To support the RMT?

The RMT are striking yet again. Not because of sackings, or poor pay and conditions, but because there may be job cuts in the future. Despite assurance from the mayor, they still feel its necessary to bring the capital to a stand still.

There are no job cuts at the moment. The RMT, however, continue to call for strikes at every opportunity they get. Already paid a considerable amount for fewer hours and more holiday than many of the capitals workers it is not hard to see why londoners are not sympathetic to the most recent strike.

The trouble with this is that the workers may have to face repercussions later on. The rmt have gone on strike so often that the public is losing sympathy and the ordinary Londoner is getting use to finding another route home. Many in my office (unionists too) are going on about "the RMT striking again" and "what wrong this time"

So why does Bob crow continue? Power? Just to antagonise? or because he is so
dedicated to his workers.

Its hard to see the latter given the preferential treatment of wages, but i suspect a little of all of them. And knowing these old union types they do care and do believe that they are working for the best deal for the worker. Most of the time. However, they do try to get what they can and often ignore the bigger picture.

There will be a backlash against the tube workers one day. Whether its a conservative government or mayor that will happen over the next 5-6 years. And it will be hard for Labour and the public to defend them.

As with most strike action with lions led by donkeys, the workers are ultimately the ones that suffer.

Its the long route home again tonight!!

N.B. My colleague told me that in brazil they just open the barriers and let people travel for free, to keep the public on-side. Maybe one to think about for the future.

UPDATE: I have been corrected on some massive faults on my last post and rightfully so. Thanks for that and apologies for it.

It was lazy blogging on my behalf, i meant workers not drivers. The point I was trying to make is that all the public hear is that there is a strike on the tube and don't seperate them out for the reasons why. An RMT/Bob Crow led strike (as well as calls for strikes and recently calls for a EU referendum etc etc), i think, is becomming devalued as a currency and i think more effort needs to be made to keep the public on side for the sake of the longer term.

Respect and Galloway

Living in East London a recent Blog by a fellow memeber John Gray came to attention.

This was news of the letter that George Galloway has sent to his party that has them in a bit of a fluster.

So what is Galloway doing with this letter. Well its important to remember that he is an age old politicial' so the idea that this has come out in the public realm accidentally is nonsense. He clearly wanted this out in the open, so i will use my "don't listen to what politicians say, think about why they are saying it" motto to find out why.

Firstly the electorate are no friend of the SWP. Despite the best intentions of the middle class - class warriors, they are a turn off for all but a delusional few. The main vote in poplar and Limehouse, that Galloway needs if he is to win in the next election, is bigger than the SWPers that live there. So he does what we all do in elections and knocks the controllers of Respect Party (the SWP) saying there management is poor and political savvy is weak.

He goes on to say they only "elect" people in positions that agree with them and don't worry too much about proper elections (later in the article, Galloway suggests an unelected elite few set up a new board, made up of people he suggests. Quite how that is different from what they do now is not clear).

He is also worried about low funding and membership. The issue is that, if you are a democratic party, the MP doesn't really have right to tell people where it is going wrong and how to fix it. He is not the leader. They are suppose to have officers that run the party and if they elect the wrong ones, they don't do well. If you care so much you stand against them. Thats what democracy in political parties are. You can't always get your own way.

So Galloway is no big fan of democracy and bad people getting jobs. The second message is clealy: George is in charge.

Whatever impression you got the respect was run by its members, its not true. What George says goes. He is the only MP and only electoral hope, if he fails, Respect fails. As the dictators he so admires he is becoming weary of leading and incompetent people following.

Which is his third message. He is tired of many of the things he mentioned. Tired it is him who has to raise the funds and bringing in new members. He is tired of being the only political thinker in the whole political party. Tired of the bickering and nepotism that is rife.

He, like the dictators of old, is at a rubicon point and this letter is his attempt to pull himself and the party out.

But George needs to learn that people and parties out grow their political figureheads. On this occasion the SWP will swallow it yet again, but only because they know they are nothing without him. But soon they will tire of having no councillors and no-one in the limelight.

One day, he may find that people are tired of his hedgmonay over the left and what historically ensues the overthrow of a leader is a civil war between two rival factions. The unlikely marriage of the SWP and the Bangladeshi community is only held onto by George and is constantly fraught. They don't sahre the same values, only the sme goal of beating Labour.

Following the fall of George the SWP will then have to take on the completely Bangladeshi powerbase of Councillors (none of whom are in a trade union), in Tower Hamlets the heartland of Respect, for the soul of the party.

Historically collapse usually follows. We can only hope.

Destroying the Democrats

I was reading the Anthony Seldon autobiography of Blair and came accross an interesting passage about Gordon Brown. It stated that unlike Blair, Brown wanted to destroy the Liberal Democrats.

His first moves in Government showed that he was serious about that. The move to being more cautious on foreign policy and seeking consensus on 90 days for example. Offering Paddy and Shirly jobs in his government and as advisors. He has clearly moved from Blairs position of ignoring them and ridiculing them at every opportunity, to saying he admired many of their well respected members to the point he wanted them with him.

This is clearly a play for the voters and possible even their MPs. As should they go into melt down they could go either way.

The tories have also been stepping on their usual agenda of green issues.

The problem with the liberals is that they have also moved to shadow both labour and Tory proposals. Nuclear power stations, dropping the 50p top rate, supporting tax cuts. The liberal nature under charlie has gone and this will ultimately lead to them suffering in the elections as their protest vote reduces. They are also fighting, unlike labour and the cons, seriously in the north and south. Whereas Labour will consolidate the North and Cons will grow in the South the Libs look like being squeezed all accross the board (even in scotland with a strong SNP as well).

They could be wiped out should they continue on their current course. I think they should move left, or sack Ming to survive.