While on my way to
work yesterday morning just prior to rush hour. Like many I am part of the 'rat race' and also despise it as much as others do but like everyone else I need to earn a crust. Looking around I saw the usual sea of faces some were asleep or simply dozing while others were just looking out of the windows apparently oblivious to their surrondings. As I was looking throught the free newspaper it came to my attention that the so
called 'cash for honours' investigation is now demoted to the inside pages. Not surprising really as to most this is now yesterdays news and other things are taking priority. Lord Levy it appears has now been 'arreseted' twice in conection to this ongoing investigation but has on both occassion up to now has been realeased without charge I guess the reason this was pretty much paramount in my head was that on Sunday I saw a rather disturbing story in The Sunday Telegraph. It would seem that Chancellor Gordon Brown is going to the TUC (Trade
Unions Congress) to fill the forty million pound deficit the Labour
party needs. This is of course dependent on the fact that he does Succeed Tony Blair as the next Leader of the Labour Party it would also increase his support no end if he does forge a
financial link with the unions. Apperently Chancellor Brown is of the belief that this is the answer to Labour's financial problems. The disturbing aspect to this is that the TUC has made a list of requests in return for the finance. My main fear along with many other people is are we going back to the bad old days? The days when Union demands were usually met by a dependent Labour Party it's worth mentioning at this time that Keir Hardy one of the founders of the Labour Party was all for a totally independent Labour Party. I would take that to mean being free from Union demands and interference as well. In the past this has been traditional ground for the Labour party but it also brought about many years in the political wilderness for them after the so called 'winter of discontent.' It's considered by many that the Unions became to powerful and were almost a Government by proxy. It was the result of a no confidence vote that Margaret Thatcher's Conservative Government won by a landslide pushing Labour into over a decade in the oppsiotion benches. In time other union officials tried to push the Conservative Government out of power by using the same tactics they used on the Labour Government. The
Miners Union tried to blackmail the Government by calling a strike this lasted for about a year but in the end the Miners went back to work. Many mine workers lost not just their jobs but a way of life and many lost their homes as a result of what is now considered a grudge between the Union leader and premier Margaret Thatcher. A point to remember is that although many lost their jobs, home and families there were several divorces and break ups due to this action. To my knowldege none of the miners leaders suffered to any great extent maybe some embarrassement and humiliation but nothing compared to how the workers themselves suffered. Unions have improved things for many people in the past and still have a useful place in the workplace. Even though now there is no such thing as the so called closed shop many employers are supporting the Unions in the work place and some even 'reccommend' Union membership. Unions are now working alogside emploers and are training their members in areas like Health and Safety at work etc. I cannot recall any Goverment saying or even implying that Unions are now obsolete. The main problem to finding finance is that there are always conditions attached as no one wants to simply donate their has to be something back in return. If we were to look at the financial arrangements of any political party funding it would be difficult not to detect so called sleaze and even some corruption. If and when Mr Brown does take over the leadership he's goifconvincing many people that a financial bonding with the Unions is a good thing. It's true that Tony Blair's route has also caused problems and there is a large deficit. Both sides need to work out a wokable solution (if there is one) one which will not hold the counrty to ransome
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