Oh good, the retrun of secondary striking

Via The Englishman we learn that as the price for bailing out Labour the unions are seeking a repeal of the laws banning secondary strikes. For those who don't remember secondary action (or inaction to be precise)was what brought the country to its knees in the 60's and 70's and the one of the first things the Tories banned.

It works like this - nurses, for example, make a large pay claim which is turned down. They then go on strike and, being nurses, generally get public sympathy. To speed things along the tube drivers, for example, come out in sympathy. This puts even more pressure on a Labour Government and they eventually cave in (and they will because no Labour Government can face down the nurses).

All well and good, the nurses are a special case, aren't they? Next comes the Firemen, again another group of workers who can generate public sympathy, but probably not as much as the nurses. Same scenario but this time the train drivers, for example, come out in sympathy. This doesn't quite work so the tube drivers step in again. Eventually the firemen get their way. (Just remember that by now we don't have the troops to man the Green Goddesses as they're all in Iraq and Afghanistan).

All's well for a while and then the tube drivers make a spectacular huge pay claim, on the basis that there standard of living is being eroded and they are falling behind nurses and firemen. Obviously there isn't the the same public sympathy so the strike drags on. Now its pay back time. Appreciative of their support in the past the nurses and firemen start secondary action and lo and behold the Government caves in.

This stokes inflation and the cyslcle starts again.

Far fetched? Maybe, but I won't be betting against in before Labour is ousted at the next GE.