More Predictions

12th August 09 - More predictions

This diary has religiously stuck to reported facts as they have emerged during the year of the credit crunch crisis. Except that is for yesterday when a prediction by the IMF on the US economy was too important to miss. Similarly, the rule of fact will be broken for a second time today.

An august body called the Policy Exchange and that describes itself as a "independent non-partisan educational charity", has predicted that when public spending in the UK is reduced (note, when not if), the crippling strikes of the 1970’s could be repeated. Mass walkouts could be commonplace in a new "age of militancy".

Geoff Martin of the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers is reported as saying "People are being expected to pay a heavy price for a recession that they did not create. That’s why we are getting this rise in militancy." What rise? Well apparently we are in for a summer of discontent with a series of strikes already planned or on the drawing board. In the frame is a national postal strike, rail and public transport disruption and staff at power stations and oil refineries are to be balloted following the recent unofficial actions over foreign workers.

It does have to be said that this is not likely to be empty rhetoric. There is much, and largely unreported, social unrest in Russia and China right now and socialistically inclined organisations are baring their teeth elsewhere. It is perhaps surprising that the private sector workers have been remarkably resilient during the pain of part-time working and redundancies. Resilient, or is it just resigned? Without a collective voice, staff from offices and factories alike have simply taken it on the chin.

Those of us that remember the 1970’s know what public service unions are able to harness. It is not nice and it is not helpful and actually everyone that over borrowed and bowed to the god of materialism did help create the recession. Mass strikes will not cause the downturn to go away, will they?

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