"We have had a relatively strike-free 10 - 15 years since the Tories brought in anti-union legislation that our brave , bold labour government has done nothing about.

And we still have 1.6 million unemployed, millions hovering around or below the minimum wage, a major still growing housing crisis, the prices of food, housing, oil all rising, and clearly NOT related to strikes in the slightest."


Come on Auto, that's a complete mish-mash of half truth, and fuzzy thinking.

1.6 million unemployed....Historically this country has had around 750,000 unemployed since WW2, who are either workshy, or unemployable. No government in this country has ever solved thst one, nor ever will.

Unemployment, in the Thatcher years DID rise steeply, and that was a regrettable after effect of the Wilson/Callaghan period 1973-1979, which included devaluation of the pound, and inflation rising to an all time high of more than 20% which the Tories inherited in 79.

Since New Labour won in 2007, inheriting an inflation rate of 2.5% approx. they have been "reducing" unemployment largely by altering the criteria by which one decides who is unemployed ("He's not unemployed, he's undergoing retraining"), which of course removes many from the "unemployed" list, while we still have to support them from our taxes.

Posterity may well agree with my view that New Labour are chiefly notable (not able) for their ability to move goalposts.


As to Oil prices, they are dependent on events in foreign parts, over which our government has no control, as in fact is the housing crisis, due to the greed mainly of US banks.

Rising oil price inevitably means high osts for energy, food, and fuel.

The presence or absence of the right to disrupt, er, sorry, I mean strike has no bearing whatsoever on these current problems, but I would certainly claim that, without the curtailment of trade union power, we would have many fewer British companies still solvent today.

Don T.