The United Kingdom is renowned for its reliably overcast weather. While the U.K. (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales) rarely experiences Chicago-style freezes, its weather is far from Floridian. Whether in Belfast, Cardiff, London, or Edinburgh, most days bring a mix of rain and wind.
Sad. Still, Britain’s climate informs the central part of the British psyche: mild moroseness.
But that moroseness is not sourced solely from the weather. It is also a consequence of powerful unions that like to wreak havoc at critical times of the year. Consider what’s happening in the U.K. as the Christmas period begins.
Today, tomorrow, and Friday, one of England’s busiest train networks, Southern Rail, is not operating. Its drivers are striking as part of a long-running dispute. They will strike again on December 19th and for two days over New Year’s Eve. They will also strike for an entire week in mid-January!
This is no small inconvenience for Southern Rail passengers, or to London businesses who need their staff to get to work. As the BBC notes, “about 300,000 passengers travel on 2,242 Southern services each day’’. It’s an important route for those who live outside of London but work there.
And that speaks to the morality of this struggle. Southern Rail’s management wants drivers to open and close doors, but the unions want that responsibility to remain with conductors. They claim the issue is safety. They are liars. This is about retaining union stranglehold over Southern Rail finances. They reject any move towards modernity and automation because that would reduce their membership. And while Southern Rail has promised not to make anyone redundant, the union knows Southern Rail will cut staffing numbers by not replacing those who retire. That risks their stranglehold.
This struggle bears relevance to Americans. After all, the Democratic Party has now doubled down on its leftward slip. Keith Ellison, who is seen as the front-runner to become the next Chairman of the Democratic National Committee, is a proud supporter of big unions. As are primary liberal figureheads, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. Ultimately, the Southern Rail saga evidences how leftist politics are bad for millennials and those who are less wealthy. Consider that the vast majority of Southern Rail passengers must use the network because they live in satellite towns south of London. Housing in London is very expensive: many commuters cannot afford to live there. Those using the network are not CEOs, predominantly, they are average to low earners.
But there’s another issue here. Because it’s not as if the commuters are getting a good deal from Southern Rail: an annual ticket costs $5,600! The drivers, however, make $63,000 a year.
That dichotomy speaks to moral injustice. Whether in Europe or the United States, they take money from all others to feed their own greed. That prevents businesses from putting competitiveness to customers first. And it keeps prices high and opportunities low.
