General Politics Thread

[Salt n Vinegar]

I've noticed a new approach being adopted by politicians when they're asked about colleagues' behaviour. Now instead of expressing disapproval, the new mantra appears to be along the lines of 'I haven't seen all the details of the case, but in any event it' s not for me to say and it's up to the constituents... '

[Detournement]

Jez continues to be sound. 

The comments as you would expect are full of Tartan Tories. 

[scottsdad]

7 minutes ago, Detournement said:

Jez continues to be sound. 

The comments as you would expect are full of Tartan Tories. 

I'm no Tartan Tory, but having Magic Grandpa appear with them can only hurt their cause. 

[NotThePars]

Love the guys who give it the big yin about being anti-Tory/ hating Thatcher then take a big breath and start calling striking workers political pawns of shadowy union barons.

[williemillersmoustache]

There are no socialists in the house of lords but the GMB does have a working group of actual ermine-clad Barons in there. 

The fucking scabs. Boo, something something Thatcher. 

 

 

 

[G51]

18 minutes ago, williemillersmoustache said:

There are no socialists in the house of lords but the GMB does have a working group of actual ermine-clad Barons in there. 

The fucking scabs. Boo, something something Thatcher. 

 

 

 

That’s the weakest defence of scabbing that I’ve ever seen.

[Wee-Bey]

Low paid public service workers should be paid more.

The fact that a hypocritical Scottish Labour Party with close to zero credibility supports them is neither here nor there really.

The unionist in Trade Unionist doesn't necessarily mean what you think it means.

[WhiteRoseKillie]

17 hours ago, G51 said:

It's incredible the number of SNP members/voters who, as soon as striking shows up any kind of SNP administration, reveal themselves to be complete and utter scabs.

It's quite incredible to me the number of people - of all persuasions - who, when people like fast food workers or care staff (minimum-wage, piss-poor t&cs) (1), or nurses, teachers or other public servants (vocational employees definitely not in it to become rich)(2) take IA, fail to ask the obvious questions:

1. How bad do things have to be that these people are willing to drop below their already subsistence income in order to protest? and

2. If these people are willing to withdraw their labour from providing a service they obviously care about, should we not at least listen to their reasons why?

The number of times the vox pops at the closed school gates consist of "Ah've hud tae take a day off work to look after him 'cos this lot wullnae dae their job" is more than petty, and anyone expressing such shite deserves nothing more than a long spell of unemployment followed by a debilitating condition resulting in their relying on the rump of the NHS, which would have been far healthier had they voted for a Party which would protect it, rather than banging a load of fucking pans on a fucking Thursday.

Oh, and by the way, I've lost friends who are Labour, Green and FibDem voters, because they've crossed picket lines. An absolutely disgraceful act for which there is no justification.(I've no friends who are tories.)

[WhiteRoseKillie]

1 hour ago, NotThePars said:

Love the guys who give it the big yin about being anti-Tory/ hating Thatcher then take a big breath and start calling striking workers political pawns of shadowy union barons.

Not seeing that sentiment on here, tbh. Or anywhere outside the RW press, in all fairness. A TU's NEC exists to serve it's members' interests and to obey motions agreed at Conference. If they're not doing so, the membership can remove them - as my Union has done regularly. Any members content to sit and whine about their representatives' actions being against the membership's interests have only themselves to blame - the majority of internal elections have embarrassingly low turnouts.

Union membership is more than a wee D/D and a pin badge.

[Detournement]

1 hour ago, WhiteRoseKillie said:

Not seeing that sentiment on here, tbh. Or anywhere outside the RW press, in all fairness. A TU's NEC exists to serve it's members' interests and to obey motions agreed at Conference. If they're not doing so, the membership can remove them - as my Union has done regularly. Any members content to sit and whine about their representatives' actions being against the membership's interests have only themselves to blame - the majority of internal elections have embarrassingly low turnouts.

Union membership is more than a wee D/D and a pin badge.

How can an average punter in the GMB organise for elections of 600,000 workers in many different industries and wage brackets spread across the UK? Even if they try and are good at it they are up against people who are doing it as a full time job and have shitloads of data. 

Union mergers have been a disaster. 

[DiegoDiego]

It's quite incredible to me the number of people - of all persuasions - who, when people like fast food workers or care staff (minimum-wage, piss-poor t&cs) (1), or nurses, teachers or other public servants (vocational employees definitely not in it to become rich)(2) take IA, fail to ask the obvious questions:
1. How bad do things have to be that these people are willing to drop below their already subsistence income in order to protest?

I realise I'm nit picking what was otherwise a worthy post, but the starting salary for teachers and nurses is well above subsistence income.

[Baxter Parp]

Um...............................never mind.

[WhiteRoseKillie]

On 10/11/2021 at 20:35, DiegoDiego said:

 

I realise I'm nit picking what was otherwise a worthy post, but the starting salary for teachers and nurses is well above subsistence income.

Not nit-picking, but the duties and reponsibilities involved in these professions should be reflected in a pay-packet which doesn't raise the possibility of food-bank use for the employee.

During the pandemic, we had a chance to acknowledge that, while we could actually do without quite a few high-profile (and high-income) professions, those in "low-skilled" jobs were actually vital for society. You only have to look at that bin-fire of a Covid thread to see that this chance has been missed. The horrible descent of this country into "I'm all right Jack" continues apace. Personally, if I'm ever in hospital, I'd like to think the nurse caring for me is concentrating on the job in hand, rather than worrying whether she can afford new school kit for her kids. Would that mean she's paid more than me? Quite possibly, but that's fair enough - no need (or reason) for me to be jealous.

[BFTD]

I'm too young to know if it was ever any different, but the general attitude towards strike action is definitely, "it's completely unacceptable if it affects me in any way".

Just like the general consensus appears to be that, if someone discovers that workers in a unionised business have better pay/shorter working hours/longer tea breaks/more annual leave, the answer is, "I don't get any of that, they should have it taken off them".

[AsimButtHitsASix]

31 minutes ago, BFTD said:

but the general attitude towards strike action is definitely, "it's completely unacceptable if it affects me in any way".

Just like the general consensus appears to be that, if someone discovers that workers in a unionised business have better pay/shorter working hours/longer tea breaks/more annual leave, the answer is, "I don't get any of that, they should have it taken off them".

The venn diagram of these two groups is a circle.

[WhiteRoseKillie]

31 minutes ago, BFTD said:

I'm too young to know if it was ever any different, but the general attitude towards strike action is definitely, "it's completely unacceptable if it affects me in any way".

Just like the general consensus appears to be that, if someone discovers that workers in a unionised business have better pay/shorter working hours/longer tea breaks/more annual leave, the answer is, "I don't get any of that, they should have it taken off them".

There is absolutely a decline in the general intelligence of the populace which doesn't realise (or wilfully ignores)that all those benefits you mention have been fought for, and won, by concerted action by TUs. You're certainly not going to get them from employers without a fight, and there's no stomach for IA amongst a generation conditioned to tug the forelock and believe that they're fortunate to have been kept from the streets by their MW, 0-hrs job.

Much easier to punch down at brown people trying to escape war zones than punch up at an Establishment which sees Nineteen Eighty Four as an instruction manual rather than a warning.

[HeWhoWalksBehindTheRows]

39 minutes ago, BFTD said:

 

Just like the general consensus appears to be that, if someone discovers that workers in a unionised business have better pay/shorter working hours/longer tea breaks/more annual leave, the answer is, "I don't get any of that, they should have it taken off them".

The Partick Thistle defence.

"But but but we had to build a 10,000 seater stadium, so should The Caley eh?"

Utter fucking rat behaviour. 

[Benjamin_Nevis]

39 minutes ago, BFTD said:

Just like the general consensus appears to be that, if someone discovers that workers in a unionised business have better pay/shorter working hours/longer tea breaks/more annual leave, the answer is, "I don't get any of that, they should have it taken off them".

Surely the Covid/NHS adulation stuff was primest of prime examples of this behaviour. 

April 2020: WE MUST SO EVERYTHING WE CAN TO HELP OUR BRAVE NURSES AND CARE WORKERS

December 2020: WHY ARE THEY GETTING £500? I WORK IN TOP SHOP, WHERE'S MY £500. I'M A KEY WORKER TOO!!!111

[coprolite]

36 minutes ago, BFTD said:

I'm too young to know if it was ever any different, but the general attitude towards strike action is definitely, "it's completely unacceptable if it affects me in any way".

Just like the general consensus appears to be that, if someone discovers that workers in a unionised business have better pay/shorter working hours/longer tea breaks/more annual leave, the answer is, "I don't get any of that, they should have it taken off them".

 

39 minutes ago, BFTD said:

I'm too young to know if it was ever any different, but the general attitude towards strike action is definitely, "it's completely unacceptable if it affects me in any way".

Just like the general consensus appears to be that, if someone discovers that workers in a unionised business have better pay/shorter working hours/longer tea breaks/more annual leave, the answer is, "I don't get any of that, they should have it taken off them".

I don't think there's such a thing as general opinion, there are lots of different views. Some people are supportive and others not.

I think it used to be more finely balanced but now trade unionism is more niche the unwitting lackeys of capitalism are in the majority. 

 

[Bairnardo]

Just now, coprolite said:

 

I don't think there's such a thing as general opinion, there are lots of different views. Some people are supportive and others not.

I think it used to be more finely balanced but now trade unionism is more niche the unwitting lackeys of capitalism are in the majority. 

 

I've said for a long time now this is due in large part to Trade Unions steadfast refusal to drag themselves into the 21st century. This should be boomtime for union membership.