To be fair to her, she has faced serious threats to her life. They were from Tories during the leadership campaign, admittedly.
I find it strange that the same ppl who claim that junior doctors are risking lives with their strikes, don't seem to be able to appreciate just how important they are when they're not striking. It's the same with all public sector workers. On any strike the triggered nobheads trot out lists of the massive devastation to civilisation they are causing, and yet they're not worth paying what they're worth to avert said devastation when they are working. Good logic there!!
I completely disagree with this. Nobody has more respect and appreciation than me for doctors who have saved my wife's life at least three times. That is not the point though as it is what they are paid to do. By striking they are risking lives and that is against the oath they took. I will not get drawn into the merits of their case but anyone who thinks it is acceptable to risk people's lives on a Thursday because they saved one on a Wednesday is using false logic. I now risk the wrath and abuse of some. On a more general point I am totally opposed to all strikes by all workers. They are a form of blackmail - give us what we want or we will hurt innocent people. Do they really think they will change the government? I suspect the Tories have won more elections and votes from strikes than they lose so they are not even an effective political tool. What other people would you allow to deliberately hurt innocent people by making demands and knowingly causing harm if those demands were not met? In the 18th century when the ordinary person was at the mercy of owners of factories and mills and had no legislation or representation in Parliament to redress their grievances you could make a case for their action. That was two centuries ago. Now what sensible people should be doing is look to totally reform our working rights and practicesso that parties to a genuine dispute could look for a fair and just resolution. A start would be compulsory and binding arbitration on workers, bosses and if necessary the government itself if that is the source of funds. I happen to believe we live in an unfair, almost wicked society where distribution of wealth and power are massively unequal. I would love to see radical change and that would need reform of our political system and at least one party that had the brains to step aside and think about what we need to do to live in a better society. Whether or not that happens I abhor strikes. Just my honest opinion and sorry if it upsets many on here but there you go - just do not make the mistake of labelling me with any of the disgusting mob on the right of the Tory Party.
I don't think you are risking the response you expect, honestly held views, expressed clearly. Hoiwever I do disagree. 10 years ago junior Doctors (and nurses and train workers) were hired for and paid a certain salary. THrough no fault of there own they were paid less and less and we have struggled to train and hire the required people for these jobs. At some point you have to say enough is enough. These workers are then faced with 2 choices - resignation or strike. How well do you think our ability to save lives would be if the number of Doctors (for example) further decreased? Your distaste for strikes leads only to the power over these roles sitting entirely with the employers, withdrawl of labour is the only tool wokers have to exert any control over their working lives and is a fundamental right.
Thanks for a measured response. As I said I do not wish to get drawn into the merits of the doctors' issue. Pay levels in this country for various different groups cannot in my opinion be justified - from the seriously underpaid to the grossly overpaid. My issue is solely that strikes are blackmail - do what I demand or I hurt people. The "fundamental right" issue is not true. You do not have a fundamental right to hurt innocent people. Striking is a historic practice which started because it was necessary and people had no other source of right. In the 21st century with universal suffrage we have the power to change evils without resorting to other ones. Again I risk wrath of certain people but a lot of my anger goes to Unions and their bosses. They are locked into 18th Century thinking and cannot be bothered to find other solutions. It is not the Union bosses who suffer but their members who lose pay and are forced to do what in truth most of them probably hate doing. It is time to get a Party who thinks ahead and creates a more fair and equal working environment. Labour should be fighting the next election on backing working people in this country to be able to negotiate fair wages, conditions and environments from a position of strength. I know there is the argument that this takes time but when is it going to start. If you told me that in 5 years time nobody would need to - or be allowed to strike due to new legislation I would be much happier. But that is not even talked about. We live in a broken society and it needs a massive Rethink how to change it. Tinkering at the edges will achieve nothing.
In terms of pay, all state sector workers seeking redress are by definition worsening a "vicious circle" . The money they seek will be coming from the commercial sector, so you are ultimately using the latter to "rob Peter to pay Paul" (are there not workers in all those sectors under similar financial stress ?? ) . The medical sector correspondingly is highly susceptible to "emotional blackmail , given what is potentially at stake whenever they "down tools" . Within those extremes, what is the "global maxima" that these workers can do to make their case ??
A councillor is being investigated by the Conservative Party after he was accused of making racist comments about black people. Pembrokeshire councillor Andrew Edwards is alleged to have said white men should have black slaves: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-65246336 A Welsh paper has done some digging and he's a busy little racist: https://nation.cymru/news/conservat...s-ombudsman-over-outrageous-slavery-comments/ "As well as being a councillor, Cllr Edwards is a magistrate and, according to his entry in Pembrokeshire County Council’s Register of Members’ Interests, a Freemason. He works as a self-employed hairdresser for Freestyle Barbers in Haverfordwest and, again according to the council’s Register of Members’ Interests, is licensee of the Coach House pub and restaurant in Wind Street, Swansea. He is also a governor of Prendergast Primary School in Haverfordwest." He's a ****ing magistrate.
All that and mindbendingly stupid. If you hold those views, you would need to be very careful where they are aired. He must have known this day was coming.
Aye no need for wrath or abuse. If you honestly believe doctors and nurses are out to deliberately blackmail, hurt, harm and kill innocent ppl then I really don't know what to say to that. Not sure how you can claim you have any respect for them if you hold those beliefs. On your general point, striking is just a word. What they're doing is withdrawing their labour. And everyone should have a right to do that if the terms and conditions under which they are required to work is unfair. The alternative to going on strike is that they leave the profession or go abroad. How does that help all those innocent people? And that's what's happening at the moment. A vicious cycle where medical professionals can't cope with what's being asked of them due to the cutbacks and understaffing, so they leave or retire or go abroad which then creates even more pressure on those who remain. And as a result so many more innocent people aren't receiving their diagnosis, their treatments or life-saving operations. And those who genuinely care, those dedicated professionals on the front line you think want to harm and kill people are the ones who every day go above and beyond what they are required to, to try and make up for the shortfall. This is impacting far more on all of us long term than the days they are on strike. So yeh given the alternatives it's perfectly justified junior doctors and nurses take a stand, it may just help recruit and retain the those on the front line, and when they do so it's not to harm, but to improve and better the system for the people in their care.
This is the point. They show their commitment by striking. But there will be others who resign and many others who decide not to become doctors in the first place. The only bargaining tool they have is to withdraw their labour. Even then, our government doesn’t want to negotiate. But at least they are highlighting the issues and putting some pressure on the government to improve things. The Tories have run down the NHS (and courts and many other public services) by a sustained period of drastic cuts and underfunding. They rely on the goodwill of highly qualified professionals, who are generally committed to what they do, to carry on regardless and accept their lot. But then it reaches critical point where the goodwill runs out because the cuts have had such a profound effect that they have to be reversed to stop the system collapsing completely. The level of those cuts had been such that it now needs an unrealistically large injection of funds to address the issue even in part. That is the stage we are at.
I totally respect your opinion on strikes in general and medical professionals in particular, however SD, Treble and Lidls have perfectly summarised my own thoughts. Doctors (I refrain from using the 'junior' classification as that is only designed to diminish their position) pay has effectively fallen by 30% since 2010. Many are on salaries of a scandalous £14 or £15 ph yet the Government will not even attend negotiations. What exactly are they meant to do to change that situation? Many workers Rights are fortunately enshrined in Law and Statute, although for the UK post-Brexit that status may change for the worse. However, without the right to strike and without the access to support in the form of Unions or Trade bodies, the ability to seek a fair wage is still limited - especially under a Gov happy to waste billions and line their own pockets with many millions.
And they will claim that this is a necessity due to circumstances. This is a lie. It's ideological. They want to break everything, so that they can replace it. They knew that the NHS being replaced wouldn't be accepted by the electorate. Now their media mates are selling the idea that it's broken beyond fixing. It's the same with every single thing in this country that they can sell off.
