Forget 1926, this is more like a Scargill moment

Daily Mail Comment
"One of the main reasons for this country's economic plight is New Labour's decision to expand the public sector to a level unprecedented in peacetime.They left the country with large numbers of people employed in positions with little or no economic or social value, often paid very generously, and in almost all cases entitled to good pensions.The public sector is also the last stronghold of trade union membership. Britain's unions are now wholly dominated by public employees.his has created a perverse economic effect. When the recession swept through the advanced world, Britain's lean and realistic private sector responded almost instantly by making painful but necessary cuts in its workforce.It also froze pay and reluctantly accepted that pension schemes, where they existed, would have to be scaled back.The public sector did much less to tighten its belt, assuming that taxpayers – mainly in the private sector – would absorb its costs as before. So business must still endure heavy taxes to pay for those costs, slowing the recovery we so badly need.Now the unions are threatening us with a new wave of strikes, grandiosely conjuring up the spectre of the General Strike of 1926.

The comparison is ridiculous. A series of rolling nuisance stoppages cannot be equated with the titanic, principled confrontation of that era, or even with the famous ‘Winter of Discontent' of 1978-79.It could truly be said of today's union leaders that they are willing to wound but afraid to strike. In any case, the living standards of today's union members would have been beyond the wildest imaginings of Twenties coalminers.The truth is that the old union movement achieved most of its aims long ago, and continues to exist largely to keep its officials in employment, and the Labour Party in funds.

There is no doubt that many public-sector workers are necessary and respected, but that does not mean they can be, or should be, immune from an economic downturn which necessarily affects everybody.The TUC should beware. Its planned disruption will be deeply disliked by millions in the real world who resent the feather-bedding and security of the public sector. It is hard to see how it can succeed.And assuming the Government can remember where it has put its backbone, this confrontation will give Ministers a chance to be both tough and popular.This could be the most unwise strike call since Arthur Scargill's suicidal 1984 coal stoppage."