Spa, Book-a-Track, Saturday November 13 2010 - Blitz Krieg

[robin]

Oh cock.

[campbell]

Oh cock.

Indeed.

But where do these people get off? I don't want to lose my job any more than the next person, but if the public sector continues to bleed the country dry, there won't BE many jobs for these people to strike FROM. Sheesh.

Anyway, back on topic...Robin, did you make Lenny Lodge bookings already?

[tut]

Please somebody take that twat out. Never met him, but it would be hate at first sight.

tut

[wheelie]

Spotted in the paper (if you can call it that) last night that the PCS union are planning to strike on November 12th......[/url]

Last orders at the Burgstube on Thursday then ?

[robin]

It's a long way to Nurburg for those of us starting in Edinburgh on Thursday morning in the wee hours in order to get to Walshy's for 09:00-ish!

It's 400 miles from North Weald to the ring.

If we left North Weald at 16:00 sharp:

2 hours to the chunnel (M25/Dartford crossing in the rush hour = average speed of 20 mph for the first hour at least).
1.5 hours on the chunnel
1 hour timezone shift
4.5 hours to Nurburg

9 hours total = 01:00 arrival.

It doesn't sound massively appealing ... but I'm game for some madness if others are

What would make more sense is to aim for Calais I think - plenty of pikey places to stay in Calais area - could be there for 20:30 local time, which would just about leave time for some grub and a beer before bed?

For example this ibis is £45/night for a twin if booked in advance.

The downside is you miss out on the super saver crossing as this is limited to returning on the next day; so you would need to get the short stay saver which is going to be ~85 round trip, which is about £40 more.

Conveniently I have been somewhat busy this week and have not booked any of the UK travel yet.

Although it's more expensive, I'm inclined to swerve the possibility of a "day of [in]action" and get across to Calais on the Thursday, but then go no further ...

Cheers,
Robin

[campbell]

Really good spots by Neil and then Robin.

The Ibis Calais Coquelles hotel is located at the end of the Channel Tunnel linking Calais and Folkestone. Close to the Cité Europe shopping center, the hotel is 10 mins from the Car Ferry Terminal by highway and 5 mins from the TGV Calais Frethun (Eurostar) train station. 126 air-conditioned rooms with Wi-Fi Internet access. Restaurant, bar serving snacks 24 hours a day and free indoor car park. 10 mins from Calais and Cap Blanc Nez beaches. An ideal stopping point on your cross-Channel journey!

I'm happy with this, an M25 rush hour crawl and £40 extra pounds on the fare easily beats not getting there at all thanks to the short-sighted sorts who have already helped strangle this country.

[mckeann]

easily beats not getting there at all thanks to the short-sighted sorts who have already helped strangle this country.

As one of those short sighted stranglers, i would just like to say that everybody strikes for a reason Campbell, just because you dont agree with it or it inconvienences you doesnt mean its short sighted. As with all these things, the media paints a very different picture to what is really happening, its easy to judge without all the facts


but heh, this isnt about strikes, just go the day before, everybody gets what they want.

[campbell]

You've done your share of striking then?

[robin]

Neil, I think this is a very different case from normal industrial action, where there is a dispute between employees and employers about a specific set of issues and where negotiations so far have failed to resolve these issues; the strike raises the ante on both sides - the strikers risk weakening the business that pays them; the business risks lost production - so both sides have a lot to lose and both sides have the capacity and motivation to compromise on a solution.

The type of strike proposed here does nobody any favours; indeed it may even be counterproductive. Firstly, there is and has been no negotiation between the employees and the "employer" on any specific issue. Secondly the damaging impact of the strike is not directly on the employer but rather on the economy as a whole, thus weakening an already struggling economy. Thirdly the motivation is primarily political; presumably the strike would be called off if the government agreed to leave the public sector untouched, but otherwise it will go ahead - that's an impossible position to put the government in - they have no choice but to press on, and they will have more of the media on their side as the strikers will be less popular post-strike.

The union's point of view is that their members (and also the majority of the public that benefit from government spending one way or another) are not to blame for the current crisis and so should not bear the brunt of the costs of repairing the economy. I have a lot of sympathy with this point of view; but I cannot see that the strike does anything but make people angry with the public sector workers. The government only has two weapons - raise taxes, cut spending. I'm sure there would be a lot of support for a punitive tax on banking profits, but this won't go very far towards reducing our borrowing. So I cannot see what the strikers can possibly hope to happen, except perhaps that they hope the government will stick its head in the sand and keep printing money ... that won't work for long!

Campbell, I'm not sure I can agree with the phrase "the short-sighted sorts who have already helped strangle this country"; actually the short sighted sorts who have led us to this crisis are the (previous) government and the financial sector's lack of common sense self-regulation. It's pretty hard to lay the blame on the shoulders of the public sector workers.

Cheers,
Robin

[campbell]

Campbell, I'm not sure I can agree with the phrase "the short-sighted sorts who have already helped strangle this country"; actually the short sighted sorts who have led us to this crisis are the (previous) government and the financial sector's lack of common sense self-regulation. It's pretty hard to lay the blame on the shoulders of the public sector workers.

Cheers,
Robin

I accept that I've been a bit reactionary and over-generalised here. Sorry to Neil or any other person who thinks I've put them in that bracket and have just unfairly tarred them.

I totally agree that the previous administration and certain people in positions of decision-making authority in banks are at the root of the current economic trouble. Many are starting to pay a price (although many have not, and maybe never well. C'est la vie). I think my remark was driven from the long history of striking in UK, from way before the current recession. Not being part of a union, of course, means I have no direct experiences as a striker (actual or potential). I do, however, have experiences of the impact of striking, and it frustrates me that this method of "action" relies upon an indirect effect of screwing with innocent parties to achieve others' ends.

As you say, Robin, negotiations need to take place, and if a union has jumped straight from "we have issues" to "we are striking or else" then they are not doing themselves any good. And hence "public support" wanes.

My last experience was through the BA nonsense, albeit private not public sector. Not pretty, and indeed I think the militants on that occasion have done a lot of damage to general public support for striking in any sector going forward.

2p

Campbell

[neil]

Back on topic....

I'd be up for just getting there on the Thursday night, but I think I'll have travelled down to Walshys on the Wednesday so wont have been up for as long as some.

[robin]

Neil - there are some others heading over there for Thursday night too - so if you want to head straight there, there is no reason why you should have to hang around for us - I can book you the Thursday night at the Burgstube - if you want to do that, let me know. I'll need to tell Martin you'll be arriving late so that there can be some arrangement, but I'm sure it won't be a problem.

The same goes for anybody else, obviously ...

Cheers,
Robin

[neil]

TBH I'll happily go with the majority vote. Never been before so trying to find my way there late at night probably wont be much fun. Stopping at Calais or somewhere in between would also be fine

[campbell]

Neil you could be in the Advance Party, getting to Folkestone ahead of the M25 rush-hour and teeing up some nice lattes from the Le Shuttle Shop

[neil]

Neil you could be in the Advance Party, getting to Folkestone ahead of the M25 rush-hour and teeing up some nice lattes from the Le Shuttle Shop

That would work if I wasn't with you at the Walshy day