Soldiers stand by to drive petrol tankers

[bricolage]

obviously it's from a right wing source hence the stuff about 'chaos', but haven't seen this anywhere else. don't know what happened with the ballot but always interesting to see how the state plans to deal with workers revolt.

Emergency plans for soldiers to drive petrol tankers to stop a threatened strike plunging Britain into chaos have been drawn up by the Government.
The contingency plans are aimed at preventing a repeat of the turmoil caused by protesting lorry drivers when Tony Blair was Prime Minister.
The results of a strike ballot of Britain’s 2,000 tanker drivers will be announced tomorrow – and both Ministers and well-placed sources in the drivers’ union Unite believe they will vote in favour of a walkout starting on April 3.http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2119917/Soldiers-stand-drive-petrol-tankers-contingency-plans-stop-strike-plunging-Britain-chaos.html

[NoPasaran1936]

No, it's true, army has been called in, in case.

[bricolage]

and it's a yes vote (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-17512729)

[Lynx]

This may or may not be true:
In Greece, they conscripted striking sanitation workers into the army and then ordered them to work.
In Spain, air traffic controllers were forced back to work at gunpoint.

[Os Cangaceiros]

In Spain the military took over certain positions left vacant by the air traffic controllers and the government said that if they atc's didn't return to work, they might face prosecution. "Forced back to work at gunpoint" seems to be stretching it a bit.

[pastradamus]

In Spain, air traffic controllers were forced back to work at gunpoint.

Not sure about the first one but the this claim is absolutely true.

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2010/dec2010/cont-d07.shtml
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_air_traffic_controllers_strike
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2010-12-06/stranded-passengers-clog-spanish-airports/2363758

[sithsaber]

Is it me or is the UK looking more and more like V for vendetta everyday?

[bricolage]

if the army were used to drive petrol tankers it would be the first time they've been deployed in this way for ten years (since a firefighter strike in 2002 saw them driving 'green goddesses') furthermore politicians have been screaming to the high heavens about this and a union plan to bring down the country...
I think this is an interesting illustration of the disproportionate role (to their numbers) that workers in key sectors have within the workers movement and as such the power that they hold.

[bricolage]

so francis maude (cabinet minister) told people to stockpile petrol in jerry cans to which the fire brigade immediately replied it was fucking ridiculous advice and would probably cause some explosions. meanwhile ed milliband kept up his 'noone wants to see a strike, get round the table' rhetoric, trying to mitigate going against workers action by standing in front of a greggs hence showing how down to earth he really is...

[bricolage]

on the other hand should we be storing jerry cans for molotovs in case the strike causes the fabled social rupture we've all been waiting for and erupts into full scale insurrection?

[Manic Impressive]

so francis maude (cabinet minister) told people to stockpile petrol in jerry cans to which the fire brigade immediately replied it was fucking ridiculous advice and would probably cause some explosions. meanwhile ed milliband kept up his 'noone wants to see a strike, get round the table' rhetoric, trying to mitigate going against workers action by standing in front of a greggs hence showing how down to earth he really is...
Not to mention that it's also illegal to store more than 10 litres of petrol in a metal can and 5 litres in a plastic one. The minister in question could have being percieved as to be encouraging law breaking :ohmy:

[ed miliband]

interesting take on it:

http://sturdyblog.wordpress.com/2012/03/28/why-would-the-government-want-you-to-panic/

[Conscript]

Disgusting...you don't subvert a strike, you negotiate with it.

[Rainsborough]

Strike, strike, strike. That particular card has been played too often.

[NoPasaran1936]

They can try, but most of the UK military is made up of people who can barely string a sentence together, good luck driving hefty tankers, lads!

[bricolage]

A woman in York has suffered 40% burns after petrol ignited as she decanted it in her kitchen. It's unclear whether she had it stored previously or did so on the advice of Francis Maude. Either way it's not good publicity for the government.

[bricolage]

It's all calming down... (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17558294)
I don't think Unite bureaucracy ever wanted a strike, the Labour party definitely didn't, maybe the government thought they could have worked it well to their advantage but they've played the whole thing like idiots.

Prediction: Sell-out compromise via ACAS, both Labour and the Tories will claim it as a victory, Francis Maude will get fired, the papers will be free to talk about pasties again and, despite it being apparent the colossal strength this sector of the working class has, we won't get to see it exercised.

[NoPasaran1936]

It's all calming down... (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17558294)
I don't think Unite bureaucracy ever wanted a strike, the Labour party definitely didn't, maybe the government thought they could have worked it well to their advantage but they've played the whole thing like idiots.

Prediction: Sell-out compromise via ACAS, both Labour and the Tories will claim it as a victory, Francis Maude will get fired, the papers will be free to talk about pasties again and, despite it being apparent the colossal strength this sector of the working class has, we won't get to see it exercised.

I doubt Francis will be fired, given Ken Clarke's comments on rape last year were much more serious.

What I hope will happen is a backlash against the unions, and wildcat strikes.

[bricolage]

Few more updates.
A Conservative spokesperson has described the strike as "potentially crippling" and a private message was sent from Tory MPs to constituency associations (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/conservative/9176237/Even-Im-starting-to-wonder-what-do-this-lot-know-about-anything.html) with the following,

"In order to defeat the coming miners' strike, [Thatcher] stockpiled coal. When the strike came, she weathered it, and the Labour party, tarred by the strike, was humiliated. In order to defeat the coming fuel drivers' strike, we want supplies of petrol stockpiled. Then, if the strike comes, we will weather it, and Labour, in hock to the Unite union, will be blamed."
Here's another interesting quote,

"It is important for people to prepare. We have got to build resilience in the system and that's what we're doing – building resilience in the system"
I saw that in this article (http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/apr/01/uk-prepared-fuel-strike-hague) and thought this section later on was especially interesting,

Meanwhile, it has emerged that thousands of truckers are preparing to go head-to-head with the army in support of striking tanker drivers if the industrial action goes ahead.

They plan to blockade refineries and cause gridlock on motorways to stop soldiers moving fuel around the UK.

The truckers are led by the farmer and haulier Andrew Spence, who was instrumental in the blockades in 2000 which led to 3,000 petrol stations running out of fuel.

He said he would "bring Britain to a halt" unless his organisation's concerns were addressed.

He said: "We have been in negotiations with the tanker drivers since 2000 and have been aware of their grievances for some time.

"We have said to them we may have to stand beside them in any protest. We are better organised than we were in 2000. This time we will bring the government down."

And finally, (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2123444/Fuel-panic-good-said-PM-told-Ministers-held-ransom-tanker-drivers.html)

David Cameron told shocked Ministers ‘a bit of petrol panic may be no bad thing’ as he set out his determination to defeat the threatened strike by fuel-tanker drivers.
According to senior sources, his provocative remark was made at the end of a Cabinet meeting last Tuesday that was dominated by the dispute.

[ckaihatsu]

In order to defeat the coming fuel drivers' strike, we want supplies of petrol stockpiled. Then, if the strike comes, we will weather it, and Labour, in hock to the Unite union, will be blamed."





so francis maude (cabinet minister) told people to stockpile petrol in jerry cans





A woman in York has suffered 40% burns after petrol ignited as she decanted it in her kitchen.


Um....


(8 p


= )

[bricolage]

Prediction: Sell-out compromise via ACAS,
yep. (http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/apr/14/fuel-tanker-drivers-strike-deal)