Government Minister on LBC this morning saying the military can't go strike. So appears this rotten Government want to use them, to defeat NHS workers, knowing they can't refuse to do this work.

[Max Fowler]

Sunak telling the Army to cover for striking paramedics when they were hoping to have some time off over Christmas has peed them off, that their wages are so low.
We had a Government Minister on LBC this morning saying the military can't go strike. So appears this rotten Government want to use them, to defeat NHS workers, knowing they can't refuse to do this work.

Can't they send the Army in to beat the glorified nurses up and force them back into work?

[BoniO]

You’re jumping to next years plan…

[Dunners]

FBU members now being balloted for strike action.

[RedDwarf 1881]

Mick Lynch and all the other union Barons have a lot to answer for, thinking they can hold the country to ransom.

I was at Parliament square today with over 17,000 of my postal colleagues . One of the speakers was Mick Lynch . He made a great speech and if that man was leader of the Labour Party then Labour would walk the next election . The Unions are not the problem , it's the greedy bastards at the top .

[CEB]

Mick Lynch and all the other union Barons have a lot to answer for, thinking they can hold the country to ransom.

I was at Parliament square today with over 17,000 of my postal colleagues . One of the speakers was Mick Lynch . He made a great speech and if that man was leader of the Labour Party then Labour would walk the next election . The Unions are not the problem , it's the greedy bastards at the top .

If he was leader of the Labour Party, you’d like the Labour Party more. That doesn’t translate to “walking the next election” - the Labour Party are likely to walk the next election for the reason that the leader doesn’t have a big appeal to a low number of people, but enough of an appeal to enough of the electorate. Boring, but that’s how it is

[Max Fowler]

If he was leader of the Labour Party, we’d have another campaign of lies against him, informing us of his terrorist ties and commie credentials, attacks on his family etc.

For some reason, the current leader of the Labour Party seems to escape all that…

[Friend or fart]

Trump Whatever said:-For some reason, the current leader of the Labour Party seems to escape all that… I say:- When your Leader was former Director of Public Prosecutions (England and Wales), it does deter people from chucking false accusations at you and it does tend to make his modus operandi meticulous and avoids falling into booby traps. Boring can be useful if it leads to massive success. Corbyn had the right ideas, but a total lack of Political nous.

[Max Fowler]

Tony Blair didn’t get attacked either and he wasn’t former director of public prosecutions, so I don’t think it’s that…

[Dunners]

If he was leader of the Labour Party, we’d have another campaign of lies against him, informing us of his terrorist ties and commie credentials, attacks on his family etc.

For some reason, the current leader of the Labour Party seems to escape all that…

They've already tried that with Mick but, unlike a certain other political figure you may be thinking of, he was more effective at knocking them back. We even have a whole thread on here dedicated to it.

[Long slender neck]

So what is likely to happen over the next few months?

[Max Fowler]

If he was leader of the Labour Party, we’d have another campaign of lies against him, informing us of his terrorist ties and commie credentials, attacks on his family etc.

For some reason, the current leader of the Labour Party seems to escape all that…

They've already tried that with Mick but, unlike a certain other political figure you may be thinking of, he was more effective at knocking them back. We even have a whole thread on here dedicated to it.

I hadn’t mentioned anyone.

Oh come on, calling him Mick Grinch and photoshopping him green is nothing. We’ll get a taste of it though as these strikes start piling up.

[Friend or fart]

Whilst the Govt believe that us General Public don't like Unions & being tuff will earn them kudos; us don't like being inconvenienced : ankle deep in rubbish, dying rather than going to hospital, delayed getting in & out of the country, being broke, no Christmas cards, houses burning down etc. It's all gonna come back & bite 'em. The General Election is getting nearer. Maxie is gonna lead us out on to the streets. Three cheers for all the workers.

[Max Fowler]

So what is likely to happen over the next few months?

Don’t quote me on this but they will possibly throw some of the following at Union Baron Mick Lynch:

- make up some link to the IRA through his Irish roots.
- label him a hypocrite because he lives in a big, expensive house
- label him a fraud because he lives in a small, cheap house
- take a photo of him drinking a glass of wine
- call him an anti-Brexiteer despite his historic support to leave the EU
- show how unpatriotic he is and how much he hates Britain by holidaying abroad

[tuffers#1]

Mick Lynch and all the other union Barons have a lot to answer for, thinking they can hold the country to ransom.

I was at Parliament square today with over 17,000 of my postal colleagues . One of the speakers was Mick Lynch . He made a great speech and if that man was leader of the Labour Party then Labour would walk the next election . The Unions are not the problem , it's the greedy bastards at the top .

Shame he voted Brexit, which will make those at the TOP piles of doh !

[CEB]

At this point, if you don’t see that Corbyn was an active participant in some of the reputational damage he suffered, I don’t know what to say.

I mean, I voted for him as leader twice: first time with genuine optimism, second time with a nagging doubt. I’d still be very much in favour of a credible left wing leader. Corbyn wasn’t that.

Taylor Parkes wrote about him very presciently back in 2015

[Max B Gold]

Yes, poor career management by JC. He should have focused on becoming leader, bought a brief case and stayed out of trouble.

That Taylor Parkes is a bit of a bed wetter. Where is the steely determination that makes a revolutionary?

[Give it to Jabo]

How did the Tories still manage to poll six thousand plus seats in The Chester by-election? These Tories till I die people defy common sense. Some of them must have mortgages, be union members, know someone who is cutting back, go supermarket shopping etc. The “I’m alright, Jack” mentality runs deeply…

[Give it to Jabo]

Sorry, forgot to add somebody on the NHS waiting list, someone striking, or contemplating striking..

[Give it to Jabo]

Somebody who is worried about putting their heating on…