David Davis
20% pay rises. For the “leaders”. Yup. Who would have guessed it?
The time for revolution, and a move forward out of pre-capitalist feudal barbarism, is going to have to come and soon.
A sweeping-away of “whole categories of persons” is going to have to take place. But the one that must is not the one that the GramscoFabiaNazis have been hitherto envisaging. By contrast, the cateogies that I envisage will be quite numerically small.
In real terms, I suppose really that the sums which these grasping-troughing-GramscoFabiaNazi-Trade-Union-Leader-bastard-Gauleiters “receive” are not that large: a mere £100,000-odd here, £97,000 there. Less, it may be said, that many “Metropolitan Authority” “Chief Executives”.
Large by my standards, very large: but not really when you take into account what MPs have been swagging before we all blew the whistle on them (and they will try to get it again) and what the rest of the Enemy-Class has been gouging out by brown-nose-shit-arssing people in “government”, and compared with what “press relations advisers” are charging State Departments in fees.
The point is, that to be true to their calling, “Trade” “Union” “bosses” ought to have no shoes, go by bus or second-class train everywhere: they could possibly own a bicycle so long as it is rusty and squeaks and is black, and they ought to help their members by giving them money when they are hungry.
Personally, I think that if it is not legal for employers to “combine”, then we should have a LEVEL PLAYING FIELD. It should be illegal for paid employees to “combine” also.
As one of the many many FIRST STEPS on the road to LIBERAL REVOLUTION, I would make Trade Unions illegal. The law can be sunsetted when there are no more “trade” “unions” in existence, and all the GramscoFabiaNazis who have been running them and taking (all) the money have been Udenopticonned onto St Kilda, so I shall still be a liberal.
Discuss.
Nothing should be made illegal, should it – Unless there is absolutely no other way to deal with it. And then some. Legal or illegal is backed up by the state s monopoly of force? Just take away all the artificial enforcements and protections all round. And take it from there.
We are moving back into feudal barbarism, arent we? The soft dictatorship. I suppose one should be grateful if its soft. Some places it is very, very hard. England still survives in a (dwindling) luxury of freedom.
A toughie. People should be free to join unions if they want, but unions as we currently have them are a travesty, and in effect are another branch of the establishment. I think perhaps a start would be to stop them donating to political parties.
Possibly. But I think that the whole concept of “Trade Unions” has been so heavily used for iniquitous purposes that perhaps they can’t be allowed to exist in their present form: certainly not as legally-privileged engines of “worker”- combination against employers, who of course are not allowed to combine in return.
In the meantime, they musy not be allowed to contribute to parties as you have said.
“I think that the whole concept of “Trade Unions” has been so heavily used for iniquitous purposes that perhaps they can’t be allowed to exist in their present form: certainly not as legally-privileged engines of “worker”- combination against employers, who of course are not allowed to combine in return.”
So, I’m just imagining the existence of organisations like the CBI, then…
Just do a hands off. They exist as a result of false privilege. If they are left to sink or swim, without protection, they sink. That is pretty much what the Thatcher lot did, I think, against very severe odds. You ban things, you play their game.
Udenotiwhatted? Ah, no matter since I don’t agree anyway. While I might agree about what some (don’t know about all) unions have become it’s hard to see banning them as a libertarian solution. In fact it’s hard to see how it’s even possible assuming freedom of association and speech – union bosses could all meet in the pub for a pie and pint and simply discuss whatever they want, and how could that be prevented? What if union banning laws just pushed them onto the interwebs? How would you stop union meetings in Second Life for example? Nope, not only should it not be done but I think it almost certainly cannot be done. I think John B’s suggestion is better.
OK.
Just seeing what others think about this knotty problem.
But I do get, I think, what you mean: That we need a bit of heroism, to pull swords from mud and hew. One of the things they do is leach all the heroism from one so that soldiers do “a job” and courage is something rather suspect, and truth is an extremity. I think what is needed is the courage of endurance in the truth and to dismantle their false protections and deceits. If I may say: You are correct in spirit and congratulations on the blog!
No need to ban them. Ending the back door state funding of them would be a major step forward.
Look at how much money the Labour government funnels to Unite (via various tricks such as the Union Modernisation Fund) and look at how much money Unite funnels to the Labour party.
Burning our Money
As I see it, (non-politicized) unions could have a role to play in a libertarian society. Employer and employees exist in a mutually-beneficial symbiotic relationship: neither can exist without the other. Problems arise when unions get too much power, and can often have the power to kill “the hand that feeds them.” Still, after a few highly publicized occasions of this, would not union members take matters into their own hands, and out of the hands of their corrupt union bosses? Either by seizing control of the union or leaving and forming a new one?
As was said above, a ban on unions could not possibly be made to work. Unions already do meet in Second Life, and a lot of other places besides.
Frankly if unions can organise “Pay us or go bust” strikes and win in a free market then more power to their elbow.
The problem arises when unions are granted special protections in law (rather like limited liability – which is just as bad).
A close re-reading of Bastiat’s “The Law” would do no harm. Hysterical Frenchie that he is 🙂