"but I still think strikes are self defeating,"
Sorry again John - a meaningless slogan of those who have no need to take such measures to get a decent standard of living or reasonable working conditions. Strikes are difficult, create hardships and are often degrading and dehumanising, but they can be extremely effective; as can just the threat of one. And if they're all you've got, well, they're all youve got.
Anybody who has been on strike will tell you that the decision to go on strike is not taken lightly, and is only resorted to when all else fails
I've been on strike only twice in my working life; as an apprentice on the Liverpool docks, against the use of apprentices as labourers and tea lads, and as an electrician, against being forced to work with cancerous asbestos without protective clothing and masks. In the case of the latter, I'm proud to say that our victory ensured that me and my fellow workers (and those who came after us) didn't end our days with lungs like sponges, breathing into a bag.
You fail to come up with a solution - how about if our elected trades union officials became fully involved as consultants in any programme to see the country out of the mess we're in THROUGH NO FAULT OF OUR OWN?
One would wish for a Trades Union leadership that hadn't climbed into the pockets of the establishment, attracted by promises of seats in the House of Lords or on boardrooms, but as before, if that's all you've got, it's all you've got.
Jim Carroll