Maybe a political rant....

[The Devils Guitar]

Ok, so this is a post for more British escapists, but I'm sure people are aware of the general strike that occurred on Wednesday. Now personally I agree with the point of the strike (people are having to work longer for less money and smaller pensions and are now being threatened by the government.) but I dont think people had the right to strike.

Now I'm not a fascist against union strikes, but back during the general election Labour proposed spending, investment and growth and succeeded (Gordon Brown in one quarter had more growth than all of David Camerons quarters put together!). The conservatives proposed cuts, cuts to frontline services, cuts to schools, cuts to the armed forces, cuts to investment, cuts to spending.... 37% of people voted for Conservatives. That means 1 in 3 people.

37% of people voted for cuts and now there here people are striking against it and acting like they've been cheated. Am I the only one to hold this view?

 

[Mittenz]

That doesn't necessarily mean that they were those one in 3. Also 37% is quite a bit away from the majority, so they seem within their rights to strike

 

[Vanguard_Ex]

That doesn't necessarily mean that they were those one in 3. Also 37% is quite a bit away from the majority, so they seem within their rights to strike

Yeah I was going to say, 37% is a pretty small chunk. Especially considering Conservatives didn't have the majority, it was the Lib Dems who, in my opinion rather stupidly, chose to form the coalition with the Tories. They're never getting fucking voted in again, I can tell you that.

Also, Democracy. People always have the right to strike.

 

[Danny Ocean]

I dont think people had the right to strike.

UNISON held a vote and agreed to strike. Employers were notified. They were completely within their rights to strike.

37% of people voted for cuts and now there here people are striking against it and acting like they've been cheated. Am I the only one to hold this view?

37% of people didn't really vote for cuts, they voted for deficit reduction and - mostly- an end to labour. Do you really think even a significant minority of voters really understood what they were asking for and how it would directly affect them? Evidently not.

Besides, 37% of people voting for Tory cuts is 63% of people voting against them.

Don't be misled by Tory propaganda into thinking they were the only party who was going to cut anything. That's absurd. They were just going to cut the hardest and the fastest, and somehow hoped that the massive reduction in government spending would cause growth (it didn't) and the private sector would crowd in to pick up the slack (it hasn't).

Also, this should be in R+P.

 

[Valagetti]

Nah your not ranting.
As for the strikes, well they don't have much power(the people), other than strikes and voting. I know your not against strikes and I'm certainly not, but if your old and about to get your pension, then it gets delayed boy I'd be angry. It is the common trend for 1st world countries now, putting pensions at a higher age, theirs little to do against this tide.
As for the cuts in general, well its the government best way to get over this depression or slump or whatever.
Hopefully this will subside, but I have my doubts.

 

[Indeterminacy]

37% of people voted for cuts and now there here people are striking against it and acting like they've been cheated.

Let's put this figure in perspective. 36% of the voting public voted Conservative. Wikipedia gives this figure at about 10 million people.

11.3 million people watched X Factor on the 17th of October 2011.

Yes, it is entirely possible for that many people to have opinions that can be completely discounted.

 

[TheMatsjo]

When were these most recent elections of people voting for cuts exactly?

And yeah, 37% doesn't seem like a representative portion. Besides, I think the bigger issue with the logic concerns linking the right to strike to population support at all. At what point would you approve of strikes, 22% support? 14%? I would argue that strikes are always called for in instances when people are being screwed over (and always legal regardless), and the ruling class cannot be counted on to fix the situation without serious, let's say, incentives.

I'm not British, but it's very hard to imagine a more appropriate time for strikes.

 

[Baradiel]

37% of people voted for cuts and now there here people are striking against it and acting like they've been cheated. Am I the only one to hold this view?

Yes. Yes you are

Kidding, I'm sure other people think the same.

37% of people who voted voted for the Tories. Thats a lot lower than 37% of everyone. And even then, thats 63% of voters who didn't vote for the Tories.

And they are completely within their rights to strike! I lost a day's lectures (ordinarily not a bad thing, but I have assignments coming up and they were needed) and I still supported them, handed out some leaflets, and generally stood by them.

It's important that people can strike. Whether it'll do anything or not (the Tories haven't got the best history in regards to strikes....) isn't the point. The point is that it shows the government, whatever government is in power, that people will react and they can't go too far, or they'll face the consequences.

 

[Something Amyss]

37% of people voted for cuts and now there here people are striking against it and acting like they've been cheated. Am I the only one to hold this view?

I'm impressed, Britain. I mean, us Americans have disdain for the people and act regardless, but you guys have apparently perfected rule by minority.

I mean, slightly over a third of people vote for a specific party (which is automatically a support for all that party's views), and the right to complain is stifled! Fantastic!