'We are all in it together.....'

I fear that once people reach senior positions in a union, they adopt the garb of other managers and spend their time in endless committee meetings. I am sure there are honourable exceptions, but the unionists who have become MPs have not been outstanding in parliament.

The legacy from the Thatcher years, I feel.

I should say so absent! Unfortunately he was cremated, but I was using poetic licence

At 78 rpm, I would guess, nightowl.

Greatnan I agree that this is the time for the unions to come together now or give up forever. I have no hope that they will.
For what seems like years my colleagues and I have been trying to fight proposed changes to our terms and conditions, and to the service we provide. We have tried time and again to use our Union to fight in any way we could. The union's response: we have to give priority to staff who are losing their jobs, and then we will come back to your concerns. So then we were threatened with job losses, and thought at least the union would protect our rights. After many many meetings, I sat in a meeting three weeks ago with a very committed and well-meaning union official and expressed my utter exasperation at the fact that the union seemed to have been unable to progress any of our concerns over the last six, seven, eight years. She replied that the union has no power, the employers will do what they like, as all the legislation is in the employers' favour. Oh and by the way, we can't protect your jobs either. The scales fell from my eyes at last. My dad, a lifelong shop steward, is turning in his grave.

..be still my beating heart...

Blimey - we could have Damien Lewis for PM now there's a thought!

I think the important thing these days is to do well as chair person of Have I Got News for You .

He didn't perfom well as an MP though.

..especially if you happen to be called Dave...

He's very funny and very clever [and very dangerous].

I watched his speech today as I have not given him the time of day previously. Now I can see what all the fuss is about - his oratory is good, in a bumbling sort of way. But I was left with the feeling of a body with no substance

Watched a tiny bit of the news last night, and was amused [if that's the right word] to hear Boris praising 'Just call me Dave' whilst plotting to overthrow him. Shades of Julius Caesar I thought.

If ever there was a time for the unions to come together, it is now. The workers are under threat more than at any time since the 1930's and they seem to be asleep. I am reminded of the story ' they came for the Jews, but I am not a Jew, so I said nothing..... etc.'
There is nothing like a period of unemployment to keep the workers in their place.

Leaks vastly reduced Greatnan. They can never be eliminated. But many thousands of miles (possibly millions) of miles of new mains have been laid replacing horrible old corroded leaky cast iron mains.
I agree rail privatisation was a mess. But some of the publicly owned industries were a mess as well.

What is the excuse Osborne gave for introducing this bit of nonsense?

I am horrified by this suggestion that workers should sacrifice hard-won rights for shares in the company for which they work. Talk about selling your birthright for a mess of pottage – mess undoubtedly being the operative word in this sentence. To make it worse, the suggestion is that those currently employed have a choice, but new employees would have to sign away the rights by compulsion or, presumably, not be employed. (Would that have a knock-on effect about their benefits' entitlement?) I am so beside myself with anger that I am typing in chords. Back later.

Point taken, whitewave.

greatnan sorry for delay in reply been out with ancient mother (in the rain) - yes I expressed my self badly (as usual) I absolutely agree that the most vunerable should be cared for but what I was trying to say was that if the average bod is effected by the changes to the NHS than the poor stand not a cat in hells chance.

I never thought I would give up on Labour - but Blair took care of that. I was very attracted to the LibDems and the various middle-way parties that preceded them, but now it has been proved that they just promised anything to get into power I have lost trust in them.
Do we have any Conservative voters here who are not dismayed by their present policies?

I campaign on many, many political issues.
Our MP is a Conservative millionaire. There is a local issue which is currently generating a great deal of heat amongst the populace and our MP is conspicuously absent as the issue is centred on a conflict between business development and concern for a local beauty spot which is to be built on. A letter in the local paper was penned by someone who was furious at the MP's lack of interest, his cronyism (with the developers), his disregard for local opinion etc. etc.........but then went on to say that s/he was particularly angry because notwithstanding all of that s/he would still vote for him at the next election because he was a Conservative. I despair!!!

Perhaps potential MPs and Ministers should have an interview before being 'offered' for election. The interview panel would consist of real people ie people from all walks of life. These people would have to be articulate and have some knowledge of running something successfully such as a charity, a transport company, etc. Today's politicians seem to come from a privileged background and havent held a proper job in their lives, yet tell us how to run ours.

Jess, I agree that the water industry was woeful in public ownership, but I am not sure how much it has improved. Big profits are made by most water companies, but they are still failing to stop leaks. (And, of course, the French are doing very well out of privatisation of both water and electricity).
Do I sound almost communistic - well, that is a fair comment. I think much was good and right about the communist ideal, but it has not worked so far because it failed to allow for human nature.
The break-up of the rail system was farcical - the managers made a killing and then the operators literally made a killing and were able to pass the buck for train crashes. Stagecoach forced many small coach companies out of business and now runs routes which are profitable. My sister has to rely on a little bus that stops running at 5 pm. making it impossible for her to attend any evening functions unless she can afford a taxi.

Greatnan - an interesting list. As I am having a very slow start to my day I will take you up on "water, transport and fuel". While i drink the cup of tea that was supposed to be a cup of coffee to wake me up...
If you include them, you are advocating an almost communist state.
I don't believe if these were in state ownership that the state could afford to invest and run them well enough - at the same time as funding the other list.
I know from first hand experience that before water was privatised it was run very badly and that successive governments had failed dismally to invest in it. Result was a load of victorian pipes etc that were not able to deliver service up to EU standards of drinking water quality, continuity of supply, river quality and bathing waters. So much as I hate to admit it, that particular privatisation was a roaring success. (didn't happen in N Ireland and they are still in a mess. It may be a cheap mess but tell that to the people that were stuck with no water for days over the xmas break in 2010)
As far as transport and fuel are concerned there are pros and cons - but we certainly can't afford to nationalise them all! Or any of them.
Horses have not only bolted but have disappeared over the horizon.