[alex5455]

I totally agree with the strikers, all you right wingers criticising them as selfish are just hypocrites, this is how your precious market works, supply and demand, you demand transport they supply it at the rate they feel is fair, love how you only like the free market when it suits you

[jumpingjesusholycow]

(Original post by madders94)
Instead of blaming the workers, blame the government who will never dream of taking pay cuts themselves

What absolutely moronic political logic.

"Don't blame the people in question, blame some other people for some unrelated reason!" If you're going to make a point about why workers on strike shouldn't be blamed, make it relevent.

Student politics... Lemme guess, tax the rich right? I say all this as the most genuinely leftist person you've most likely come into contact with. It's nonsensical rants like these that make me despair at the political ineptitude of people my age.

[pedmond]

I saw taxi drivers complaining about not being able to use the " Games Lanes " The other day. Get a grip. I bet if they got given the use they would only use them if their client were an athlete or ticket paying member of the public heading to the games! Of Course.

[Hopple]

(Original post by pedmond)
I saw taxi drivers complaining about not being able to use the " Games Lanes " The other day. Get a grip. I bet if they got given the use they would only use them if their client were an athlete or ticket paying member of the public heading to the games! Of Course.

I think it's stupid they're allowed to use bus lanes at normal times anyway. Fine there's less congestion, but say person A takes their car to where they want to go, leaves it, then comes back to it and drives back home, they've used less fuel than a cabbie who has to drive to pick them up from where they dropped off their previous passenger, twice because of the journey home. Plus black cabs are bloody heavy, much worse for the environment than a normal sized car.

[pedmond]

(Original post by Hopple)
I think it's stupid they're allowed to use bus lanes at normal times anyway. Fine there's less congestion, but say person A takes their car to where they want to go, leaves it, then comes back to it and drives back home, they've used less fuel than a cabbie who has to drive to pick them up from where they dropped off their previous passenger, twice because of the journey home. Plus black cabs are bloody heavy, much worse for the environment than a normal sized car.

Just so we are clear I was being sarcastic when I mentioned they would use the lanes properly

[Hopple]

(Original post by pedmond)
Just so we are clear I was being sarcastic when I mentioned they would use the lanes properly

Yeah, I got that

[onda]

it is shameful

[KhubDude]

It's something of a perfect storm situation. The government is seen as fundamentally weak as it balances trying to hold together a coalition whilst also trying to run the country. To further undermine itself the recent u-turns have added further indications that it is all too willing to change policy at the slightest pressure. Added to this is the terrible economic situation which encourages thinking of a job as a finite resource (milk it while you have it because who knows when the next scandal or plunge into even deeper recession will occur). To this add in the age old struggle between generally left-leaning union leaders and the often right-leaning employers and you get what's happening in London. We're probably not too far away from a general strike - although out of coincidence rather than actual design.

I'm old enough to remember the last period of widespread strikes during the 80's which many regarded as resulting in the death of union power. It seems so ironic that the massive drive for privatisation carried out during the Thatcher years may actually be fueling the fires of strike action and the current resurrection of union power we're seeing now.

[madders94]

(Original post by jumpingjesusholycow)
What absolutely moronic political logic.

"Don't blame the people in question, blame some other people for some unrelated reason!" If you're going to make a point about why workers on strike shouldn't be blamed, make it relevent.

Student politics... Lemme guess, tax the rich right? I say all this as the most genuinely leftist person you've come most likely come into contact with. It's nonsensical rants like these that make me despair at the political ineptitude of people my age.

I'm not bothered about taxing the rich, it just annoys me when so much money is being taken away from important services and thrown into a two-week celebration that will be forgotten in four years time, so I think that if the unions and the workers want to strike at this time, good on them. I'm not against the Olympics, I'm just against the fact that we're holding them when we can't afford them.

[madders94]

(Original post by tsnake23)
£65,738 is the annual salary for an MP and its frozen for at least the next year (and decreased by 5% recently as mentioned above). This really isn't much for a high end job based in London. An experienced tube driver would earn a similar amount.

If you want to hear something ridiculous then consider that Bob Crow's reward for causing millions of people misery via strikes and costing the economy millions of pounds is a salary of over £145,000 with it going up by 26% since the start of the recession.

Fair enough and I apologise for my earlier points to everyone, I was misinformed.

[rodcarter]

I asked a Jamaican bus driver on strike a few weeks ago why he was striking his response was "It's the Olympics, we deserve more money". Half these Unions are just trying to cash in and hold the government to ransom.

It's not like they're doing a different job on the day. Driving back and forth in slightly busier traffic.

[moregano]

(Original post by pedmond)
I saw taxi drivers complaining about not being able to use the " Games Lanes " The other day. Get a grip. I bet if they got given the use they would only use them if their client were an athlete or ticket paying member of the public heading to the games! Of Course.

Taxi drivers struggle to make decent money at the best of times. They're self employed so they have to rely on demand for their services - if they can't pick people up they simply won't get paid. The games lanes mean that many of the busiest places for collecting customers are blocked off to them. They can't drive in the lanes, they can't stop in the lanes, they can't even cross the lanes to pick someone up from the pavement. That's if they're lucky enough to even find people to pick up - TFL are telling Londoners to avoid the roads at all costs during the games.

I'm sure it's very easy to assume that taxi drivers are selfish people who are only interested in making easy money on top of the supposed fortune they already earn, but at the moment they are scared ****less about how they are going to make enough money during the next few weeks to support their families.

[pedmond]

(Original post by moregano)
Taxi drivers struggle to make decent money at the best of times. They're self employed so they have to rely on demand for their services - if they can't pick people up they simply won't get paid. The games lanes mean that many of the busiest places for collecting customers are blocked off to them. They can't drive in the lanes, they can't stop in the lanes, they can't even cross the lanes to pick someone up from the pavement. That's if they're lucky enough to even find people to pick up - TFL are telling Londoners to avoid the roads at all costs during the games.

I'm sure it's very easy to assume that taxi drivers are selfish people who are only interested in making easy money on top of the supposed fortune they already earn, but at the moment they are scared ****less about how they are going to make enough money during the next few weeks to support their families.

Its a double edged sword because if they were given the use of the lanes for games purposes then it would be abused. They would more than likely get clogged losing their ability to swiftly carry athletes etc to the games rendering them useless.

[moregano]

(Original post by pedmond)
Its a double edged sword because if they were given the use of the lanes for games purposes then it would be abused. They would more than likely get clogged losing their ability to swiftly carry athletes etc to the games rendering them useless.

Well personally I think it's pretty ridiculous to provide athletes and "officials" with a personal lane through London's busiest and most important roads at the expense of the livelihoods of those who live and work here and struggle enough to do so as it is.

[pedmond]

(Original post by moregano)
Well personally I think it's pretty ridiculous to provide athletes and "officials" with a personal lane through London's busiest and most important roads at the expense of the livelihoods of those who live and work here and struggle enough to do so as it is.

Its not forever and the economic impact of the Olympics is bound to make these peoples lives better in the long run. I don't think it would paint a pretty picture of London and Britain in general if Usain Bolt missed the 100m final because he was stuck in a traffic jam on the M4.

[jumpingjesusholycow]

(Original post by moregano)
Well personally I think it's pretty ridiculous to provide athletes and "officials" with a personal lane through London's busiest and most important roads at the expense of the livelihoods of those who live and work here and struggle enough to do so as it is.

I'm inclined to agree with anyone who's making the point about how much of an inconvenience the games are to working average Londoners but let's be honest here. This is just sacrifice that needs to be made if London expects to hold a major international sporting event. Yes, I know in a perfect world we'd all just expect dignitaries to ride the tube and deal with, but let's face it. The only way to ensure the essential people involved in the Olympics are able to navigate through this congested nightmare we call London is to have designated lanes.

Realistically, I'm in agreement, and the simple fact it we should have just let Paris have the games, but hey. We just need to expect the fact that for a major international sporting even to be held here, we need to make sacrifices. Luckily it's only for two weeks so let's just grit our teeth and get through it.

[Jono404]

(Original post by alex5455)
I totally agree with the strikers, all you right wingers criticising them as selfish are just hypocrites, this is how your precious market works, supply and demand, you demand transport they supply it at the rate they feel is fair, love how you only like the free market when it suits you

Exactly, and as everyone said regarding the whole Jimmy Carr thing 'they aren't doing anything illegal', simply trying to maximize their economic welfare.

[Donald Duck]

(Original post by alex5455)
I totally agree with the strikers, all you right wingers criticising them as selfish are just hypocrites, this is how your precious market works, supply and demand, you demand transport they supply it at the rate they feel is fair, love how you only like the free market when it suits you

Surely this is collusion in it's purest form (and nope, most people here are strongly against collusion).

Striking for pay with a trade union is one thing (which I generally agree with). Striking for protection from being fired and being unable to hire other people when regular workers strike is something strongly anti- free market.

[barnetlad]

RMT are in a turf war with other unions, which is a part of the reason for the strikes. Another cause is the 28 day rule (have a ballot, must take action within 28 days or the ballot loses its mandate).

[rmpr97]

Well its like the riots really, opportunism. Although what the unions are doing is tantamount to blackmail.

They know that in the Olympics they can't do anything and would have to give them extra.

But honestly what entitles a bus driver to get an olympic bonus and nobody else, when essentially they sit, and turn a wheel and remember where to turn?

Everyone else has to do their job.