Cameron can put his moment of madness behind him by breaking UNITE's petrol strike

claig am rolling laughing around at your description of Cameron 'being in the real world' though, that's made my day

He won't be in the real world until he's spent 3 months trying to feed and house his family on National Minimum Wage (which I think anyone wanting to be an MP should be made to do in order to qualify for election, but that's a whole other thread).

I'm a Guardian reader and I am definitely not a banker, rich journo or anything like that. In fact my wage is not within sniffing distance of £45K.

I am just having difficulty believing that this strike isn't (mostly) about money - I absolutely accept that cutting corners on safety and training is not on, but it just seems to come out as an afterthought in the case being made by the unions. Don't they know that most of us have not been anywhere near a pay rise for years? As for job security - I'm in a so-called cushy public sector job, and ALL of us in our workplace are on one-year funding dependent rolling contracts. We could be out on our ear at the end of any given contract year.

Under the circumstances I'm finding sympathy just a little hard to muster.

The fact that the sun and mail have high readership doesn't mean they are rightwing loons everyone I know who buys those papers do so for the sport, or the gossip. Not highbrow political news.

The fact that the sun and mail have high readership doesn't mean they are rightwing loons everyone I know who buys those papers do so for the sport, or the gossip. Not highbrow political news.

LFN, Cameron is a politician. He is not on a mission to remove "the malignant tentacles of socialism in every possible way from our society", because that is not what the people want and that will not be popular and that will not succeed.

He is in the real world and has enough problems trying to turn the economy round without needing to alienate vast numbers of the public who are already suffering under the austerity.

Whatever your politics, these people were organized although seem to think last time it was a wild cat strike?

'Genuine question, what about mirror readers?'

Yes, he does listen to them too. But I think it is probably more important politically to listen to the people who voted for him and to keep them on side, and there are probably more of those among Mail and Sun readers.

I'm disabled so I rely on the car for all transport. Still support the tanker drivers.
Don't support Miliband, he's a wet weekend - support TUSC - does what it says on the tin - fights the cuts, fights the Tories.

They are a "no nonsense bunch" most certainly.But Cameron has to remain popular with the public. It seems that some of the dispute is due to contracting out of driving and cost savings etc. The whole country knows about that, except environmental officers etc. If the economy suffers due to fuel shortages etc., who will the Mail and Sun readers blame - the 2000 odd drivers or the employers and possibly government if they don't sort it out quickly?

Genuine question, what about mirror readers? You know, typically left wing, low income members of the public. Should he listen to them too? Or is the right always right?

Genuine question, what about mirror readers? You know, typically left wing, low income members of the public. Should he listen to them too? Or is the right always right?

I meant it will be RAF, RN and Army, not just Army.

Ahh, lfn - your faith i parliamentary democracy is touching, given your support for a 'Prime Minister' leading a Coalition govt that nobody voted for, enacting policies that were in no manifesto, in fact quite the opposite (There will be no top down reorganisation of the NHS - ring any bells?)
If you don't like the policies of Unite, you can join and vote to change the policies and the leader. You can opt out of the political levy, too. It's a democratic organisation.
Can't say the same for the system funding the Tories - kitchen suppers, donor companies purporting to be from Lichtenstein (illegal) told they can influence policy; tax cuts for millionairess paid for by cuts to Women's Aid refuges, etc.
Who voted for that? Where does their money c ome from?

Petrol strike you say? About bloody time.

Mail and Sun readers are ordinary workers earning ordinary wages. They don't on the whole earn what Guardian journalists, bankers and lawyers earn. I'm not so sure that they will be against the drivers. Lots of Sun readers are delivery drivers and their sympathies will probably be with the tanker drivers.

but no, for some inexplicable reason, he somehow craves approval and seeks sanction from the Polly Toynbees and Will Huttons of this world. He should denounce them as the evil monsters they are, and get on with the very important work of remounding the country so it is more conservative, more independent, more free.

but no, for some inexplicable reason, he somehow craves approval and seeks sanction from the Polly Toynbees and Will Huttons of this world. He should denounce them as the evil monsters they are, and get on with the very important work of remounding the country so it is more conservative, more independent, more free.

hahahahahaha i think cameron fucked over the lower - middle classes a long time ago...

Can I just say something?

It is not just the fecking Army who will be called in to drive the tankers, it will be the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. It really annoys me, that on the whole on MN and in the media as soon as someone says military, everyone says Army!

On another point, I am quite angry about it. The Armed Forces are stretched to the max, they are expected to man the Olympics and now they will be driving fucking petrol tankers. Many of those men and women who will be stepping in will be earning far less than the £45k that the tanker drivers earn, and they do a far more dangerous job than them!