I'm on the way to Brighton, one of my regular destinations these days.
Today it is the TUC conference and I'm speaking twice; first at a Unite fringe this lunchtime (12.30) and then tomorrow at a PCS fringe, at 5.30. That will then be the conference season over for me: I did the LibDems earlier this year and others are more than ably covering Labour. I had, unfortunately, to turn down an invitation to go to the Greens on Friday as I was in Manchester.
That though leaves me with what I would call the long straw this year because quite rightly the TUC is going to get attention this week. The press is already saying Ed Miliband will have a problem with this conference because of its likely demand for action against cuts, pay freezes and austerity sackings and yet indisputably for millions in this country that anger reflects their own sentiment. Indeed, the Mail on Sunday yesterday was paradoxically talking about union militancy on cuts whilst giving a big feature to the cost in lives lost and human despair resulting from cuts in A&E services, about which unions are leading the protest.
I suspect the UK public has still not caught on to just how important the union movement is and might become again. But when political leadership is weak, and it is, there's going to be growing awareness that the union movement does have the power to oppose what neoliberals are doing to our society, and that is vital.
And that's precisely why I am pleased to be heading for Brighton right now.
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The 1926 General Strike began when the print union wouldn’t publish the Daily Mail. Apparently no one died in the week-long strike (if the author of Goodbye Mr Chips is to be believed – and why wouldn’t he?).
I thought R4’s John Humphries was quite ‘patronising’ this morning going on endlessly about ‘a general strike threat’ when he was talking to the TUC leader. There was of course little from Humphries about the three year + pay freeze and how that effects the lower paid family employees or people statying on till 67 working in the public services or the lack of good graduates who will be less attracted to working in the professional public services like teaching. Having said that I think Union leaders need to be smarter too and mention the 100 billion tax avoidance/ evasion, the reduced tax on the wealthy and the growing inequality in the UK etc., BBC interviwers and I include Eddy Mar too need to up their game and lift interviewing beyond a sort of bland Daily Mail approach. Actually find Channel 4 and even ‘Sunrise’ on Sky News sharper in its coverage than some BBC approaches.
Problem is most of the media is anti union, particularly the Murdoch press and a lot of people unfortunately are still brainwashed by their propaganda.
Strange Capitalism that urges people on modest to low pay to hold up those worse off than themselves as an aspiration to which they should aim downwards.
Whilst any rational person would back protests against reduction in front line NHS spending, I am curious as to the position of some of the unions around tax hikes for “well off” members of society – many of which will be their members (tube drivers being well into the 40pc tax bracket for example. I am interestes as to how the unions will deal with this potential conflict.
Tube drivers may be indeed be “well into the 40pc tax bracket” but I doubt any of them pay the 45% rate.
“…there’s going to be growing awareness that the union movement does have the power to oppose what neoliberals are doing to our society…”
I really fear for the union movement – Every day I realise more and more how Thatcher restricted them in their ability to help people. Watching Progress try to influence the unions and seeing lay members and activists ignored by the exec is painful.
Good luck Frances O’Grady