Best of luck to all manning the pickets today!

[imokyrok]

I've noticed of late that when I go to rate a thread I often get the message saying I've rated the thread already when I haven't even visited it before. That happened here. Anyone else having that problem?

Jolly I'm not surprised at the support you are getting. I think most people are not falling from the divide and conquer tactics but we do have our own Irish Paliban - they tend to shout the loudest.

[FutureTaoiseach]

I wouldn't claim that the majority are on our side. However, the attitude on here to the public sector is extremely hostile, and I don't believe that hostility is a reflection of society has a whole. There have been people on here suggesting we would get spat on etc., but the people we met who were opposed to the strike were quite mild mannered about it.

What annoys the private-sector is that you are saying you will accept no cuts whatsoever, and that you want the rest of us to pay more tax to keep you in the comfort to which you have become accustomed. It's 'Marie Antoinette on steroids'. There is a deficit of €21 billion. Where would you find the money from? The EU has set a deadline of 2014 to get back within 3% of GNP. You tell us to raise taxes, even though that has already been tried last year and the deficit increased.

[SevenStars]

The leaders are pretty well all bought out. Workers need their organisations and built the Unions themselves. The leaders can always be given the old heave ho by popular vote

No Trade Unions serve to divide workers into different "trade" sections rather than unite them. The TU leadership's role is to act as a go between between the workers and capitalists, something which they are paid to do. They have a spefic role in the capitalist economny.

Of course Trade Unions were progressive in the 19 th century when the workers movement was fighting for intergration into bourgious civilization but we now live in the age where the working class must disintergrate itself from such.

[TheTipperaryMan]

These strikes are utterly pointless.

The country is bankrupt and it cannot afford the public sector wage bill.

It is that simple.

All lot of people are going to have to get real.

We all know who was responsible for the economic mismanagment but that is no longer the point.

Regardless of who is in power after the next election - if Fianna Fail cling on or Fine Gael and Labour and maybe Sinn Fein as a junior partner, or maybe a gallery of socialists and radicals - it doesn't matter.

The same hard nasty decisions are going to have to be made.

[anchor]

Wait until they watch the 6 o'clock news and see that (some) public servants took advantage of the strike to spend their money in the north. The next day they will not be as friendly. The PS unions as badly losing the propaganda war.

What's the problem??? Does no one from the private sector ever shop in the north?
I think at this stage, most public servants know that there's no point in trying to win a propaganda war, when you're up against a media with a firm agenda. Over the last week, we've had the Gardai delivering water to old people in Cork, which definitely isn't part of their job description. At the same time, we had private sector retailers ripping off people buying water and water containers. Why isn't that comparison being made on the front pages?

[JollyRedGiant]

No idea what the rules of Teacher strikes are, but not one teacher was outside my kids school.

The Primary teachers union INTO decided to picket Dept of Education offices rather than schools - ASTI and TUI are picketing secondary schools.

Almost 55% this year - the largest in the EU

Lies, damned lies and statistics - I notice that the article compares 2009 Ireland numbers to 2008 EU numbers - maybe 2009 EU numbers might be more appropriate.

So you think the PS should strike to overturn the decisions of our democratically elected government?

And of course this government said before the last general election that they planned cutting €4billion out of the public sector and leaving the rich b*stards who got us into the mess off scott-free.

last election that counted was the locals and Euros and the government parties got hammered - they have no mandate.

[anchor]

What annoys the private-sector is that you are saying you will accept no cuts whatsoever, and that you want the rest of us to pay more tax to keep you in the comfort to which you have become accustomed. It's 'Marie Antoinette on steroids'.

No. What we're saying is that we're not willing to accept any more cuts that are directed just at us. However, we are willing to accept any cuts that are fair - i.e. cuts that all working people including the public sector will have to pay.

What annoys the public sector is that people like you aren't willing to accept any cuts at all.

[YoungLiberal]

I don't support it but I am hardly going to stop and abuse some 50 year old woman on strike? is that mistaken for support?

Exactly, no need to be rude.

[JollyRedGiant]

The same hard nasty decisions are going to have to be made.

Only if you want to protect the wealthy in society - if you decide that you are no longer going to run the country in the interests of big business then the only nasty decision you have to make is to take control from the rich and put it in the hands of the vast majority of the population.

[pd_phoenix]

last election that counted was the locals and Euros and the government parties got hammered - they have no mandate.

anyone with two brain cells would know that local and european elections mean NOTHING when it comes to who is in charge of the country. The previous election saw heavy defeats for FF in the locals and yet in 2007 they were re-elected.

Anyway there are decent people in the country who can tell the differnce between a local, a european and a general election and vote accordingly