Despite the depression and despair that hovers about us in the U.S., the Left and the Leftish have made some real gains in the past year—in Latin America, of course, and India, and also in Europe, which saw some favorable electoral outcomes. And the rejection of the EU constitution by the French and the Dutch might be read as a popular revolt that at least held the line for the moment against neoliberal capitalism.

Yet Britain seems to have been following "the American model." Tony Blair's "New Labor," which acts and smells remarkably like "Old Tory," must have been paying off the union bosses. How else to explain union complacency in the face of this disaster of a prime minister?

But either the payments have ended or the issue is so grave that they make no difference—because either way, the rank and file are out of control. The result is the possibility of the biggest mass strike in Britain since 1926.

The issue is a proposed change in retirement age from 60 to 65. The government has apparently greatly misread the workers.

Alan Jones of the Scotsman writes,

The threat of the biggest wave of industrial action since the 1926 General Strike came a step closer yesterday when the government failed to calm fears over the pensions of millions of public sector workers.

Leaders of 13 unions representing more than three million workers in the NHS, local government, the civil service, education, fire service and other parts of the public sector pledged a joint campaign against controversial plans to increase the pension age from 60 to 65.
....

Dave Prentis, the general secretary of Unison, issued a blunt warning that unions were more united than ever and were prepared to strike.

He said the government had underestimated the anger of workers and had failed to understand the outrage they felt, which had been made worse by politicians and company directors receiving huge increases in their own pensions.

"We are stronger and more united than ever before and we will take strike action to defend our pensions."

Mr Prentis said he had never known such anger among public sector workers....

Mark Serwotka, the general secretary of the Public and Commercial Services Union, said he had no doubt civil servants would vote to strike "in their tens of thousands" if no deal was reached.
....

"If the government imposes an increase in the pension age, industrial action is absolutely inevitable."

.... Dr Beverly Malone, the general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, said: "We remain deeply dismayed that the government still seems intent on raising the retirement age to 65.

"The government's work-until-you-drop plan will mean recruitment and retention levels will collapse, the work demands placed on nurses will rocket and patient care will suffer."

It doesn't look to me as if the government can win this one. If they had tried a gently incremental plan (which still might be the end result), they might have gotten away with it. In any case this is a story to follow.

Can you even imagine a general strike in the United States? Is that what they mean by "a failure of imagination"?

Related posts
Who is this Republican? (7/23/04)
The best place in the world to do business (11/8/04)
The death of the Left? (11/27/04)
France votes "No" on EU Constitution (5/29/05)
The Left continues gains in Europe: Labor victory in Norway (9/13/05)