Rail strike next month?

[Zetetic]

my local Labour group on WhatApp is carrying out direct action weekly.

I'm genuinely heartened to hear this (well, depending a bit on what it is, given the strands of "idpol" that now run rampant within the Labour party) and I don't think I'd be alone in wanting to hear more about what they're doing. Similarly for workplace unions.

My first- and second-hand experience of local Labour parties and workplace unions is that they aren't often terribly active from week-to-week when it comes to involving a decent proportion of the membership in collective action.

In the case of latter, to be clear, this can - being optimistic - reflect a relatively positive state of affairs; the union is rarely involved in mass action because it doesn't need to be. (Less optimistic readings are available, but let's pass over them.) The RMT's actions this week are unusual for workplace unions in Britain.

This reinforces your point that you should join a workplace union for fairly immediate prudential reasons. But it does seem to mean that they don't offer as a easy place to get used to organising and doing, and indeed winning.

Stories that counteract this would be really good to hear.

[TrenterPercenter]

I will concede that the brevity of my precis has necessarily sacrificed one of the most prominent stylistic features of the original, but I think it's up to the reader to decide whether that really constitutes a loss.

Sure.  I think you've just basically made up some stuff I said about trans people and shoe horned it into a different conversation because you are in a bad mood and want to see some damage.  As it happens I think out of the groups involved in problematic idpol the trans community are one of the least offenders - it was reply to a post by Bently Sheds which was about Terfina McPlant and that was the context here (you know that, it is why I referred to it).

But you know that, you are just willing to engage in exactly the kind of tactics I was pointing out.  Pretty grim really but you run your own moral compass mate.  It literally has nothing to do anything we were talking about and was a divisive and low smear for what gain? Nothing.

[Zetetic]

My reference back to your comments makes sense enough, I think, in the context of your "really neither here nor there" dismissal of housing, and the issues around health and finances that directly relate to it, being one of the most frequent and biggest problems for people across Britain.

Housing is a unifying issue for the people who most badly need more power.

[TrenterPercenter]

I'm genuinely heartened to hear this (well, depending a bit on what it is, given the strands of "idpol" that now run rampant within the Labour party) and I don't think I'd be alone in wanting to hear more about what they're doing. Similarly for workplace unions.

My first- and second-hand experience of local Labour parties and workplace unions is that they aren't often terribly active from week-to-week when it comes to involving a decent proportion of the membership in collective action.

In the case of latter, to be clear, this can - being optimistic - reflect a relatively positive state of affairs; the union is rarely involved in mass action because it doesn't need to be. (Less optimistic readings are available, but let's pass over them.) The RMT's actions this week are unusual for workplace unions in Britain.

This reinforces your point that you should join a workplace union for fairly immediate prudential reasons. But it does seem to mean that they don't offer as a easy place to get used to organising and doing, and indeed winning.

Stories that counteract this would be really good to hear.

Yeah well it might have been interesting to discuss this but you've killed any real interest from me in discussing this with you further right now.  You need to learn you can't just say things like you just said about people and just get away with it.  It's personal and it's gross. 

Have a good one Zetetic I'm genuinely impressed by the stuff you have done this week to support someone at risk of being evicted that's really good stuff 💪

[greencalx]

This was a great thread until the resident forum bores decided to crush it with their boringness.

[shoulders]

What about all the CaB posts that start "I'm currently in Dubrovnik?". What will happen to them?

As the author of those I'm here to confirm they'll still happen ☀️👌👍

[Zetetic]

This was a great thread until the resident forum bores decided to crush it with their boringness.

I'm sorry. If I was going to post anything, I should have stuck to the one vaguely helpful thing I was aiming at and then shut the fuck up. I will try harder to do this in the future.

[Buelligan]

Is Terfina one of the McDonalds McPlants?

[TrenterPercenter]

Not sure if already posted but here's a link to the RMT strike fund, if anyone is in a position to make a donation:

https://www.rmt.org.uk/about/national-dispute-fund

just incase anyone missed it.

[Buelligan]

I didn't miss it.  I've already given it all my tabs money, I'm not even lying.  Sent it off in a letter to Mick.

[jamiefairlie]

"difference" (and identity, same thing in practice) has had a huge hold over intellectual life for the past half century. its guided a lot of things like the way institutions have decided to focus on language and discourse instead of practice and organisation, and the way that a so-called cultural turn has dominated the way that left wing activism and politics interacts with the intellectual traditions behind it. in leftist politics this is centered on the idea that universality and solidarity were, in themselves, oppressive or dominating ideas and the crediting of them with the failures of Marxism and the Soviet project, etc. so we must elevate difference over unity whether possible, fracture over cohesion and categories over commonalities. the truly oppressed are not the unequal but the different. its a much broader trend than this, of course, but I don't want to risk driving the thread off topic

ultimately this is a highly institutional (and aristocratic in the abstract sense) view and it can't hold forever. Focusing on "difference" can and has easily become part of the liberal "end of history" thesis: the one long march of a self-identical history to which all events belong fractures into the play of forces of social or cultural difference. In many parts of life where intellectual trends overlap with political or cultural life, we've seen historicism and genealogy take over from reason and logic, perspectives and positions take over from debate and argument. This is all the practical effects of old hat arguments from the 1970s as far as I'm concerned, and political reality is moving a lot faster than ideas do as usual.

its a back to the drawing board moment.

Thanks. I agree wholeheartedly. It's funny that "difference" focus has become a left wing obsession given that its close twin "individualism" is the bedrock of neo-liberal Thatcherism.

[IsavedLatin]

Just when I thought I couldn't possibly like or respect Mick Lynch any more, he goes and does this - https://twitter.com/AaronBastani/status/1539738765584961539

Think I'm in love.

Thank you for posting this, what a lovely moment!

[shoulders]

"difference" (and identity, same thing in practice) has had a huge hold over intellectual life for the past half century. its guided a lot of things like the way institutions have decided to focus on language and discourse instead of practice and organisation, and the way that a so-called cultural turn has dominated the way that left wing activism and politics interacts with the intellectual traditions behind it. in leftist politics this is centered on the idea that universality and solidarity were, in themselves, oppressive or dominating ideas and the crediting of them with the failures of Marxism and the Soviet project, etc. so we must elevate difference over unity whether possible, fracture over cohesion and categories over commonalities. the truly oppressed are not the unequal but the different. its a much broader trend than this, of course, but I don't want to risk driving the thread off topic

ultimately this is a highly institutional (and aristocratic in the abstract sense) view and it can't hold forever. Focusing on "difference" can and has easily become part of the liberal "end of history" thesis: the one long march of a self-identical history to which all events belong fractures into the play of forces of social or cultural difference. In many parts of life where intellectual trends overlap with political or cultural life, we've seen historicism and genealogy take over from reason and logic, perspectives and positions take over from debate and argument. This is all the practical effects of old hat arguments from the 1970s as far as I'm concerned, and political reality is moving a lot faster than ideas do as usual.

its a back to the drawing board moment.

This was really thought provoking, thank you. I think we've found the positive difference between a good post and a long post.

[Buelligan]

Thank you for posting this, what a lovely moment!

Ah, it was a great pleasure.  And look at his face.  The lovely man actually means what he says, he's genuine.  Dear god, how long since one of those passed our way?  Fills my heart with hope.

[Fambo Number Mive]

@DailyMailUK
·
Follow
DAVID BLUNKETT: I am a proud trade unionist - but these strikes will hurt ordinary workers most

Utterly shameful from Blunkett. Perhaps the strikes would "hurt ordinary workers" less if employers were less disdainful of working from home.

[Sebastian Cobb]

Remember Mick Lynch only entered work in the railways because he was blacklisted out of the construction industry...

https://twitter.com/Lowkey0nline/status/1540248318458171395

[Buelligan]

Utterly shameful from Blunkett. Perhaps the strikes would "hurt ordinary workers" less if employers were less disdainful of working from home.

Blunkett is shameless. 

The former home secretary David Blunkett has said the "antisemitism" and "thuggery" within Labour makes him despair, compounding a difficult few days for the party.

Lord Blunkett, who was an MP for 28 years before becoming a Labour peer, said the likelihood of Jeremy Corbyn winning a majority was "extraordinarily slim".

But he urged moderates within the party to "stay and fight" to ensure the "voice of reason" prevailed, following deputy leader Tom Watson's decision to stand down.

The former cabinet minister's comments came after two of its former MPs urged voters to back the Tories instead. Ian Austin and John Woodcock said they would be supporting the Conservatives as they did not believe Corbyn was fit to be in No 10.

And on Friday, Dame Margaret Hodge – one of the most prominent Jewish figures in Labour – declined to endorse the opposition leader as prime minister.

Writing in the Telegraph, Blunkett said: "The behaviour of the hard left within the Labour party – the antisemitism, the thuggery, the irrational views on security and international issues, and the lack of realisation that you have to embrace a big tent of people in order to win – certainly makes me despair.

Blunkett was almost immediately faced with September 11 attacks on the United States. He brought in new anti-terrorism measures, including detention without trial of suspect foreign nationals who could not be extradited or deported. It caused a backbench rebellion and provoked strong opposition in the House of Lords, and Blunkett made concessions over incitement to religious hatred (later carried through by his successor) and to introduce a "sunset clause".  He authorised MI5 to start collecting bulk telephone communications data on which telephone numbers called each other and when, authorised under a little understood general power under the Telecommunications Act 1984 instead of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 which would have brought independent oversight and regulation. This was kept secret until announced by the then Home Secretary in 2015.

A controversial area for Blunkett was civil liberties, and he described civil libertarianism as "airy fairy". As Education Secretary, he had repeatedly expressed the intention that, were he to become Home Secretary, he would make the then-incumbent Jack Straw, who had been criticised for being hard-line, seem over-liberal. In 2006, Martin Narey, the former director general of the prison service, claimed that Blunkett had once told him to use the army and machine guns, to deal with rioting prisoners. Blunkett has denied these allegations.

Two weeks before the [2005] election, Blunkett took up a directorship in a company called DNA Bioscience and bought £15,000 of shares in the company. After sustained questions over a six-month period, Blunkett was asked on 31 October 2005 to explain why he had not consulted the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments regarding the directorship. Having placed the shares into an independent trust, he said that the trustees had agreed to dispose of the shares.

Blunkett's political opponents claimed that a conflict of interest was created by him having been director of and holding shares in a company proposing to bid for government contracts to provide paternity tests to the Child Support Agency (CSA) – part of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), of which he was Secretary of State.

In 2013, Blunkett joined the advisory board of global wealth consultancy Oracle Capital Group, continuing in that role to 2017.

Blunkett became chair of the David Ross Education Trust, one of Britain's largest Multi-Academy Trusts, sponsored by Carphone Warehouse founder David Ross, in 2015.[/b]

And there's plenty more.  A man of whom it can truly be said that he has the values of Carphone Whorehouse.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/nov/08/david-blunkett-says-he-despairs-about-labour-and-antisemitism
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Blunkett

[phantom_power]

Utterly shameful from Blunkett. Perhaps the strikes would "hurt ordinary workers" less if employers were less disdainful of working from home.

That is such a crock of shit. That is basically an admission that essential workers are unable to strike and therefore utterly beholden to benevolent employers to get decent pay and conditions. And we all know how likely that is

[bgmnts]

Union at BT stating that they have set up food banks and employers will be allowing people to choose to work from home... for a huge pay cut.

So yeah, these strikes are important. Very fucking important. I hope it continues. I hope every industry worker strikes until this executive class of useless parasitic leech cunts have to pay SOMETHING back and treat the workers that give them their free ride through life the respect they deserve.

Hate this fucking country, hate this planet, hate this species.

[Buelligan]

I love you, bgmnts. 

Don't hate them, work to change it all.  Work to sweep all this shit into the dustbin of grey memory.

Change the fucking world.  Today, every fucking day.

[shoulders]

The old world is dying and the new world struggles to be born.

[Fambo Number Mive]

Chief executive of Birmingham Aiport has received a 49% pay rise. Apparently pay restraint doesn't matter when it comes to those at the top.

He was on £399,000 before.

Heathrow's chief executive has received an annual salary increase of 85% to almost £1.5m a year, and the CEO at Manchester Airport Group has a pay rise of 25%, raising his salary £2.5m.

Imagine being on £399,000 and accepting a 49% pay rise while all around people queue up at food banks and struggle to afford petrol. We pay nurses and teachers peanuts while throwing more and more money at people in charge of airports.

It's fine when doctors and nurses look for jobs overseas because of the crap pay and conditions and when teachers are leaving the profession in the hundreds but we can't risk somebody running an airport looking for another job.

[bgmnts]

Exactly, we need to keep pushing it into people's thick skulls that any issue is due to this. Cunts at the top taking everything.

Anytime you lose your job or services suffer, it's to make room for these cunts to get richer. Economy doesnt matter.

[Fambo Number Mive]

I hope Novara Media do a video specifically on the hypocrisy of these pay rises for airport bosses and the way the government don't criticise them.

[Ferris]

The attacks on the RMT are getting more and more absurd (from what little UK media I consume).

This one is an absolute belter, worth 20 seconds of anyones time:

https://mobile.twitter.com/AyoCaesar/status/1540214069432647682

[TrenterPercenter]

The attacks on the RMT are getting more and more absurd (from what little UK media I consume).

This one is an absolute belter, worth 20 seconds of anyones time:

https://mobile.twitter.com/AyoCaesar/status/1540214069432647682

Great eye expressions. You can just tell she had been mentally going over that in her mind prior and expecting a rawkus applause from the audience.

<Oh fuck I'm on camera, come on brain help me out this guy is known for his debating skills, err err what did someone call an old person once? dinosaurs? they are like dinosaurs? yes DINOSAURS! That is what I should say but how? Ah I've got it and not a moment too soon....>
"Yes and look what happened to the dinosaurs"
tepid groans from the audience
<fucking hell June you've fucked that up haven't you! look what happened to the dinosaurs? fer fucksake, what happened to the dinosaurs June? what was it eh? bloody asteroid wasn't it? Not striking against low pay and conditions ya twassock. You should have thought this through, but never do do you, that was our chance and you fucked it, quickly make your eyes big and wiggle them about like an action man toy, fucking hell, all you're good for.....>

[bgmnts]

I've thought about this sentence many times in my head and tried to make sense of it but I can't.

What DID happen to the dinosaurs?

[Pink Gregory]

I've thought about this sentence many times in my head and tried to make sense of it but I can't.

What DID happen to the dinosaurs?

[Sebastian Cobb]

I've thought about this sentence many times in my head and tried to make sense of it but I can't.

What DID happen to the dinosaurs?

the dinos that maintained their asteroid defence system were on strike, obviously

[Ferris]