Preparing for winter II

debtdesperado

Grrr... don't get me started on the union leaders and what they earn (around £250k each), and their 'grace and favour' houses, and their guaranteed pensions, paid for by their members....

I agree with the existence of unions but their leaders are absolute parasites. How can someone who has all that money identify with the struggles of their average member?

I would say in the same way that someone who owns a duckhouse and has a moat can relate to someone living in a cramped flat that they will be spending their life paying for...ie they can't.

Strike to reform the union leadership...

Rainmaker_uk

debtdesperado wrote: »

Grrr... don't get me started on the union leaders and what they earn (around £250k each), and their 'grace and favour' houses, and their guaranteed pensions, paid for by their members....

I agree with the existence of unions but their leaders are absolute parasites. How can someone who has all that money identify with the struggles of their average member?

I would say in the same way that someone who owns a duckhouse and has a moat can relate to someone living in a cramped flat that they will be spending their life paying for...ie they can't.

Strike to reform the union leadership...

DON't TRUST THE UNION LEADERS...

The socialist firebrand Arthur Scargill has claimed more than £250,000 in expenses for a luxury flat in London — despite stepping down as head of the miners’ union eight years ago.
Angry members of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) are to challenge the annual payments of £33,000, made to cover the rent and running costs of a three-bedroom apartment in the Barbican Centre since 2002 when Scargill retired as president.
Further expenses of £5,000-a-year for Scargill’s main home in South Yorkshire have already been halted.
Scargill, who clashed with Margaret Thatcher during the miners’ strike in 1984-5, is now honorary president of the NUM, an unpaid post which he created for himself

Read the full story here http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article7144845.ece

Penelope_Penguin

debtdesperado wrote: »

I would say in the same way that someone who owns a duckhouse and has a moat can relate to someone living in a cramped flat that they will be spending their life paying for...ie they can't..

I can't comment on the salaries of union leaders (I would love to see a link to back up the £250k BTW ) but what union leaders and MPs CAN do is to have the influence and skills to make changes required by their members and electorate.

In both instances - they work for you - if you disagree, don;t just say so here, but use your franchise and vote them out :T

GEEGEE8

If it's that cold, can't you keep it frozen outside?

Penelope_Penguin

Rainmaker_uk wrote: »

Read the full mstory here http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article7144845.ece

Your link doesn't work

Love him or loath him, Scargill was a legend in his time, as was Thatcher to her followers Plenty of people followed his cry for the mineworkers to strike. He's still a well known figure - I bet most people on here will knwo his name, but coudn't name the leader of any of the majo unions today (without Googling ).

Rainmaker_uk

Penelope_Penguin wrote: »

Your link doesn't work

Love him or loath him, Scargill was a legend in his time, as was Thatcher to her followers Plenty of people followed his cry for the mineworkers to strike. He's still a well known figure - I bet most people on here will knwo his name, but coudn't name the leader of any of the majo unions today (without Googling ).

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article7144845.ece have tried to amend it but is a little technical for me!

Seakay

Butterfly_Brain wrote: »

I remember the winter of discontent well.
As a teen in the 70's I remember the power cuts and the profiteering B*ds who were selling 8 candles for £5 a box ( huge money in those days).

People just got on with life and the Tory government of Ted Heath ( Hopefully Cameron and his lib scum alliance will go the same way )fell to public opinion and we went to the polls :T:j:T
Anyhow - I digress

.

As Jim Callaghan was PM during the winter of discontent I'm assuming that I'm correct in remembering that the Labour Party were in power at the time?

For those worried about freezers - if you don't open them and surround them with blankets, newspapers, cardboard and other insulating material then the contents will remain frozen for up to 48 hours.

D&DD

Well we were hit by the Mail strikes last time as OH is a postie..there are already rumbling noises coming from their union about strikes because of the recent announcements re privatisation.

We may be in a better position this time around but only through sheer bloo*y hard work and saving,I'd be fuming if he came out again and blew our safety cushion but do sympathize with them over the changes to their working conditions etc..

My dad was a postie in the 70's too and my poor mum really went through it when they were out.
I also remember being terrified the house would burn down because we had to use candles

lambanana

Hmmm not sure how prepared we are. We don't have the space for masses of stores though we do have a couple of bags of bread flour and enough to at least throw together a few meals (or maybe a week of meals as I'm ok with things being repeated) in our cupboards. I'll throw some extra tins and such in the trolley where I can afford it for fear of not being able to get to the supermarket if the weather is bad again but coping with any sort of power cuts and strikes? I don't know.

My DH wouldn't go on strike but I'm in a union and a public sector worker...I suppose we'll see what October's spending review brings. Financially we can survive as long as he's working full time.

mineallmine

I think there will be a national fleece shortage! I guess you could always hunt around to see what you have to line curtains. I have a lovely thick curtain by the front door - helps give some privacy too.

I think I need to do some digging to find what fleeces (thermal) ones we have before stockpiling some more. May give them a different home (or coloured hanger) to find them easily.