Sunday 8 January 2023

Britain is grinding into gridlock

This poor country is now set for a mighty battle. And I'm not talking about the monarchy and Prince Harry but Government versus trades unions. It's Maggie Thatcher versus the miners all over again. This time, though, there is no one remotely resembling the Iron Lady to take on the unions and get the country sorted out. There is so much rebellion going on in Britain that the government of Rishi Sunak, the quiet man of 10 Downing Street, seems to be incapable of stemming the tide of protests over pay and conditions and overwork. Very few things seem to be working in this country right now: anyone wanting the NHS urgently has to wait, sometimes fatally long periods, ambulancemen and women are on strike, nurses are on strike, doctors are talking of going on strike, train drivers are striking continuously, cities are emptying because commuting workers can't get into the office, the weather is terrible, the nation's finest cultural events are being cancelled because of savage cuts in Arts Council funding, food prices are rising steeply, heating the home is beyond a joke, investments are falling in value, house prices are dropping, and no one really seems to be in charge, apart from Mick Lynch, leader of the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers, who is on TV every moment of every day spouting his pearls of wisdom which basically amounts to no, no, no to any deal. Sunak has summoned various leaders to chat about everything but he is no Maggie. He will plea and try to charm. But the likes of Mick Lynch won't fall for that. And on top of all this we have Harry whingeing on every day like he is the only important person on this planet. God help us.

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