Leadership of the RMT - Bob Crow, succeeded by Mick Cash (ongoing discussion)

[whole diary]

[inspector_blakey]

Administrator note:

This topic has been merged from various existing discussions on the Coffee Shop forum into this one here, simply as something of an obituary to Bob Crow, who died on 11 March 2014.

The original post here relates to an appearance by Bob Crow on 'Have I Got News For You'.




Just watched it online... All seemed a bit painful really. Anyway, if anyone missed it you've only got another day or two to catch it on the iPlayer!

[JayMac]

Possibly one of the worst guests they've ever had. Paul Merton looked like he wanted to be somewhere else. Commie Bob may be good at anti-privatisation rants on Sky News but he's useless at sparkling repartee or quick-fire satire.

[inspector_blakey]

I'm not a Crow fan, but I found myself agreeing with Nigel Harris*...! I almost started to feel a bit sympathetic because he seemed so far out of his depth.

*_{Primary reference for that comment http://www.rail-magazine.com/news/default.asp?storyID=134.}

[John R]

I finally got round to watching it last night and would agree. It would have helped if he had at least smiled at the jokes against him, which he should have expected. As it was he seemed like a fish out of water.

[Bob_Blakey]

HIGNFY is one of my very few 'must watch' TV programmes, but this was an absolute disaster.
Thing is I am absolutely convinced that the producers pull this sort of stunt deliberately - identify a public figure who is perceived as behaving like a prat,being a damned nuisance or comes across as being entirely humourless, and invite them onto the show where, as expected, they proceed to reinforce the stereotype e.g. Derek Hatton (who he?), Robert Kilroy-Silk & Shami Chakrabarti.
Crowbar Bob has now joined the club.

[Chris from Nailsea]

... on BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) Question Time ... 

A passionate debate over burkas ends in smiles when union leader Bob Crow asks a member of the audience to prove he really is a man.

The leader of the Rail Maritime and Transport Union (RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers)) was responding to an audience member's comment that there is no way of knowing if the person under a burka is female or not.

[JayMac]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) union leader Bob Crow has said there should be a co-ordinated "resistance" to public sector cuts.

Speaking ahead of the TUC conference, Mr Crow told the BBC that while bankers were still getting "massive bonuses", ministers' "first line of attack" was public sector workers. The RMT is asking the TUC to back calls for co-ordinated industrial action "to defend jobs, pensions and conditions".

Ministers say they must take action to tackle the ^155bn budget deficit. Without "decisive action", Chancellor George Osborne argues that Britain's economic stability and reputation would be put at risk. He has asked all departments, excluding the NHS and international aid, to find four-year cuts of between 25% and 40%, to begin in April 2011. But his plans are expected to come under fire at the gathering of trade union members in Manchester this week.

Rich 'let off'

He has asked all departments, excluding the NHS and international aid, to find four-year cuts of between 25% and 40%, to begin in April 2011. But his plans are expected to come under fire at the gathering of trade union members in Manchester this week.

TUC general secretary Brendan Barber has already accused the government of "making struggling families bear the cost of the recession, while the rich have been let off". And Mr Crow, general secretary of the Rail, Maritime and Transport Union, told the BBC the government had its priorities wrong. He said the economic crisis had been caused by bankers, yet it was public sector workers and people on benefits who were the first to be "attacked".

Bankers' bonuses

Mr Crow said: "If there is a concerted effort by this new government to attack workers in all different parts of society, then my belief is that if one group of workers are taking action on one day and another group of workers are taking action on another day that we should co-ordinate that resistance to defend working men and working women."

Asked if action this autumn would be too early, he said: "If there's no attacks take place until next March, next April or next May - that will be the time the resistance will take place, I think it will be earlier than then." He said people had yet to feel the effects of cuts: "What do you want, do you want bankers to have bonuses or do you want police on the street?"

Labour's leadership candidates will attend a hustings at the TUC conference - hoping to attract union members' support before the winner is named on 25 September. The current acting leader Harriet Harman told BBC One's Andrew Marr Show her party backed the right to strike, but "no one wants to see strikes" - including public sector workers. But she said she expected local communities to campaign alongside trade unions when public services were threatened.

She added: "We feel very concerned indeed, yes, about threats to jobs and we don't accept the argument that somehow this is entirely necessary to cut the deficit at this speed. We think it's actually a threat to the economy.
And the arguments that the 'Big Society' can take the place of public services are we think are disingenuous. So to that extent yes, we do feel militant about it."

Report contains a video-clip of Mr Crow at his eloquent best. 

[Ollie]

If anyone here listens to LBC (London's Biggest Conversation) he was on today, and kept interrupting the presenter. He didn't seem interested in another persons view. And was totally obsessed with blaming banker's bonuses for everything.

[Btline]

I do find it strange when people think ALL the problems are MPs^▸ (Member of Parliament)' expenses and bankers' bonuses. If that was so, there would be plenty left! The MPs' expenses saga was totally blown out of proportion by the press.

Gordon's cleaner and David's wisteria is irrelevant. But it makes headlines...

[Chris from Nailsea]

Background, from Workers' Liberty:

While millions take pay cuts, union leaders rake it in
...
The figures are:
Bob Crow (RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers)) - ^79,564 in salary, ^26,115 in pension contributions, ^13,013 expenses
...

[JayMac]

Bob in more serious mode (possibly) on BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) News Channel's HARDtalk:

Stephen Sackur talks to Bob Crow.

How will Britain's labour movement respond to a Conservative led Government about to embark on the deepest public spending cuts in a generation? The answer may hinge on the relationship between the Labour party's newly elected leader Ed Miliband and the trade unions, whose support propelled him into the party's top job. Bob Crow, militant leader of the RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers), talks of a looming class war, but what will Ed Miliband's Labour Party do if the unions take to the barricades?

First broadcast 28th September 2010. Available until 28th September 2011, apparently.

[Chris from Nailsea]

See also - from the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Ed Miliband challenged by rail union leader Bob Crow

The new Labour leader, Ed Miliband, is facing a challenge from union leader Bob Crow.

Mr Crow, general secretary of the RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) union, claims Mr Miliband might break his pledge to attend a rally against public spending cuts.

"It will be a clear signal he's already abandoning working people," he said.

Mr Miliband beat his elder brother David to the leadership thanks to votes from trade union members and affiliated societies.

The TUC is planning to hold the rally on 19 October and Mr Crow says there is speculation that Ed Miliband will fail to appear.

Mr Crow said a Labour leader who failed to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the party's core supporters would "get slaughtered at the polls".

He also told the BBC that unions should get support from the new leader. "If the Trade Unions at the end of the day fund the political party, you fund on the basis that you want to put your political views up," he said. "... we're not seeing proper representation for working men and women taking place. We keep on getting told there's no other opportunity except for big business, there's no other way out of this except for cuts, there's no other way than privatisation. We think there is a different way out of it, that the deficit can be paid back, but we can do it in a different kind of way and not make savage blows."

Ed Miliband has dismissed suggestions that the party will lurch to the left under his control. Since being elected on Saturday, he has repeatedly asserted that he "his own man" and would not be unduly influenced by the unions that helped him get the job.

He is set to make his first Labour Party conference speech as leader later on Tuesday.

He is expected to distance himself from his predecessors by acknowledging voter "anger" at the failings of the party in government - particularly its claim to have ended "boom and bust".

Speaking at the conference in Manchester on Monday, David Miliband called for the party to unite behind his brother who he described as a "great leader".

Although David won a higher percentage of votes from Labour MPs^▸ (Member of Parliament), MEPs^▸ (Member of European Parliament) and party members, Ed Miliband's success with trade union members and affiliated societies pushed him into first place in the leadership contest.

_{My highlighting. CfN.} 

[JayMac]

Whilst rarely agreeing with most of Brother Bob's public utterances, it was refreshing to see him defend his point of view on HARDtalk without too much of his usual hyperbole.

[JayMac]

As telegraphed by the Fact Compiler over at Railway Eye:

From The Sun:

An article on 15 September reported RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) General Secretary Bob Crow had a union-subsidised home and luxury car.

In fact, Mr Crow's home has never been subsidised by the union and he does not own a car, union or otherwise, and champions public transport.

We are happy to set the record straight and apologise to Mr Crow.

Bet that was metaphorically said by the Super Soaraway through gritted teeth!

[Electric train]

mmm bet the stun did not like crowing that apology