student scabs

[tbaldwin]

This wouldn't have happened in my day. These days too many students are ignorant of politics. I reckon this began back in the late 80's with Thatcher's desire to rid campuses of left wing activity. Thatcher identified the SU's as hotbeds of left wing activism and tried to make membership of the NUS voluntary.

I think that with more young people from less privelleged backgrounds going to University, radical student politics has died a death.
The thing is that all that Middle Class Liberal nonsense has very little appeal for people from working backgrounds.
But that does not excuse scabbing.

 

[glenquagmire]

The Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Business Regulations 2003 which came into force in April 2004. Part ll General Obligations, regulation 7, ‘restriction on providing work-seekers in industrial disputes’ states:

.... an employment business may not supply a temporary worker to a hirer to replace an individual taking part in an official strike or any other official industrial dispute. In addition, an employment business must not introduce or supply a work-seeker to do the work of someone who has been transferred by the hirer to perform the duties of the person on strike or taking industrial action. An employment business will have a legal defence to having acted in breach of this regulation if it does not know, or has no reasonable grounds for knowing, that official strike action is in progress.

 

[biff curtains]

Student scum what a suprise!

 

[Jografer]

That's my experience and opinion of most of them. These vacuous, decadent britbrats then "gwaduate fwom uni" and spend the rest of their extended adolescence (which last until their early 30s) prancing from one nightclub to the next and snorting coke at night whilst disciplining and firing their admin/secretarial staff during the day. Fuckers who add zero to the total sum of happiness in the country and do a lot to remove what there is.

That stereotype may have held true a generation or so ago, when the % of kids going off to uni was small, & largely drawn from the middle/upper classes, but now that every ex-secreterial college is now a uni I'm not sure this is the case..

... sadly, as has been said, I'm sure there are loads of students who wouldn't even know what you meant if you called them a scab...

 

[tbaldwin]

Who will often change their allegiances at the drop of a hat. I saw one student at my uni change from being a Lib to Lab to Tory, all in the space of a year. Like it or not, that's student politics for you.

And that is the thing about the Middle Class Liberal Left in this country too,nino.
Just look at the Observer on Inheritance Tax.
Shallow Libertarian Bullshit....

 

[Chairman Meow]

Well I'm quite surprised and shocked by this. In the dark ages when I was a student this would have been a complete no-no, and if anyone had scabbed, they would have soon known about it. God, if you can't depend on sodding students to support a strike, who the hell is left?

 

[skyscraper101]

As if the majority of students gave a fuck about the NUS apart from discount at HMV and cheap drinks down the uni bar, and discount rail travel and...oh ok alright then I take your point

 

[poster342002]

That stereotype may have held true a generation or so ago, when the % of kids going off to uni was small, & largely drawn from the middle/upper classes, but now that every ex-secreterial college is now a uni I'm not sure this is the case..

The upper & middle classes have grown in size to soemthing silly in recent years. Just come to London on any eveining (especially Firday/Saturday) and see these walking emptinesses swarming all over the place and you'll see what I mean.

... sadly, as has been said, I'm sure there are loads of students who wouldn't even know what you meant if you called them a scab...

I agree - I'd say the vast nmajority of them. And this also applies the vast majority of the workforce as a whole now. Solidarity is now unknown (people look at you uncomprehendly if you suggest it) and in it's place is vicious aspirational individualism, mobbing and conniving to get people sacked.

 

[poster342002]

God, if you can't depend on sodding students to support a strike, who the hell is left?

No-one. That's the harsh reality of it. Struggle is not merely at an all-time low - it's been abolished altogether. The middle-to-upper classes have won the class war.

 

[Donna Ferentes]

There's also, probably, rather more decency and sympathy which doesn't believe that anything can be done.

 

[butchersapron]

No-one. That's the harsh reality of it. Struggle is not merely at an all-time low - it's been abolished altogether. The middle-to-upper classes have won the class war.

You're posting on a thread about a very effective and well supported national stoppage that's developed into a very serious series of wildcats. It's not done and dusted.

 

[fractionMan]

lol at thinking students even understand the concept of scabbing. Have you met any students recently?

The harsh reality is that nobody gives a fuck if postmen get paid less.

 

[poster342002]

You're posting on a thread about a very effective and well supported national stoppage that's developed into a very serious series of wildcats. It's not done and dusted.

Yeah - but in our heart-of-hearts, if we're brutally honest with ourselves, we know what's going to happen. As I said elsewhere, the flurry of strikes we've seen lately look more like the final last gasps of struggle rather than a resurgence and strengthening of it.

 

[butchersapron]

You said that about the firefighters strike 3 years ago!

 

[poster342002]

You said that about the firefighters strike 3 years ago!

They didn't exactly win, did they?

 

[butchersapron]

They didn't exactly win, did they?

Not the point - the point is that 3 years later another national strike is taking place, even after that mess of an FBU strike.The game isn't over. It can't be - not within capitalism.

 

[tbaldwin]

Not the point - the point is that 3 years later another national strike is taking place, even after that mess of an FBU strike.The game isn't over. It can't be - not within capitalism.

So the point of a strike is not to win?

 

[poster342002]

Not the point - the point is that 3 years later another national strike is taking place, even after that mess of an FBU strike.The game isn't over. It can't be - not within capitalism.

No, but our side keeps losing each battle in the wider class war.

Yes, another strike is taking place - and chances are it'll go the same way as the last one.

 

[likesfish]

the lefts in a state of suspended animation capitalism's won

 

[butchersapron]

No, but our side keeps losing each battle in the wider class war.

Yes, another strike is taking place - and chances are it'll go the same way as the last one.

So the fact they keep happening despite us losing them suggests that they're structurally written into the functioning of capitalism. Demoralising though recent (relatively speaking) events have been there's nothing to suggest that any final battle has been lost. There is no final battle to lose. There's simply ongoing class conflict that appears in different guises at different times. We had a period very much like this in the 1870s and 1880s as well. It's not historically unique.

 

[poster342002]

the lefts in a state of suspended animation capitalism's won

This is indeed the grim horror of the situation.

All is lost. It's over. The fat lady has sung, the ship has left the harbour. The capitalists have won - and it'll ultimately end in the common ruination of all.

 

[treelover]

I wonder if this could possible happen in other parts of Europe, if not its a very clear statement of where we are now in the UK.

Having said all that, when was the 'golden age' of student radicalism and didn't many of those 'wadicals' go on to be bosses organising strike breaking, etc?

 

[Donna Ferentes]

I'm sure I remember starting a thread about why people seem to think it necessary to write wadical instead of radical.

 

[butchersapron]

I wonder if this could possible happen in other parts of Europe, if not its a very clear statement of where we are now in the UK.

This has always gone on in europe.

 

[treelover]

Any details?

 

[butchersapron]

Far right student groups are far better organised there - have been since the late 19th century - always offer their members to help maintain essentual public services.

 

[poster342002]

So the fact they keep happening despite us losing them suggests that they're structurally written into the functioning of capitalism. Demoralising though recent (relatively speaking) events have been there's nothing to suggest that any final battle has been lost. There is no final battle to lose. There's simply ongoing class conflict that appears in different guises at different times. We had a period very much like this in the 1870s and 1880s as well. It's not historically unique.

I really can't see what our side gains from strikes that always seem to end in defeat. All that happens is further demoralisation.

It would be nice, just for once, to see our side emerge victorious from a strike. There's only so long you can console yourself with "it's not the winning that matters, it's the taking part".

 

[butchersapron]

I really can't see what our side gains from strikes that always seem to end in defeat. All that happens is further demoralisation.

It would be nice, just for once, to see our side emerge victorious from a strike. There's only so long you can console yourself with "it's not the winning that matters, it's the taking part".

I'm not arguing that we gain anything from a lost strike except experience. I'm suggesting that losing a strike, or series of lost strikes doesn't mean that the war is lost, on the contrary, their re-appeareence despite those defeats means that the war is still on.

 

[Donna Ferentes]

There's only so long you can console yourself with "it's not the winning that matters, it's the taking part".

For sure, but in that case why not just give up? You don't have to expend your energy insisting everybody else gives up too.

 

[poster342002]

I'm suggesting that losing a strike, or series of lost strikes doesn't mean that the war is lost, on the contrary, their re-appeareence despite those defeats means that the war is still on.

Only in the same way as those tales of isolated groups of Japanese soldiers who still thought they were fighting WW2 years after it had been lost.