It was disorientating to wake up this morning without my beloved BBC Radio 4 Today Programme. Striking National Union of Journalists at the BBC were on the second of a two-day strike about a reduction in future pension benefits. As a result, most BBC news programmes were either cancelled or abridged. I don't think I have missed anything really signficant in the world today, but I miss that excellent BBC news output on which I so much depend.
Pension protests are all the rage right now. French workers recently held a series of general strikes because of the government's decision to extend the statutory working age by two years, meaning that the pension age will shift from 60 to 62. With governments working to reduce record-high deficits, I really don't think that these relatively small changes are unreasonable.
But I am concerned about the massive cuts that Britain's Conservative-Liberal coalition are introducting in the name of economic recovery. Poor people will suffer because of the problems created by rich bankers. I fear that the 'deficit' argument is providing the Conservatives with a convenient excuse to reduce public services, with their Liberal allies awkwardly following like poodles. Surely developed societies should be able to manage their economies without compromising the standards of such things as hospitals, disability support, schools and care for the elderly.
I would be surprised if we don't see people coming out onto the streets to protest when the cuts start to really bite. Civil action can be a very effective way of getting government to re-think policy. Margaret Thatcher's highly unpopular poll tax provoked massive rioting in the early eighties and led to her dropping it. And there have been many strikes staged for most worthy reasons. Indeed, modern workers should thank the militancy of their forbearers who fought hard for safe and fair working conditions that people enjoy today.
Your grandfather has decided to strike this weekend as well. Not because of my pension or labour rights (which as self-employed is my responsiblity), but I'd like to try and have a proper weekend, putting work to one side. In these digital times, when communications is all arount us, it is difficult to escape from work. There was a time that it would be most unusual to have a business call during the weekend. But today, emails, SMSs and even calls are common on Saturday or Sunday. There has never been such overlap between work and leisure time.
I am not sure that I like the diminishing differentiation between work and play, especially as I am the type who finds it difficult not to think about work much of the time. I wonder where this trend is heading. Now there's a good reason for keeping Shabbat. I vote for a weekly strike in sympathy with God.
Grandpa Jonathan
Prague, Czech Republic
