Trains, strikes etc

[benchwarmer 625]

Any thoughts about the fuel protests?  Driving at 30 mph on major roads and motorways is causing massive disruption, and it hasn't even started on the M25 yet.  The government is worried.  Priti Patel making usual empty threats.

Apparently 13 motorists were arrested yesterday for "driving too slowly".  I wasn't aware that there was a lower speed limit.  A bit ironic when you think of the queue for the cross-channel ferries at Dover, aka 'Operation Brock' which was stretching back well north of Ashford when I was there in April.  They'd have been only too delighted to travel 30 miles in an hour.

 

[keelansgrandad 6,679]

11 minutes ago, benchwarmer said:

Any thoughts about the fuel protests?  Driving at 30 mph on major roads and motorways is causing massive disruption, and it hasn't even started on the M25 yet.  The government is worried.  Priti Patel making usual empty threats.

Apparently 13 motorists were arrested yesterday for "driving too slowly".  I wasn't aware that there was a lower speed limit.  A bit ironic when you think of the queue for the cross-channel ferries at Dover, aka 'Operation Brock' which was stretching back well north of Ashford when I was there in April.  They'd have been only too delighted to travel 30 miles in an hour.

 

It seems ironic that they are burning fuel in a fuel protest but I get the sentiment. They did it yesterday down here on the A30 but everyday at peak time the traffic doesn't reach 30mph.

And the pikies have taken over the park and ride so no-one can use it so have to drive into Truro.

[Bort 34]

2 hours ago, Thumbbass said:

Maybe. Regardless, £36k +11% is nigh on 40k + pension contributions etc. Fuel and travel expenses are one of the key components to the increase in the cost of living - railway workers travel for free - not to be sniffed at, most regular commuters are paying thousands per year. 

TBH my position on the whole thing has softened, partially because my hot take was exactly what that mop headed chuff nut wanted people to think.

I've got no love for the people that I've experienced in my many years as a commuter, we've (Royal we) have generally been treated with disdain for years, disabled people stranded at stations or on trains, terrible 'not my job mate' and non-existent customer service, all of a sudden being asked to support those people doesn't sit well. Ultimately if successful this will increase fares for working class people, robbing Peter to pay Paul when Paul was doing OK anyway. The railways are quieter, but the staff numbers appear to be pre-covid levels - I guess they have a very minimal churn as they know how well protected they are. The union is doing what it's there to do, but I don't support strikes because the staff I have encountered have given me no reason to do so. I appreciate this is quite a personal position and that those who have not been subject to the sham that has been the service for many years might not see it the same way.

I recommend you direct your ire at the railway industry shareholders extracting hundreds of millions in profit, rather than the workers who want to receive a greater portion of the value of their labour.

What we're seeing here is a cornerstone of neoliberal strategy - privatise state-owned assets, reduce investment to increase profitability, and frame the drop in quality of service as a result of "inefficiencies" rather than underfunding, in order to justify further cuts. 

Then, when employees are desperate enough to take strike action, paint them as the villains so they absorb the flak from the rest of the public, rather than letting them spark any sense of class consciousness in the wider population.

[Bort 34]

2 hours ago, keelansgrandad said:

pikies

Christ. No censoring required for that, apparently!

[keelansgrandad 6,679]

35 minutes ago, Bort said:

Christ. No censoring required for that, apparently!

Well that is what they are. They aren't romantic romanies roaming the countryside and tinkering. These ones wrecked the changing rooms at our local park after invading it with with their caravans, dug up another football ground so their kids could use their trail bikes and have now disrupted people going about their work and shopping. And when they leave their presnt to us isleaving their faeces everywhere.

They are vermin, thieves and disgusting. That is why pikie is not an insult.

[Bort 34]

1 hour ago, keelansgrandad said:

Well that is what they are. They aren't romantic romanies roaming the countryside and tinkering. These ones wrecked the changing rooms at our local park after invading it with with their caravans, dug up another football ground so their kids could use their trail bikes and have now disrupted people going about their work and shopping. And when they leave their presnt to us isleaving their faeces everywhere.

They are vermin, thieves and disgusting. That is why pikie is not an insult.

And I've had travellers live near me who have been perfectly pleasant, so I take exception to anyone using a word that's widely recognised as a blanket slur for travellers.

You wouldn't use the n-word for black people you don't like (I hope), and I don't see why this is much different given the ethnic connotations to insulting travellers as a group.

If you need insults to use, I offer you a taster menu of "*rsehole", "kn*bhead", "idiot" or any similar variation. "P*kie" and "vermin" stray dangerously into attacking more people than just the individuals in question.

[keelansgrandad 6,679]

58 minutes ago, Bort said:

And I've had travellers live near me who have been perfectly pleasant, so I take exception to anyone using a word that's widely recognised as a blanket slur for travellers.

You wouldn't use the n-word for black people you don't like (I hope), and I don't see why this is much different given the ethnic connotations to insulting travellers as a group.

If you need insults to use, I offer you a taster menu of "*rsehole", "kn*bhead", "idiot" or any similar variation. "P*kie" and "vermin" stray dangerously into attacking more people than just the individuals in question.

As you do not know these people in question, I will cut you some slack. I tried to explain them to you as briefly as I could. I am attafking this group

Breaking and entering, theft, abuse, criminal damage, cruelty to horses, late night loud noise and dangerous dogs. That is a ****. A traveller, who follows their choice of lifestyle is quite welcome. 

The person who hit our car and drove away is a fcukin cnuting sihthouse who I wouldn't pish on if they were on fire. If you step outside the law, you cannot climb back in it and cry foul. A traveller is what it says on the tin. A thieving, abusive vandal is a ****.

 

[Bort 34]

18 minutes ago, keelansgrandad said:

As you do not know these people in question, I will cut you some slack. I tried to explain them to you as briefly as I could. I am attafking this group

Breaking and entering, theft, abuse, criminal damage, cruelty to horses, late night loud noise and dangerous dogs. That is a ****. A traveller, who follows their choice of lifestyle is quite welcome. 

The person who hit our car and drove away is a fcukin cnuting sihthouse who I wouldn't pish on if they were on fire. If you step outside the law, you cannot climb back in it and cry foul. A traveller is what it says on the tin. A thieving, abusive vandal is a ****.

 

Yes, they do sound like a sihthouse, fair description. All I'm asking is that you consider the implications of using a word like "p*kie", which - whether you intend it or not - evokes prejudice against the entire traveller community.

Again, it's comparable to saying "oh it's the violent gangsters, they're the n-words, not the law abiding ones!"

[keelansgrandad 6,679]

34 minutes ago, Bort said:

Yes, they do sound like a sihthouse, fair description. All I'm asking is that you consider the implications of using a word like "p*kie", which - whether you intend it or not - evokes prejudice against the entire traveller community.

Again, it's comparable to saying "oh it's the violent gangsters, they're the n-words, not the law abiding ones!"

I don't use those words and I do not use **** lightly. But these people could and should be condemned by the Traveller Community as well. Even the Police tread lightly with this crew because when confronted they claim to be Travellers but they aren't of course. As I said, if you continually and deliberately break the law, then your rights to it dissolve.

[Worthy Nigelton 1,057]

16 hours ago, Thumbbass said:

Maybe. Regardless, £36k +11% is nigh on 40k + pension contributions etc. Fuel and travel expenses are one of the key components to the increase in the cost of living - railway workers travel for free - not to be sniffed at, most regular commuters are paying thousands per year. 

TBH my position on the whole thing has softened, partially because my hot take was exactly what that mop headed chuff nut wanted people to think.

I've got no love for the people that I've experienced in my many years as a commuter, we've (Royal we) have generally been treated with disdain for years, disabled people stranded at stations or on trains, terrible 'not my job mate' and non-existent customer service, all of a sudden being asked to support those people doesn't sit well. Ultimately if successful this will increase fares for working class people, robbing Peter to pay Paul when Paul was doing OK anyway. The railways are quieter, but the staff numbers appear to be pre-covid levels - I guess they have a very minimal churn as they know how well protected they are. The union is doing what it's there to do, but I don't support strikes because the staff I have encountered have given me no reason to do so. I appreciate this is quite a personal position and that those who have not been subject to the sham that has been the service for many years might not see it the same way.

I use the trains for work regularly too and agree with much of what you've said but my take is that it's about time people started fighting back against stagnant wages, redundancies and dwindling benefits. Everything is stacked against workers nowadays whilst shareholders have had a field day. I wish more industries were unionised and started giving CEOs a bloody nose.