So far in all the preamble to the strike action we've been knee deep in selfless nurses, dedicated teachers, heroic border agency bods, references to school dinner ladies, etc, much play of the low wage public sector workers, I noted that even the BBC's entertainment programme the one show managed to line some prime examples last night (Monday).
For some reason its unlikely that BBC journalists or mainstream media will be spending to much time interviewing inland revenue staff, Ministry of defence bods, or indeed low paid workers outside the public sector, who although they contribute with every pay packet. towards public sector pensions, will not of course be able to fund a decent pension themselves.
Certainly everybody ought to be able to retire at a reasonable age, with a decent income, but lets face, when I hear teachers bleating about having to work till 65, I just wonder if they give a toss for those in say construction, agriculture or manufacturing who have heavy manaul jobs who the government expect to work till 67.
Of course once you get to the higher salaried civil servants pension funds for individuals frequently equate to many hundreds of thousands of pounds.
Well tomorrow, I shall whether I like it or not, be paying into pensions for people who in many cases earn more than I, quite why I don't understand.
Always good to hear the opinion of someone who's earning 3 times minimum wage.
ReplyDeletetell you what you got get yourself private med insurence, so you don't drain the NHS, take your rubbish to the tip in your car, get unemployment insurance, home school your children or grandchildren, take your elderly relatives in and care for them, fit smoke alarms and make sure you have a few buckets of water about in case, ensure your household are all first aid trained, never leave the country, but really never moan again about illigal workers, pay for a beach/park pass, (they exsist in the US, no such thing as free space, even national park you pay for!) use e-books instead of a library, lights in your street out, hell you have porch light! and headlights, private pension, no not the one you expect to get! that one WE all pay for! see how much they all cost! but interestingly I can't claim the same pension as you! Why? as when I signed up for my Public service pension I had to opt out of that on the grounds that I would have a good pension, never rich, but able to provide for myself, the other point is that on our pensions it also stopped us claiming other benefits appart from disability and across the board payments such as cold weather, so we will be costing a lot more in the future when we can opt in...and claim every benefit we are allowed... I only see one flaw with this...when they took the public sector pensions I said nothing... I think your are bright enough, to see where this is going..
ReplyDeleteI hope the strike is a huge success and strengthens the unions' position in their fight against the Government. What is being done to public sector workers is a deceit and a betrayal, however much that will be rejected by Daily Mail style blogs such as this.
ReplyDeleteThere is little point setting out the facts and the issues here, because they will have no impact on the uninformed, I-only-care-about-myself, attitude so frequently and so forcefully demonstrated.
If you, as a "Liberal Democrat", are happy to see workers - public or private - shoulder hardship because of the financial situation while company directors, bankers, and the others who are, under your Government, doing very nicely and laughing all the way to their investments, fine. It says it all.
He'll never admit it even to himself, but Tony is a right-wing Tory that makes Thatcher seem like Tony Benn!
ReplyDeleteLittle sense of reality being applied in the comments so far and that about the unions fight with the government says it all. Sod the votes of the electorate in general elections for if the unions don't like what that produces they campaign to bring it down. Very democratic!
ReplyDeleteThe real tragedy here is that we are being divided as a community into private and public sector workers with, if comments above are to be believed, little sympathy for one sector from the other. Some nation!
Having spent half my adult life in the public sector and the other half in the private, I am well aware that each is essential to the overall well being of the country. There are low paid workers in each doing essential work. One group are no more deserving of sympathy than the other so the nonsense spouted by 1:37 am is just that, nonsense. We all already pay for the services we receive.
For twenty years in the private sector I had to fund a personal pension. That was decimated by Mr Brown's raid and the collapse of almost all funds during the first three years of New Labour. When I retired in 2002 that pension was half what had been forecast in
1997.
Where were the unions for the likes of me and I was a member of a staff association affiliated to the TUC. Nowhere because calling the likes of me out on strike would have had little or no impact and, in any event, we had a Labour Government.
This is purely political opportunism. If honest, the TUC leaders must know any government would have had to make similar cuts, but lets not miss a chance to damage the Tories, no matter if it screws the country in the process.
07:34 If you know any investments at the moment that anyone is laughing all the way to, please let me know. My pittance of savings in a spread of managed funds has gone down 20% since December, whilst the even smaller bit in the building society earns less than the rate of inflation.
ReplyDeleteOh, and please spare me the rich get richer bit, for many of them are going bankrupt. The shit is spread and, even if it is not quite evenly, it can be trodden in by both rich and poor.
1:37 You cannot take what isn't there! Bear that in mind when you make your silly threats. A bankrupt nation pays no-one. Ask Zimbabwean pensioners if you don't believe me.
ReplyDeleteOh, sorry, it couldn't happen here, COULD IT!?
1:37
ReplyDeleteI am in BUPA, privately educate my kids, fund my own pension plan, look after my elderly mother-in-law and support a number of charities. I get no reduction in tax or NI contributions for not being a drain on so many public services and I bet I pay a lot more into the system than you.
When I go on holiday, the people flying the plane and serving the passengers are private sector. Only those slowing it all down in the airport are public employees.
Get real, man, and stop your pathetic self pity. You do alright compared to many and whilst I am probably better paid than you, I equally probably work twice as many hours and have shorter holidays.
Careful Tony, your Conservative blue underwear is showing!
ReplyDelete1 o'clock Rob, clearly you don't read any of the comments or seek to argue your case. Just the usual little snide dig one expects from your side. If Tony's blue underwear is showing your red grots are hoisted on your banner.
ReplyDeleteTony supports the race to the bottom: attack the public sector and let's have private sector conditions instead. Does he realise what that means? Mainly, it means the Corporatisation of everything, putting profit first and disregarding high standards. It also means low pay, longer hours, less job security...
ReplyDeleteI notice how he also attacks the levels of immigration and so-called dole scroungers in other posts. This might have something to do with free-market economics and the desire for employers, with government support, to pay as little as possible to their workers in order to compete in a global market. What does this bring? People reluctant to work for so little and immigrants only too ready to work for low wages compared to where they are from. That's exploitation on a global scale, with those on the bottom rungs of society pitted against each other.
All I hear, on this blog and among the comments, is an I'm Alright Jack attitude: "I've got a well paid job/own property/educate my kids privately etc, so I don't care about those who have to struggle to make ends meet and those who are fighting for their pensions and decent working conditions."
If you think those in the public sector have it so good and that they should be brought down to the levels experienced in the private sector then I reckon you have little heart or compassion for the rest of society. You've swallowed the principles of Free-market Capitalism to the letter, care only about yourselves and are only too ready to scapegoat and generalise when you're exposed to the ills of our society.
5:32 PM What a confused soul you are. First you are saying that without the public sector we would all be subject to corporatisation and under paid and then you attack the private sector as being better off. You cannot have it both ways.
ReplyDeleteAs someone said earlier, this is all very divisive and ignores the fact that there are low paid workers in both sectors as there are fat cats. Where the public sector does have a monopoly is on people seeking to do the minimum for the maximum return. They would not get away with that in a profit orientated world but ripping off the state, and thus your fellow citzens, is fair game.
Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. Another right wing blogger with barely a grip on reality!
ReplyDeleteDear Public Sector Worker
ReplyDeleteI note you argue you represent the cause of fair pensions for all. So can I look forward to you sharing your pension with me then ?
I note, above, that you imply that the public sector is the custodian of high standards. Which public sector department is in any way even a fraction of excellent ? IPCC unfit for purpose. UKBA unfit for purpose. Police unfit for purpose. Visit the NHS and get a hospital acquired infection.
Ideas like creating IPCC, Door Steward Licensing, a Care Commission etc all came from private sector. Notably not from the useless public sector people working in those fields and letting the nation down.
The fact is public sector work is attractive to low risk parochials. Much of the admin work could be done by disabled people who fully fit low risk parochials elbow aside in order to get an undemanding and safe public sector sinecure.
We cannot afford six million public sector workers and we cannot afford to pay their pensions. The public sector gravy train has had its day.
Best wishes
12 hours per day 7 days per week contractor.
07:48
ReplyDeleteWhat makes you assume that all public sector workers are left wing and all private sector on the right. Read the comment properly before you blast of a reply and, if you think I have no grip on reality, please explain why. That is how a debate should be conducted rather than silly playground jibes.
Well I've done my bit to sub, delusional publicrats pensions, why these smug blighters think their hard done by still remains a mystery.
ReplyDeleteNo surprise that the BBC true to its institutional social leanings kept up the illusion that all public sector workers are low paid and doing heroic work, not a fat cat overpaid jobsworth in sight
Well at least most of the country managed to get through the day, I'd like to say I'm surprise but I'm not.
Tony, in your Race To The Bottom you might like to read this:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.leftfootforward.org/2011/11/four-myths-about-todays-strike-busted/
It's from a source that's even more lefty then the BBC but it's based on hard facts not some of the fictions you and you're right-wing fan club like to spout.
Enjoy.
*your*
ReplyDeleteOf course the transport (including rail) system is still heavily subsidised by the taxpayer. How much of that ends up in your salary/wages, Tony?
ReplyDeleteInteresting that the public sector bashers also share a platform with the likes of these types:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.hopenothate.org.uk/blog/article/1499/tim-ablitt-and-british-freedom
Oh, and this berk, I mean bloke:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/nov/30/jeremy-clarkson-one-show-apology
Clarkson is obviously not the only prick...
ReplyDeleteIt
ReplyDeleteIt seems in summary that public sector workers have a complete monopoly on caring and the only people they care about are themselves.
ReplyDeleteA bit like rail workers then. Apparently they couldn't even care less about CCTV protecting the people who work on the trains.
ReplyDeleteI think public sector workers are your bikers of 2011, Tony. You really do so well at making yourself a hate figure.
ReplyDeleteAlmost as well as the unions have done with public sector workers. That is unfair though because the majority of them did not vote for the strike and many went to work.
ReplyDelete