RudeBoy – Member

Northern monkey I presume?

Who, me???!?!

Ha ha!

Somebody please tell him; I’m laughing too much… 😆

Rudeboy the socialist Cockney, whatever next! 😉

Not at all, some Union leaders were right self-serving greedy bastards. And even recently, that Andy Gilchrist bloke (Fire Brigade Union) seemed more concerned with furthering his own political career, than the fact peoples’ lives were being put at risk. Mind, I could be wrong on that one. He did come across like that, though. And the ease at which the transport workers in London seemed to down tools, over relatively trivial matters, didn’t exactly endear them to the public.

Granted, there were a lot of lazy bastards in Britain, during the ’70s, and they appeared to be aided by the ‘one out all out’ union leader types (See ‘Carry On At Your Convenience!), but the majority of Unions in this country merely exist to serve the rights of workers. Like I said, those who don’t abide with Unions of any kind, can always move..

And a lot of the anti-Union feeling was whipped up by the right-wing media, when in fact many were campaigning for things we now take for granted. Nurses, teachers, factory workers, the low-paid, those with young children, those from minority groups; were all represented by Unions.

So, Trade Unions are a big part of why we have so many laws to protect our rights. Rights that the Tories sought to take away; to return to a Britain with a docile workforce submissive enough to serve the rich.

And like Thatcher ever did owt to help the poor and underprivileged in Britain…

…****.

Greed and selfishness – it does make me laugh when the tories whine on about the breakdown of community and society cohesion and values etc – who was it who said ‘there is no such thing as society’ again?

FACHA!!!!

The ‘orrible ****…

Die…

I think going Euro is likely to happen sooner or later – with the £ only being €1.1 now, surely the arguments for the £ are weakening as quickly as it’s value is falling so would it not be a better time to do it than ever?

*stops pretending to understand these matters*

Given your evidence there, I’d suggest my original point stands.

I’ve certainly nothing against unions as a general principle, and agree that we’d be a lot worse off without them, but I never said they were all bad – simply that they do very often come across as greedy (which does them no favours at all) a point we seem to agree on.

Why is unions being ‘greedy’ on the behalf of mostly normal workers seen as such a terrible thing. Seems to be considered worse than companies being ‘greedy’ for their shareholders, which is standard practice and basically their entire raison d’etre.

Being “bred” in is not the same as learned behaviour. We need role models to help us make the right moral and ethical decisions when sometimes they are less clear.
For example we dont really need anyone to tell us that punching somebody in the nose is socially and morally unnaceptable for all but a few occasions.
During the 80’s thatcher made it morally acceptable (even a virtue) of exploiting others whenever the opportunity arose.
This was a direct response to her economic advisors of the time who preached laissez faire attitudes. The market would take care of itself and should be left to find its own equilibrium. Fortunately (Friedman unlike Marx) has been proved wrong (mostly)

*stops pretending to understand these matters*

Don’t worry – you weren’t doing a very convincing job before 😈

GaryLake :”I think going Euro is likely to happen sooner or later – with the £ only being €1.1 now, surely the arguments for the £ are weakening as quickly as it’s value is falling so would it not be a better time to do it than ever?

*stops pretending to understand these matters*

Yeah right EURO … 😆

I don’t understand them hence I am not going anyway near them.

A little hardship and all crying for EURO.

😆

I’m not suggesting I’m for it but it does have a feeling of inevitability about it so with our currency almost on par with it, it would seem to be the best time to do something if we were going to end up doing it anyway…

GaryLake: “…it would seem to be the best time to do something if we were going to end up doing it anyway…”

I am afraid I cannot be what you have referred to as “we”?

As I will never vote for EURO even if the rest of the world do so. If they are on level par then surely there is no need to go EURO.

😯

Why is unions being ‘greedy’ on the behalf of mostly normal workers seen as such a terrible thing.

Because unions being greedy can have a negative effect on the company, thus resulting in the opposite of what is actually good for the workers they purportedly represent. That or (cf Andy Gilchrist) a negative effect on society as a whole. Meanwhile companies being “greedy” for their shareholders has a positive effect on the sustainability of the company, which whilst it might not be so good for the union members’ pockets in the short term, at least means they still have jobs in the long term.

Gary – are you really suggesting that now would be a good time to join the Euro just because we wouldn’t have to change the prices on things, simply swap the £ sign for a € sign?

Why is unions being ‘greedy’ on the behalf of mostly normal workers seen as such a terrible thing. Seems to be considered worse than companies being ‘greedy’ for their shareholders, which is standard practice and basically their entire raison d’etre.

I’ve often found that the biggest complainers of “Union greed” have been those individuals/corporations who advocated the implementation of laws/weakening of unions for their financial own gain.

Because unions being greedy can have a negative effect on the company, thus resulting in the opposite of what is actually good for the workers they purportedly represent. That or (cf Andy Gilchrist) a negative effect on society as a whole. Meanwhile companies being “greedy” for their shareholders has a positive effect on the sustainability of the company, which whilst it might not be so good for the union members’ pockets in the short term, at least means they still have jobs in the long term.

Bizarre.

Have you noticed that as a result of companies greed recently that quite a few jobs have all of a sudden become “very” short term?

aracer – not quite as simply as that – but one big concern I always hear people moan about is how strong our current currency is – which it isn’t any more…

simply that they do very often come across as greedy

Define ‘often’…

During the [’70s, several factors were being blamed for Britain’s economic slump. The Unions, the ‘Darkies’, the IRA…

Basically, anyone the Right didn’t like, and saw as standing in their way of gaining wealth and power.

So, Thatcher was such a great politician, wasn’t she? Because, of course, everything is sooo much more wonderful and prosperous now, isn’t it?

And of course, life under Thatcher’s Tories was fantastic; it’s all New Labour’s fault.

Blah blah **** blah…

I’m having a cup of tea. Anyone want one?

RudeBoy, can see from your arguments that you were not there in the 70’s. Keep it up though it’s a good laugh.

mt, like, you know me? Yeah, right. Know when I was born, do you? Ok, then..

But likewise, you keep it up too. I’m sure we can amuse each other. 🙂

Rudeboy, I hope that your tea break was the regulation ten minutes, I wouldn’t want you to go up on a disciplinary without a union rep… 😉

No worries. Took me time, as it was owed to me from earlier. I ain’t gonna let no bourgeois scum tell me when I can or can’t have a tea-break. S’my Human Right, innit, Brothers (and Sisters (and Siblings of Non-Specific Gender))?

MT. I was there, in the 70’s and 80’s. Whats your point?