cameron thinks strike a damp squib the AA grumpy column
Posted: Wed Nov 30, 2011 3:38 pm
good evening
and welcome not to grumpy towers but fantasy island a place where david cameron and other assorted politicians escape to to bury their heads in the sand and pretend that its not really happening.
DAVID Cameron has slammed today's strikes as a "damp squib" claiming they caused minimal disruption to public services.
Paying tribute to those who turned up to work, the prime minister said volunteers had kept the UK borders open and running smoothly, while around 40 per cent of schools were open.
Updating MPs in the Commons on the impact of the strikes, Mr Cameron insisted talks were continuing with the trade unions.
He said: "I do want to thank all those people, including a number of people from Number 10 Downing Street, who are actually helping to keep our borders open and to make sure Heathrow and Gatwick are working properly.
"I can report that so far the evidence would suggest that around 40 per cent of schools are open, less than a third of the civil service is actually striking.
"At our borders the early signs are that the contingency measures are minimising the impact, we have full cover in terms of ambulance services, and only 18 of the 900 job centres are closed.
"So despite the disappointment of the party opposite, who support irresponsible and damaging strikes, it looks like something of a damp squib."
Chancellor George Osborne has urged unions to resume negotiations and hit out at today's strike over pensions saying it will not "achieve or change" anything.
Chris Keates, general secretary of the NASUWT teaching union, one of those taking action, accused ministers of misleading the public.
She said: "The only thing making the economy weaker is the Government's economic strategy. To continue to blame public sector workers isn't going to do anything to resolve the difficulties we're in
The Government constantly says get back round the table - that's all the NASUWT has wanted to do, but ministers haven't called a meeting since November 2."
Ms Keates added: "To keep claiming publicly that they want to negotiate, when ministers haven't called a meeting, I think that's misleading."
Schools, hospitals, courts and transport were hit by the biggest strike in decades as teachers, nurses and civil servants joined weather forecasters, botanists and nuclear physicists on picket lines.
Unions said early indications were that the walkout was being solidly supported and predicted that November 30 would go down in history as the biggest day of industrial action since the 1979 Winter of Discontent.
Hospital employees and workers on the Mersey tunnels were among the first to take action from midnight, setting up picket lines and holding up banners attacking the Government's pension reforms
Early Government figures suggested that almost three in four schools were affected by the walkout, although that number could rise.
The Department for Education (DfE) said it believed that more than half of England's 21,700 state schools (58 per cent) were closed, with a further 13 per cent partially shut. Around 13 per cent are open, the DfE said, while the rest are unknown.
Schools in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are also expected to be affected.
Plane arrivals and take-offs at Britain's two biggest airports were largely unaffected despite strike action by the UK Border Agency (UKBA).
But the RMT transport union reported "rock-solid strike action" that had led to "a total shutdown of key transport services in north east England".
There were just a few cancellations of inbound transatlantic flights to Heathrow Airport this morning.
But Heathrow operator BAA, and its busiest carrier, British Airways, both reported near-normal services, with queues at immigration no longer than usual.
And at the second-busiest UK airport - Gatwick in West Sussex - the first 22 inbound flights arrived as normal, with departures also running smoothly.
There had been fears that strike action by UK Border Agency staff would lead to chaos at Heathrow, where BAA had asked airlines to fly planes half-full today.
BAA spokesman said: "Due to the effective contingency plans we have put in place with the airlines and the UKBA over recent days, immigration queues are currently at normal levels. However, there still remains a possibility of delays for arriving passengers later in the day.
"As a result of the whole airport community working together over the past few days, we have more immigration officers on duty and fewer passengers arriving than would otherwise be the case. That puts us in a better place to avoid the serious delays and widespread disruption at Heathrow that were projected last week.
"We have deployed hundreds of additional customer services staff within our terminals. They are giving 24-hour support to passengers, providing information, food, drink and children's activity packs. They are equipped with iPads and BlackBerrys to keep passengers up to date."
Meanwhile, a number of protesters managed to get on the roof of a building in Haymarket, in London's West End.
Demonstrators – believed to be from UK Uncut – stormed Panton House as they claim it is home to mining firm Extrata whose CEO reportedly was the highest paid in the country.
The masked mob forced their way into the building by setting off flares as a diversion tactic, before attempting to hang a large banner, as police fought to clear the area.
It is believed around 60 people gained access to the office and a number of arrests are thought to have been made.
On the ground, more than 200 riot police wearing high visibility jackets kettled protesters – chanting "Shame on you" - to stop them moving on and sealed off the entrance to Panton House.
sol/homepage/news/3969376/Cameron-says-strike-is-a-damp-squib.htm
AAG
contary to what our dave thinks the walkout was a roaring sucess
with most of the public sector at a standstill yet he paid tribute to those who volunteered to turn up for work
in yorkshire we call them SCABS!!.
i appreciate nurses having to go in you cannot leave sick patients on their own for 24 hours but where was this damp squib cameron was talking about i dont think he looked beyond london.
just because london carried on as normal in camerons rose tinted fantasy world the rest of the country was the same.
it will be intresting at the next council elections in may to see just how the independants do ukip bnp etc
because i think theres a big change in the wind (trump! oh excuse me ED )
thats disgusting what have you been eating ?
unfortunatly the day didnt stay peacefull as the anarchist hooded great unwashed spolied the peacefull day by storming panton house.
this country seems to be destroying itself are we building up to a mass civil unrest?
and welcome not to grumpy towers but fantasy island a place where david cameron and other assorted politicians escape to to bury their heads in the sand and pretend that its not really happening.
DAVID Cameron has slammed today's strikes as a "damp squib" claiming they caused minimal disruption to public services.
Paying tribute to those who turned up to work, the prime minister said volunteers had kept the UK borders open and running smoothly, while around 40 per cent of schools were open.
Updating MPs in the Commons on the impact of the strikes, Mr Cameron insisted talks were continuing with the trade unions.
He said: "I do want to thank all those people, including a number of people from Number 10 Downing Street, who are actually helping to keep our borders open and to make sure Heathrow and Gatwick are working properly.
"I can report that so far the evidence would suggest that around 40 per cent of schools are open, less than a third of the civil service is actually striking.
"At our borders the early signs are that the contingency measures are minimising the impact, we have full cover in terms of ambulance services, and only 18 of the 900 job centres are closed.
"So despite the disappointment of the party opposite, who support irresponsible and damaging strikes, it looks like something of a damp squib."
Chancellor George Osborne has urged unions to resume negotiations and hit out at today's strike over pensions saying it will not "achieve or change" anything.
Chris Keates, general secretary of the NASUWT teaching union, one of those taking action, accused ministers of misleading the public.
She said: "The only thing making the economy weaker is the Government's economic strategy. To continue to blame public sector workers isn't going to do anything to resolve the difficulties we're in
The Government constantly says get back round the table - that's all the NASUWT has wanted to do, but ministers haven't called a meeting since November 2."
Ms Keates added: "To keep claiming publicly that they want to negotiate, when ministers haven't called a meeting, I think that's misleading."
Schools, hospitals, courts and transport were hit by the biggest strike in decades as teachers, nurses and civil servants joined weather forecasters, botanists and nuclear physicists on picket lines.
Unions said early indications were that the walkout was being solidly supported and predicted that November 30 would go down in history as the biggest day of industrial action since the 1979 Winter of Discontent.
Hospital employees and workers on the Mersey tunnels were among the first to take action from midnight, setting up picket lines and holding up banners attacking the Government's pension reforms
Early Government figures suggested that almost three in four schools were affected by the walkout, although that number could rise.
The Department for Education (DfE) said it believed that more than half of England's 21,700 state schools (58 per cent) were closed, with a further 13 per cent partially shut. Around 13 per cent are open, the DfE said, while the rest are unknown.
Schools in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are also expected to be affected.
Plane arrivals and take-offs at Britain's two biggest airports were largely unaffected despite strike action by the UK Border Agency (UKBA).
But the RMT transport union reported "rock-solid strike action" that had led to "a total shutdown of key transport services in north east England".
There were just a few cancellations of inbound transatlantic flights to Heathrow Airport this morning.
But Heathrow operator BAA, and its busiest carrier, British Airways, both reported near-normal services, with queues at immigration no longer than usual.
And at the second-busiest UK airport - Gatwick in West Sussex - the first 22 inbound flights arrived as normal, with departures also running smoothly.
There had been fears that strike action by UK Border Agency staff would lead to chaos at Heathrow, where BAA had asked airlines to fly planes half-full today.
BAA spokesman said: "Due to the effective contingency plans we have put in place with the airlines and the UKBA over recent days, immigration queues are currently at normal levels. However, there still remains a possibility of delays for arriving passengers later in the day.
"As a result of the whole airport community working together over the past few days, we have more immigration officers on duty and fewer passengers arriving than would otherwise be the case. That puts us in a better place to avoid the serious delays and widespread disruption at Heathrow that were projected last week.
"We have deployed hundreds of additional customer services staff within our terminals. They are giving 24-hour support to passengers, providing information, food, drink and children's activity packs. They are equipped with iPads and BlackBerrys to keep passengers up to date."
Meanwhile, a number of protesters managed to get on the roof of a building in Haymarket, in London's West End.
Demonstrators – believed to be from UK Uncut – stormed Panton House as they claim it is home to mining firm Extrata whose CEO reportedly was the highest paid in the country.
The masked mob forced their way into the building by setting off flares as a diversion tactic, before attempting to hang a large banner, as police fought to clear the area.
It is believed around 60 people gained access to the office and a number of arrests are thought to have been made.
On the ground, more than 200 riot police wearing high visibility jackets kettled protesters – chanting "Shame on you" - to stop them moving on and sealed off the entrance to Panton House.
sol/homepage/news/3969376/Cameron-says-strike-is-a-damp-squib.htm
AAG
contary to what our dave thinks the walkout was a roaring sucess
with most of the public sector at a standstill yet he paid tribute to those who volunteered to turn up for work
in yorkshire we call them SCABS!!.
i appreciate nurses having to go in you cannot leave sick patients on their own for 24 hours but where was this damp squib cameron was talking about i dont think he looked beyond london.
just because london carried on as normal in camerons rose tinted fantasy world the rest of the country was the same.
it will be intresting at the next council elections in may to see just how the independants do ukip bnp etc
because i think theres a big change in the wind (trump! oh excuse me ED )
thats disgusting what have you been eating ?
unfortunatly the day didnt stay peacefull as the anarchist hooded great unwashed spolied the peacefull day by storming panton house.
this country seems to be destroying itself are we building up to a mass civil unrest?