Very few people think it's fair to rob the workers of their pensions to make up for the money spent on propping up the big banks and their gambling bankers. "Pay more, work longer, get less", that's the size of it, as far as the government is concerned. Not if you are an MP, of course. Or a banker.
With so far a total of 19 unions securing yes votes for striking on 30 November against the government's public sector pension cuts, and with several other strike mandates made during the summer, some 24 unions with over 3 million members will make the action the biggest strike in many generations, and a day to remember.
It was Labour that did the propping up of the banks with public money, but neither Labour nor the Conservatives made any attempt to claw it back from the bankers, so the working classes have to find the money, whether they are road sweepers or schoolteachers. Lowering pensions and making contributions higher will make things that much harder for those who do work, so they will be trying to work longer hours to make up for it. Thus helping to keep the unemployment levels high, because if you are an employer it's much cheaper to have workers who are already employed doing longer hours, than it is to employ another new worker. Doesn't make much sense, does it?
As for making people work longer before they reach pensionable age, brought in by that millionaire con man Tony Blair, you can be sure the private sector will love this, as it means they can hang onto their old skilled workers for years longer, without having to train up new young ones. But with 30 percent of Northampton unemployed aged 24 or under, it isn't going to be very helpful for these youngsters, is it?
I shall certainly be there with hundreds of others on our Market Square to cheer on the protesters on November 30th, and I hope the ghost of that famous Northampton MP Charles Bradlaugh will be there as well. It is certainly a cause he would have supported in his day. I see this as only the beginning of a long winter of discontent, and I can see this government being toppled by strikes and public protest before their term of office is over, if they continue as they have begun.
NCC: Lights Out Northampton, 2011
Well, the dark early nights are here and already there has been a report of a young woman being attacked locally in an unlit area where the County Council have turned out the lights. The Police said there would be a greater risk of this sort of thing if lights everywhere were turned out, and have been proved right. And it's early days yet, winter has not really started. I already find it disconcerting to have to drive around town and suddenly hit areas where there is no lighting, and I'm driving a ruddy great lorry. It must be a great deal worse for those cycling or walking in the dark, with no idea of what's lurking behind the next clump of trees or bushes ahead. Very scary, I'd say. Perhaps the NCC could let us know how their very expensive 'Jobs for the boys' front office in Brussells is doing; I'll bet they don't turn out the lights in Brussells, no matter how tight things get.
NBC: Lights On Northampton, 2011
Well, I must congratulate the present administration at NBC for working with those enthusiastic business people on the Business Imnprovement District for the Town Centre, the BID, in putting on an excellent display of lights and Christmas trees for the festive season. Rarely has anything like this been done in many long years, and it is good to see the council and local businesses working closely together to put up a good show for the Town Centre. I hear even the market stalls are to be decorated this year, as big bold decorations paid for by the traders' advertising fund, with a contribution from NBC, are to be displayed throughout December. This is a bit of what we need to liven up the marketplace, and I shall certainly do my part to regularly decorate.
I hope all traders will do likewise. It is unfortunate that on our market we have a small number of persistent whingers who don't want to bother to decorate, don't want to bother to make a good flash, don't want to bother to display their goods temptingly. I don't know why they come and stand the market, quite honestly. Your stalls are your shop window, so you always have to dress them to best advantage to yourself. 'The Better the Flash, the Bigger the Cash!' is what we used to get told. And it's true, a hundred times over. You don't see any poor displays in the Fruit trade, I can tell you. You'd be out of business in a week or two.
Yet even in these hard times, I sometimes see traders who tip out their gear flat in haphazard fashion across their boards, and leave it at that. Nothing on the back and side sheets to show what they sell; no split-level displays; no big signs to pull in people from afar, no bright lighting to bring people across to have a look on dark and dismal winter days. I've seen better displays at car boots than some of these whingers do. Yet they are always the first to moan about poor trade. What can you say? I hope our Senior Market Officer has a strong word with them about decorating properly this Christmas, and makes sure it is enforced. We don't want any whingers letting the Market down this Christmas. If everyone else is going flat out to make it a bright and bustling town centre, all the market traders must also play their part.
