Peter Mandelson: City dominance must end

[Bob Dalek]

.... how it's used is irrelevant. We're talking about origins and cost. The bottom line is that pensioners/low paid need affordable fuel and the unions made it unaffordable and also regularly interrupted supplies with strikes.
They cut their own throats, and we had to look for alternative methods of power to break a monopoly situation. Well done Maggie!!

Anyone who ever, ever complains about the Government stomping all over their rights, pension, liberties, etc. and who stuck two fingers up to the miners is a brainless moron who couldn't see what was really going on back then... smashing Joe Public's ability to say anything to the Government that would be heard. These days, the only time the Public gets heard is at an election and it's too late then. I am no commie, but silencing unions meant goodbye to any dialogue with the common man. So now we all sound off on internet forums and then trudge to the ballot box (if we can be arsed) to make no difference at all.

[DodgyAgent]

Anyone who ever, ever complains about the Government stomping all over their rights, pension, liberties, etc. and who stuck two fingers up to the miners is a brainless moron who couldn't see what was really going on back then... smashing Joe Public's ability to say anything to the Government that would be heard. These days, the only time the Public gets heard is at an election and it's too late then. I am no commie, but silencing unions meant goodbye to any dialogue with the common man. So now we all sound off on internet forums and then trudge to the ballot box (if we can be arsed) to make no difference at all.

The Unions were not silenced. Their powers were simply curtailed. Funnily enough I was under the impression that the Unions had too much power.
The "common man" was not represented by the Unions at all.. how patronising of you!. The unions were run by a group of self interested undemocratic power hungry lunatics. had the Unions taken any account of the public mood they could easily have steered a more sympathetic course with the public.

Instead they used their power to fight a class war.

[BrilloPad]

Of course it took more than the unions to being down british industry. Poor management also paid its part.

[Bob Dalek]

The Unions were not silenced. Their powers were simply curtailed. Funnily enough I was under the impression that the Unions had too much power.
The "common man" was not represented by the Unions at all.. how patronising of you!. The unions were run by a group of self interested undemocratic power hungry lunatics. had the Unions taken any account of the public mood they could easily have steered a more sympathetic course with the public.

Instead they used their power to fight a class war.

You are Norman Tebbit and I claim my free bicycle.

Imperfect though the unions were, what we have now is a small group of pro-Tory lick spittles who represent Number 10 alone (Bill Morris clones, for example). Last time a union did anything Leftie (Fire Brigade union), the Media treated them like Stalinist baby eaters. And before you trot out any more anti-union toss, remember that the PCG is a union by another name.

[Cyberman]

The Unions were not silenced. Their powers were simply curtailed. Funnily enough I was under the impression that the Unions had too much power.
The "common man" was not represented by the Unions at all.. how patronising of you!. The unions were run by a group of self interested undemocratic power hungry lunatics. had the Unions taken any account of the public mood they could easily have steered a more sympathetic course with the public.

Instead they used their power to fight a class war.

So true, and they are still fighting a class war, but they are actually damaging the interests of the people they support, but never realise it.

[Bob Dalek]

So true, and they are still fighting a class war, but they are actually damaging the interests of the people they support, but never realise it.

An example of this?

A quick look at unions' activities reveals that they are now nothing more than legal aid entities.

[TykeMerc]

An example of this?

A quick look at unions' activities reveals that they are now nothing more than legal aid entities.

That's not entirely true, Unions are still heavily involved in the collective pay negotiations in some sectors. My last gig had a Union negotiated pay settlement a month before I left, people there seemed happy.

Prior to Mrs T the Unions were pretty excessive and certainly responsible for massive problems, but I feel that the destruction of the Unions went too far. A lot of it was done by demolishing the industries that were Unionised which was a wrecking ball to crack a nut and has left UK PLC with nothing more than the vapourware Banking and Service industries.

[Bob Dalek]

That's not entirely true, Unions are still heavily involved in the collective pay negotiations in some sectors. My last gig had a Union negotiated pay settlement a month before I left, people there seemed happy.

Prior to Mrs T the Unions were pretty excessive and certainly responsible for massive problems, but I feel that the destruction of the Unions went too far. A lot of it was done by demolishing the industries that were Unionised which was a wrecking ball to crack a nut and has left UK PLC with nothing more than the vapourware Banking and Service industries.

I agree. Whenever a system is tilted as much as the Gov./unions system is, bad stuff happens.

[Peoplesoft bloke]

Maybe they earn what they deserve. To their credit they don't screw people out of their money and people who visit Cornwall actually have pleasant feelings about the money spent.

I don't. I was treated like scum in Cornwall for the "crime" of being an English tourist. Stuff em - I won't be rushing back.

[BrilloPad]

I don't. I was treated like scum in Cornwall for the "crime" of being an English tourist. Stuff em - I won't be rushing back.

I got the same treatment on the Isle Of Wight.