Unguarded Moment

Least written about the Prime Minister’s unguarded remarks the better, but I can’t help thinking they might not have seen the light of day had he got on better with the media. Tony Blair would have shrugged it off.
Nice that we’re allowed to talk about immigration now, it being one of the most common complaints on the doorstep.
Let’s hope the Liberals’ amnesty comes under scrutiny, with each of the one million illegals being allowed one family member from abroad.
No one is quite sure where the ex-Labour voters will go.
If there is an indecisive result I can see both left wing parties splitting, and a Cameron rainbow coalition to sort out Gordon Brown’s mess.

Today’s LibDem lie: Last week Nick Clegg said: “Politicians who sell their houses and pocket the money still haven’t been held to account.” Five years ago he made a profit of £240,000 selling his home in Brussels, after using his expenses as a Member of the European Parliament to help pay his mortgage.

British Airways 1200 : Unite 300

That’s the number of strikebreakers claimed by each of the sides in the BA cabin crew strike.
One could also argue it is the margin of victory by the airline, though wise of them not to crow about it.
We’ll see how they each fare in the second round next weekend.
In the olden days unions used to go on strike, and stay out until either their demands were met, or they capitulated. These days with union power restrained, striking is very much a part-time business.
Even Monday afternoon’s picket at Hatton Cross on the outskirts of Heathrow (pictured) was a rather feeble protest, though I was impressed by the number of hooting motorists driving past -- many too young to remember the union militancy of the 70s and 80s.

Nice to see a strike breaking Jet2.com aircraft (also pictured) at Heathrow Terminal 5, normally serving low cost routes from northern England, this time easing the strain for hard pressed BA passengers.

British Airways Strike

There’s a whole load of stuff we’re not being told about the British Airways cabin crew strike, and one might wonder why?
Hints are dropped about disunity within the trades union, Unite, which seriously hampers their ability to negotiate with the employer. Key union people will not even share the same room, let alone talk to each other
BA boss Willie Walsh is determined to break the strike, and with the rest of the airline’s workforce already having conceded cuts in wages and conditions, there is very little sympathy for the cabin crew.
Everyone is volunteering to man the planes in their absence, and many are still being trained.
Then there is the issue of travel perks. I am assured Willie Walsh will not go back on his promise to cancel staff travel concessions for anyone who walks out. As many of the cabin crew live in Scotland and the South of France, commuting to Heathrow Terminal Five to report for duty, their lifestyles will take a quite a hit -- assuming their jobs are still there when they return.
The outcome of this dispute could well determine the state of industrial relations in the UK for several years ahead.

Eton Boys

I’m still reflecting on what I thought was the most exciting event at the Conservative Party Spring Conference in Brighton last weekend.
An impromptu protest by about fifty left-wing activists who almost broke through the police cordon at the hotel entrance.
They delivered their chant with so much energy.

Eton boys: . . . off our streets!

Eton boys: . . . off our streets!

Interspersed with

Get rid of the rich!

Well who do they think pay the taxes that subsidise their Bohemian lifestyle?
If only that enthusiasm could be channelled into more productive pursuits, Britain would be great again.