"[Mr. Blair] said he'd put more police on the street. Well the
only place he has this done so far is right here in Westminster."
Ian Duncan Smith - Far-Right token alternative to 'compassionate socialism'.
Britain's Police Force took to the streets yesterday, protesting new reforms to their
working conditions and the plan to give 'community wardens' the power of arrest.
The Police Federation (the blue union) are also going to petition the European Court
of Human Rights to give them back the right to strike they lost when they signed under
the phrase 'I agree not to strike' on their job applications.
Someone has already pointed out that anyone who doesn't have the right to strike is
a slave; but if they're not happy with their working conditions they can serve notice
at any time. As the job finder adverts say, _anyone_ is free to "Fire their boss!"
at any time, and _attempt_ to hire a better one. Strikes and work-to-rule's are
merely one step short of this.
If you don't want to be held to a no-strike contract, DON'T SIGN ONE! If that means
you will not be permitted to work in certain critical industries, so be it.
Someone will probably flame me to say, "They can't _all_ afford to quit, what about
their children?", or, "We have to have a police force, so EVERYBODY can't refuse to
join, so it can't be _totally_ voluntary. Thus we must make no strike contracts
illegal for some industries, or they'll have no say in their employment."
But as far as I've heard, no-one's passed any Directive 10-289* or Rush Act**.
When they do, get back to me. I'll be waiting right here.
--
* Atlas Shrugged:
During a national emergency, the government passes a new law requiring workers
not to quit or strike on pain of imprisonment (amongst other things).
The government will now organize movement between jobs.
** Babylon 5: Episode 1.12, By Any Means Necessary:
All critical employees of space stations must sign no-strike-no-quit
contracts for fixed terms of months; with the option of military force to be
used against them if they refuse to work. After cutbacks cost the lives of
dockworkers in an accident, they succumb to 'blue flu' (organised sick-out).
An Earth Government Representative declares this to be an illegal strike
and invokes the Rush Act.
The Act is rumoured to be named for Rush Limbaugh.
PS. You can probably tell I'm not a big fan of union power. Why have two bosses
when I can have one? Still, I'd never be stupid enough to sign a no strike
contract.
PPS. Along with not wanting to increase the number of people who can legally kidnap
me and detain me against my will, there are two other points I'd like to make
in the cops favour:
1) Yesterday's protest had the highest police presense in London for years,
and was the cheapest to clean up after. Starbucks ought to write the
Police Federation a thank you note.
and B) Police Officers won't stand for the kind of shit governments like to pull
on other types of protester, like 'traffic detours', closure of public
transport, stop and search that takes 6 hours or until the protest is over
etc.
Oh and any idiot dumb enough to produce a brick from under his jacket will
find himself crowd surfing towards the nearest police van...
PPPPPPPPPPPCPPS. Do I use more references than the Unabomber or what?
