O/T Bob Crow

Just seen on the news that he passed away over night, he was only 52.

He was certainly a man who divided opinion, particularly for us folk living down in London, but I personally was a big fan of his and feel gutted at this news. He lived just down the road from me and I used to see him out and about walking his dog and he'd often say hello.

If you ask me he was a good guy, a man of the people and someone who wasn't afraid to stand up to the (rotten) system for the people he represented in the face of some pretty nasty media campaigns designed to make him a hate figure. He was anything but as far I'm concerned, despite the grief he caused to my journeys to and from work over the past few years.

A sad day for the little people, RIP Bob

 

Can't say I was a huge fan of his strikes, but he was a good spokesman for the union. They'll be much worse off without him.

 

Bob said it like he saw it - never minced his words or fannied around with niceties.

My dear old dad (R.I.P) was an active member of the RMT and spoke very fondly of Bob Crow and said he was "A man of principles". Says it all that.

R.I.P Bob.

 

I'd be happy for someone to say that about me when I'm gone, it's sadly an all too rare trait amongst our political classes these days with everyone seemingly "in it for themselves", despite what our PM might try to have us believe.

 

Present company excepted of course,but I do find the hypocritical ****s going on about what a great guy he was somewhat nauseous.There will probably be eulogies and the gnashing of teeth when Arthur Scargill clocks off.Wouldn't be surprised if it's a cover and Dave and Boris got together to wipe him out.

 

Sure... middle-aged, overweight men never have heart-attacks, do they?

 

My apologies. I was just aiming for a bit of perspective.

 

I was thinking about commenting something along the lines that hopefully that fat, middle-aged smug-faced tosser Boris Johnson was next in line.

But I figured that would almost certainly be in bad taste so I decided against it.

 

Looking on the plus side at least there will now be an extra council house available for someone who needs it!

 

"There's just one more question I want to ask you Mr Johnson"

 

Good call Munky! Remarkable constraint!

 

This from twitter:

 

Thanks skipper, didn't want to get in trouble now do I

 

I hope you Norwich lads don't mind me intruding onto your board but I've just seen this thread.
I would just like to say I'm an old left wing dinosaur and think it's a shame not more of our trade union leaders were like Bob Crowe.

 

I'm no Bob Crow fan, though I certainly have a lot of respect for someone as principled as him.

It's easy to deride those who disliked him for complaining that he just "made them a bit late for work", but the reality of the tube strikes was far worse - it didn't just irritate big businesses' and banks' employees (cry us all a river) - every strike had a serious damaging effect on small businesses and sole traders across London at a tough time for the whole country. I think the tube strikes were really insensitive considering that the vast majority of the country has had real-terms wage cuts over the last few years. I also think the £43k-£50k that they are paid as a result of these strikes works well for them, but is an extraordinary figure given the work they do compared to their peers on the National Rail network who have nowhere near the power or support that they do. In a sense, I think that it reflects just how dominant London is in this country that the only place where strikes will be noticed and dealt with is the capital.

Also, while I think trade unions are a fundamental bastion of our society, I don't like the idea that some can vote through a strike with only 30% in favour or so. Work needs to be done on how Unions work, because the vast majority are ineffective and the only ones that are effective seem to use sledge hammers to crack nuts. Even when they're peanuts.


All that being said, anyone who celebrates/finds pleasure or whatever in the death of any person who was just doing is their job really needs to take a long hard look at themselves. That goes for Thatcher as much Crow, neither of whom I am particularly fond of in terms of the way they went about things, but both of whom are important to shaping how we live today.

 

I will not shed a tear, sorry. Totally out of touch and Britain is better off without him........and in case you are wondering I am not a Tory either!

 

Of course you're absolutely entitled to your opinion, and whilst I totally disagree I'm not trying to say that you are wrong, but I do find it a shame that you think that about one of the only people who had any kind of power in today's times who was prepared to fight the cause, and put his own reputation on the line for the ordinary folk that he represented rather than any multi-national corporation.

I love this quote taken from the BBC today:

"This trade union fights for the right of our members to enjoy the finer things in life. Why should it just be the bankers, politicians and the idle rich who get all the best things?

As a militant trade union we demand a standard of living for our members that enables them to share in the fine wines and fine times that the likes of David Cameron and his Old Etonian mates take for granted."

I'm sure it was said with a certain amount of tongue in cheek, but then after thinking about it I thought actually why should it have been? It may seem completely alien to the way we live our lives nowadays and the way society has gone, but why aren't the little people such as those who get us to and from work safely every day (add to that doctors, nurses, teachers, police officers etc etc) allowed access to the lifestyle afforded to our bankers and the Oxbridge clique?

 

Big up to ya Munky - well said mate.