French dock workers at a southern port are blocking the shipment of military material bound for Israel in protest at Israeli actions against Palestinians in Gaza, their union said.The stevedores at the port in Fos-sur-Mer outside Marseille have refused to load crates of links used to assist the rapid fire of bullets aboard the cargo vessel, the CGT trade union said.
The old labour became a victim of its own success. As wealth increased, they have had to court the growing, largely moderate middle class in the past thirty years. Although now that the middle class is shrinking but wealth inequality widens, it is time for the left to return to its working class roots.
You know, I’d actually agree with the general idea there. The Reagan/Thatcher era and the decline of unionism did come after that post-war era of prosperity, and I do think there was a correlation. The guys doing wildcat strikes earlier in the century would have absolutely lost their minds over the government firing striking air traffic controllers; people in the 80’s were mildly scandalised.
I just don’t see the trend reversing any time in the next two decades. If you look at the actual demographics of the left, the educated, progressive middle class that was always there (think Dickens or Marx) has grown to become it’s core, pushing out the trade unionists (as well as largely replacing the old conservative middle class). It’s hard to undo that overnight.
The old labour became a victim of its own success. As wealth increased, they have had to court the growing, largely moderate middle class in the past thirty years. Although now that the middle class is shrinking but wealth inequality widens, it is time for the left to return to its working class roots.
You know, I’d actually agree with the general idea there. The Reagan/Thatcher era and the decline of unionism did come after that post-war era of prosperity, and I do think there was a correlation. The guys doing wildcat strikes earlier in the century would have absolutely lost their minds over the government firing striking air traffic controllers; people in the 80’s were mildly scandalised.
I just don’t see the trend reversing any time in the next two decades. If you look at the actual demographics of the left, the educated, progressive middle class that was always there (think Dickens or Marx) has grown to become it’s core, pushing out the trade unionists (as well as largely replacing the old conservative middle class). It’s hard to undo that overnight.