Don I'm guessing you're a fair bit older than me
but not quite as old as my dad would be now if..

my dad was a factory worker, came out national service with glowing references,
but still ended up on the shop floor all his life.
Easily more intelligent than all his workmates and most if not all the managers and directors.
HE was a natural to be elected shop steward.
An intelligent rational reasonable trade unionist.

A moderate trade unionist.

Who knows how many thousands of £££s he saved the factory trying to avoid suicidal firebrand wildcat strikes
just for the sake of it.

Should I be a proud son of a conciliatory hero
or an ashamed son of a cowardly Bosses lackey !!!??

All I know is his 30 or 40 years loyal service to Boss & union meant fuck all
when the dimwit son of the company owner pissed the wealth away
and shocked my dad with redundancy at an age where there was no hope of re-employment
and his working life lost all meaning.

Don why can't you at least concede that you are a srong exception
and not all of our families are as sturdy as yours ?

My family never recovered.

Don please stop judging and dismissing all of us by your own stern personal standards.