Strike and the realities of a changed world

From: Maxwell Laurie, Victoria Terrace, Cockfield, County Durham.

THE Great Strike is over. The two million participants originally forecast rose at one point to two-and-a-half million, then fell back to two million. The outcome is rated by trade unions at up to two million which, given the usual union exaggerations, means more than one million (well, maybe one and one-half million).

Was it worth it?

Many of those who pay the wages and salaries of the strikers – that is, you and I – have been much or somewhat inconvenienced to no visible purpose. Strikers have not altered the fact that we are living substantially longer than our fathers, that our pensionable age needs to be gradually raised soon and that longer retirement makes larger financial provision essential.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

How many of the unions’ members really understand these realities?

The total membership of the unions involved can hardly be less than 10 million.

Of these, some 80 per cent either ignored or voted against the strike call. Their highly-paid and luxuriously pensioned leaders talk airily of getting Britain spending again but never of the essential prerequisite of getting Britain earning again. Some union leaders even talk only in almost prehistoric terms of a “class war”, a term almost as outdated as “strike”.

Have union leaders really so little appreciation of the real world?

From: Max Hey, Fairway Grove, Bradford.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

WELL, here it is, the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement, which proves that his own economic plan has failed and failed drastically.

Hard-working public sector staff will be made to bear the brunt of the extra cuts with up to 700,000 facing unemployment with pay cuts, job losses and pension contributions.

The pain will be felt by all in the public sector. The Government has lost all credibility and I urge both Ed Miliband and Ed Balls to get a grip and show this government up for what it is – a bunch of spivs.

From: JL Julian, Quarry Road, Ripon.

UNION leaders are forever banging on about how they have massive support for their actions.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

In order to prove this to the generally sceptical public, I suggest that the percentage turnout for their ballots should equal, or indeed exceed, the percentage turnout for the current Parliament. This percentage would vary from election to election. Should the unions’ percentage turnout fall below that figure, then the ballot would be declared void.

Regrettably, I suspect that no Government would have the guts to implement such legislation.

From: Godfrey Bloom, UKIP MEP for Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire.

LET me respond to Don Burslam (Yorkshire Post, December 2). That I was elected again in 2009 by increased numbers to vote against all the nonsense that spews from the EU “parliament” shows that I am doing my duty.

From: David Bradley, Arden Court, Horbury, Wakefield.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

GOOD to see Labour MPs Austin Mitchell and John Mann castigating the use of PFI, what a shame they kept quiet when in power when the real money was spent.

It would be even better, if in default mode, they thought about the country rather than the party, however, t’was ever thus.

From: Robert Cartlidge, Storth Lane, Wales, Sheffield.

REGARDING Jeremy Clarkson’s remarks about the striking public sector workers.

These people were trying to make their voice heard as they were suffering the traumas of capitalism, ie. no work means no life.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Be it what you like, it showed that he was taking sides; obviously, with the rich, the well-to-do.

Not having a social conscience explains his insensitivity. Maybe he will realise his notorious shortcomings – his misdeeds and dishonour. Only time will tell.

From: John Craven, Green Road, Baildon, West Yorkshire.

AS the row over pensions, jobs and the downturn in the economy rumbles on, I offer a perfect way for the Government to save many billions of pounds, this solution will not result in any person losing money or paying any more in taxes.

Quite simply announce that in 12 months time no more new claims for child benefit will be allowed, nobody loses out – people who wish to have children can have them as normal without the poor old taxpayer footing the bill.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

If the taxpayer cannot afford to fund public sector pensions, I put it to you we cannot afford to fund the ever-increasing burden that child benefit brings.

From: Dr David Hill, Worldwide Innovation Foundation, Huddersfield.

THE sooner Britain realises that we are in a global economic war far greater than any conventional war, as it is in perpetuity, the sooner we shall put into place the economic infrastructure that we need for our future survival as a nation.

Currently the economics of the UK are predominantly built upon the economics of robbing Peter to pay Paul.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

In this respect, and as a single example, such things as increasing supermarket and retail jobs just take from the economic pie in one area and substitute it in another.

The usual effect as we see is that our town centre shops closes and greater unemployment is created.

It is in reality the economics of the merry-go-round where applied technology by the big retail and supermarket giants, compounds the reduction in family jobs.

It is inevitability with this prevailing economic mentality. But ironically new technology is the only way that we can create any “new” sustainable jobs in the long-term.