Jeremy Clarkson: the politics of deathwish jokes
THREE quarters of Telegraph readers back Jeremy Clarkson in the row over his ‘execute strikers’ outburst. The Top Gear presenter’s remarks should not have been taken seriously, because he was only joking, they insist. As Freud explained over a hundred years ago, tendentious jokes are a mask for socially unacceptable feelings, not least violent hostility. There [...]
N30 open thread
‘The collapse of decent pension provision in the private sector is not much of an argument for cutting provision for nurses.’ – Philip Stephens, Financial Times. I’M SHORTLY off to display private sector wealth creator solidarity with public sector colleagues by joining the London N30 demo. Workers of the world unite, and all that. The comments [...]
N30: join the private sector wealth creators’ bloc
GOOD thing I won’t have to take David Cameron up on his stupid idea of bringing the kids into the office when teachers go on strike next Wednesday. I can just picture the chaos that would inevitably result. The 11 year old would sulk in a corner all day long, telling anyone who politely introduced themselves [...]
N30: the power of the strike threat
WHETHER or not the Coalition’s latest proposals on public sector pensions constitute ‘a very fair offer’ – as David Cameron insists – is a question best left to those with sounder knowledge of actuarial principles than I shall ever acquire. Yet one thing is immediately clear. No improvements whatsoever would be on the table without [...]
J30: one day strikes are not enough
I DON’T know what the late Ralph Miliband read to his offspring by way of bedtime stories. But if Ed’s reluctance to back today’s public sector stoppage is anything to go by, Rosa Luxemburg’s ‘The Mass Strike’ did not feature strongly in his upbringing. For my generation of the far left, which came to political [...]
The Tory who wants to ban strikes
BORIS Johnson may argue for a minimum turnout threshold on industrial action ballots, Vince Cable might make threatening noises at GMB conference. But throughout my adult lifetime, I cannot remember any public figure openly advocating that strikes should be illegal. Step forward Dr Andrew Lilico, an economist who – modestly or otherwise – styles himself [...]
Will Britain ever see strong trade unions again?
AS A young hack, my ambition was always to become an industrial reporter on a national newspaper and to join the Labour and Industrial Correspondents’ Group. Now I read that this once exclusive club has wound itself up, on the grounds that job description no longer really exists. Fittingly, the wake begun with a debate [...]
Coalition prepares to break strikes
THIS from the Daily Mail this morning. Self-explanatory, really: A secret ‘war plan’ to prevent a general strike has been drawn up by ministers – with thousands of union-busting workers lined up to cross militant picket lines. A unit has been set up in the Cabinet Office to prevent Britain grinding to a standstill in [...]
Public sector workers versus the state: reply to The Economist
HIGH time hospital porters and classroom assistants in bog standard comps stopped poncing off corporate lawyers and million quid bonus investment bankers, one of the world’s highest circulation news magazines stridently insists this week. If you thought only publications sold by sour-faced vendors capable of surviving nuclear wars are predicting widespread industrial unrest in 2011, check [...]
The Workers United
QUICK plug for a new blog from my old pal Miles Barter. The Workers United, as the name implies, covers trade union issues from an activist viewpoint. Being a journo himself, Miles is aware of the need for frequent updates to keep the punters interested. And although he is an NUJer, he seems intent on [...]
