To think it’s time for a general strike

[Mountainatmygates]

I am old enough to remember the poll tax riots which did eventually bring about a shift in policy.

The country is on its knees - I read yesterday that energy bills could hit 6k a year in the spring and put 45 million into fuel poverty.

it’s completely nuts and the current government are wholly to blame after 12 years in power. I have just been in France where bills have risen 4% because the energy companies are nationalised.

I think it’s genuinely time for some collective action.

Personally I don't think this is a good time to make life more expensive and difficult. It's always those who can least afford it who bear the brunt of costs and difficulties.

Sorry, was trying to write admitably

Society at the moment is not admirable at all - too many families struggle and our children's outcomes are too dependant on family income and parental education- I want society to be better and fairer, I just don't think that revolutions generally end well- poor people still end up poor, with someone else in control giving the orders

@Flapjacker48 eventually a general election will have to happen. And I believe that is where collective action now can start to influence and encourage people to vote in a different government - I would prefer a progressive alliance of some kind as it goes and a move away from a one party state

I can’t strike and tbh I can’t afford to do it either. My employers have been really good so I won’t go on strike against them.

So everyone who wasn’t at the poll tax protests or ‘bedroom tax’ protests - a good 95% of the population, I suspect - is guilty of all of the sins you list in your post?

They are all ‘foolish’ and ‘wilfully ignorant’. All waving their excessive consumption in the faces of…er….all the other people doing the same waving?

@Iamthewombat honestly you just seem to want to patronise posters with your apparent superior views

A strike isn't a revolution. It isn't anti-capitalist.
It definitely seems as though some posters have spent less than 30 minutes thinking about these issues. And have spent no time at all studying economics, politics or history.

That’s right. I’d never thought about general strikes before the OP enlightened me this morning. Didn’t even know what one was.

Here we go. You’re losing the argument and your response is crying about being ‘patronised’.

If you’re going to lead the general strike, you’ll need to work on your debating technique.

@AlexandriasWindmill The people shouting "nationalise stuff!" as a magic bullet haven't spend 30 minutes thinking about it either and have limited knowledge of politics, history and economics.

All those posters who think I general strike is the way forward, better start trying to organise it then hadn't they? Of course it's easy to call for one on a forum.

Engaging with sealions isn't productive.

What is apparent is that the government relies upon people not understanding business, shareholdings, profits, economics and politics.

And obviously lots of people don't understand those topics. But people do understand that it's obscene to be a country with one of the largest wealth disparities in the world. They understand that it's appalling that child poverty and food bank usage are growing. They understand that it's ridiculous to give friends contracts worth millions of pounds when essential services are struggling. And they understand that people in full-time employment should be able to afford to heat their homes and feed their families.

It's frankly embarrassing that our politicians seem to have forgotten those basic facts.

My husband is a postman and they are going on strike. I'm really worried about the lack of income

I'm a self employed dental hygienist. If I don't work I don't get paid. So i can't strike. I'm not even self employed through choice. If I want to be employed I'd need to change careers. No one seems to think about self employed people when strikes are mentioned.

What union could, say, an office junior in a solicitors firm join?
What would the union subs be?
How would striking get their employer to pay them a higher wage and not just dismiss them for not turning up to work?

@torquewench www.tuc.org.uk/join-a-union

@Iamthewombat its not about losing an argument. It’s about you coming on threads and aggressively dismissing what anyone had to say without offering a single alternative.

i believe in collective action and have been unionised my entire working life. I see few other alternatives at the moment to empower people to believe that they can create societal change.

And, I do support people being able to strike, just have a clear purpose of what you are trying to change. I fully support the junior barristers; but they have clear objectives- they aren't paid fairly, they work very long hours and they have specific concerns about people not having access to justice

Lots of self-employed people are in unions.

This is completely untrue. Several Cabinet Ministers resigned their posts. They di what everyone does when they resign, they cleared their desks, turned in their cars and stopped being laid for the job they had resigned from. They actually still continued as constituency MP’s.

Strikers withdraw their labour. They expect to return to their job or position, hopefully with increased benefits. They hope to be paid whilst not working.

I m afraid if this comparison is typical of the Left ‘s yearning arguments for a General Strike, it doesn’t say much for their political or economic literacy.

What is the desired outcome or outcomes are you aiming for though?

Increasing disruption in the hope that something gives, rather than deciding what you want and then how best to reach it seems the wrong way round.

So no I can't suggest alternatives, because it's far from clear what is actually wanted.

Paid , not laid hah ha ha , I think the autocorrect gremlin voted Labour

"They hope to be paid whilst not working."

I think people are aware they will not be paid whilst on strike. Joining a union can protect you from being summarily dismissed for striking but does mean you are paid whilst on strike.

Are facts ‘aggressive’? I can see why you would think so.

What about the insults that you and others have thrown at posters who disagree with your general strike rhetoric? Is that OK? Not aggressive at all?

And, I’ve already explained to you why posters are allowed to disagree with your general strike rhetoric without delivering a fully costed plan for an alternative. That’s because well thought out plans generally take time to research and prepare.

Here’s a crumb of comfort: it’s good to feel passionately about making the world a better place. It’s an admirable quality. It’s much better than apathy or selfishly protecting your own privilege. However, it’s better if that desire is properly channelled. Kier Starmer is a fairly divisive figure but he’s got it. So does Rachel Reeves. So did Kier Hardie and Alan Johnson and John Smith and Ed Milliband and many other political figures. That’s how real change happens. That, and people voting for positive change rather than for low taxation.

the price of gas is the problem, more gas won’t solve it as it will just be sold at the marginal gas price plus opening up more north sea oil fields / exploiting shale gas will take years. We need to move away from fossil fuelled generation not towards it.

Some GB coal fired power stations that were due to close for good are being paid to stay operating this winter to reduce reliance on gas /
improve security of supply.

some of the French nuclear fleet can’t operate as rivers are very low as they have had too little rainfall to provide cooling water. So GB produced energy is being exported to France through undersea cables to make up some of the shortfall . This and the high price of gas are driving high uk prices.