Leo you are really making sweeping statements about what people are posting..... and in your posting above... about strikes themselves...I believe there are many examples of successful strikes... and ones that are based on sound values and principles... but I really don't think we are going to get much further with this.... and the cricket is good today.... I think we are going to have to agree to differ on this...
Leo, nearly all democracies have strikes even Germany. The only countries which don't (or haven't in the past) were either third world dictatorships, countries under military juntas, or under Facism. Are you eager to jump into bed with those countries. ? It is simply not enough to catagorise all of those on here who believe in the democratic right to withhold labour as being lefties. We do not have a historic right to strike - it is a right which was fought for in the past, often using those means which you despise. When you say 'strikes never achieved anything' are you perhaps forgetting the spark which brought the Warsaw pact to an end - namely the 'Solidarity' union in Poland ? I too thank God that we did not lose the War - but if we didn't then it was due to the self sacrificing actions of mostly working class people (because they are the ones who pay the highest price in any war), people who deserved better when it was over.
I agree with Yorkie - this is nearing an end. You either think strikes are a legitimate weapon to use or you do not. The nature of his topic was focussed on industrial strikes where workers were looking for changes to actual or proposed terms and conditions. Solidarity was a political movement designed to bring down a government. That may or may not be legitimate in a non democracy as was Poland where normal democratic means are not available - but I cannot compare them to strikes in modern day Britain. In Venn diagram terms I thnk you will find a significant overlap between strikers and left wingers - certainly the striker's leaders if not those who feel duty bound to follow. I would categorise a right fought for in the past as a historic right. Many historic rights are nowadays obsolete. Democracy does not give a person the "right" to harm someone else. You can be sure if the harm were more serious it would be legislated against but because a few poor people lose a day's pay they can get on with it and nothing will be done. and with that I think I will bow out as I am sure I am repeating myself now. Good debate everyone and thanks for all opinions. It passed a good two or three non football days I am not sure cricket and good can fit in the same sentence do they? except perhaps - the cricket is nearly over - good
What I really don't understand about this teachers' strike and the previous one and the one before that is they all seem to be about pensions, pay and conditions. If these people really don't like their remuneration and treatment why don't they leave and get a job elsewhere. The employer would quickly see there was a fundemental failing.
Maybe most of them are happy with their job but go on strike to try and squeeze better benefits from the government
erm.... get another job... if only it was that easy! Teachers are professionally trained and most love their vocation. The problem is with erosion of terms and conditions... i.e. the job is worse than the one you signed up to.
Not true - Michael Gove would just love for that to happen, as it would give him carte blanche to replace fully qualified teachers in every school with cheaper staff with nothing more than 3 GCSE's - at C grade to boot. he's permitting that already in his much-vaunted free schools. Free as in free of a proper education....
The most disappointing thing about missing a First was that I lost the opportunity to teach, at least where I studied. It takes a special kind of person to teach in schools, not entirely sure I have the qualities in terms of the more difficult students. I know one or two teachers and, frankly, they deserve every penny. Aside of that, I don't recall hearing of teachers, nurses, firemen fiddling their expenses or avoiding paying tax.... unlike their ultimate bosses and many of our so called major investors who are only too happy to squirrel away their not quite so hard earned away from HMRC if they possibly can.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-28318601 BBC staff are set to join in the fun next week it seems. Not a great deal of sympathy for them up here given their bias in the Independence campaign - be even less if the tv licence fee goes up as they appear to be asking....
Not such a fan of the TV channels these days (panders too much to low rent entertainment for my liking) but the radio coverage remains first class.
No no - it is necessary for their fundamental human rights and they are so hard done by - inconvenience to the public matters not at all - and it is only a coincidence that it is when the Commonwealth Games start. Good on them - let's hope they stop us seeing any TV at all.
They were indeed - and the film really was excellent. Quite touching to see the recently departed Roger Lloyd Pack and Bob Hoskins on such good form.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-norfolk-28316408 Can't quite get the link to work, but look at local news, norfolk, about the teacher being banned for life.
You get them in all walks of life I suppose, and, whilst relatively rare, this certainly isn't an isolated incident. The school I'm based at has had a teaching position they have been unable to fill for seven years because the person whose position it is has been off on sick leave all that time, getting paid all the while. Knowing the system, the teacher 'comes back to work' twice a year then goes off sick again. The school & the Council have done everything they can to have the teacher 'removed' but the protection is too great. What galls is that the teacher has a another part-time job....
I would call that a case of the exception proving the rule. Of course there are people who do these things but this highlights the case of one teacher in tens of thousands.... not a significant minority (or more) of 600+ MP's
Unfortunately you have no way of knowing that Fez. MPs fiddles are high profile and get instant media attention. People in other walks of life do not have their "fiddles" grouped together into categories. I suspect ehre are as many teachers who fiddle as there are accountants or policemen, plumbers builders and so on. Rickmansworth School has been investigated by a government body responsible for examining possible misuse of funds in academies. The Croxley Green school was visited in September 2012 by the Education Funding Agency’s Internal Audit Investigation Team after an anonymous whistleblower voiced concerns about financial practices. Dr Burton the Headteacher was arrested.
