Workers of the UK, unite!
I was born a few weeks before the Winter of Discontent starred, I fear I’m going to fully experience a new Winter of Discontent this year in fact this is shaping up to be a de facto General Strike and we’ve not had one of those in nearly a century.
What makes this period of industrial strife feel different is the sheer number of professions on strike, including the truly best of society, such as nurses and lawyers, without who society would struggle to function. If public services collapse further then I’d expect the ratings of the government and Sunak to go (further) south.
I was amused to see the split between the workers and non workers on whether unions reflect ordinary workers, although I expect that is caused by pensioners who remember the original Winter of Discontent.
Eighteen years after the Winter of Discontent the Tory Party used it in general election campaigns to persuade people to vote Tory that’s how much of an epochal event it was. If the Tories screw up their response to the de facto General Strike then I’d expect subsequent general elections to feature the Tory mishandling of it, the universe does love irony. Labour’s close links to the unions shouldn’t be an issue as it will be the government record that will drive voting intention.
I’d expect leakage of the Tory vote to Reform as well. If the Tory Party cannot smash the Trade Unions then what is the bloody point of it?
TSE