RMT in strike action threats over removal of train guards

Having worked and lived in the London area for 15 years I thought I had seen the end of rail companies removing the guards from trains and the subsequent strikes and misery these short sighted decisions brought.

Now, I do not want anyone thinking that I sympathise with Bob Crow the leader of the RMT, because I do not, that man has brought so much misery to the commuters of London over the years that I cannot say his name without spitting and getting extremely angry.

However, this is one issue where I fully agree with the unions, although I don't agree with their choice of striking to solve the problem, that will just wind up commuters and travellers and not gain public sympathy.

The trains in Scotland are some of the cleanest and safest I have travelled on in the last twenty years, when I first moved to London after moving from Torquay trains had guards, trains were clean and trains also had fire extinguishers.

The removal of guards led to trains becoming more dirty as people just left their rubbish all over, vanadalism became more frequent, then fire extinguishers were removed and the main reason cited was vandalism.

I was on a late night train home from London Charing Cross to Dartford a few years back when stupid thugs set fire to a chair on a train, and myself and one other passenger had to attempt to put the fire out by stamping on the seat because the extinguishers had been removed while evacuating passengers into other carriages, because there was no guard to assist.

So Scotrail staff are rightly concerned about First ScotRail's plans to run trains without guards on the new Airdrie-Bathgate route, which is used by services travelling between Glasgow and Edinburgh.

A Scotrail spokesman is quoted in The Edinburgh Evening News as saying: "No one is losing their job and current terms and conditions are guaranteed. But the scheduled reopening of the £300m link is now at risk by a union campaign which boils down to who opens and shuts doors on trains."

There is a similar quote on the front page of the Scotrail website: "RMT has voted to strike over who opens and closes train doors on a new rail line."

These quotes are not helpful in any way, as the guard does a lot more than opening and shutting the doors and if that is the attitude of First Scotrail then it shows how little their media team knows about the train operation.

Striking isn't helpful and especially on the day of a major six nations rugby match, that will not help the cause of the staff trying to get the public behind them, they should re-consider their action and get round the table once again and thrash this out, and First Scotrail, perhaps you should ask your customers what they want and stop penny pinching, thats what got your colleagues down south into so much hot water.

Senior SNP Glasgow Councillor Alex Dingwall defects to the Liberal Democrats

Glasgow City Senior Councillor Alex Dingwall has decided to leave the SNP after 31 years as an SNP member and has today joined the Scottish Liberal Democrats.

I know there is bound to be the usual dismissal from the SNP that this isn't big news but actually it is.

The SNP gloss is peeling now and people are starting to realise that they said anything in 2007 just to get elected and are now just going back on so many of those election promises - part of the very reason why trust in politics is so low.

For an established and well respected Councillor and long time SNP member to turn his back on them after 31 years takes guts and I applaud Alex in making this decision.

It is a damning indictment that someone at the heart of the SNP for so long has lost confidence in the SNP’s ability to solve Glasgow’s many problems.

I am happy to welcome Alex to the party. Defections are always going to happen from time to time – and while it’s easy to pick out past disagreements or criticism (from all sides), it’s better to look at the future.

I would urge anyone wavering in their support for the SNP to join Alex Dingwall and back the Scottish Liberal Democrats which offers positive local change in Glasgow.

Alex Dingwall topped the poll in 2007 in the Maryhill/Kelvin ward and now joins fellow Liberal Democrat Councillor Mary Paris representing the people of the ward in the Westminster constituency of Glasgow North which Katy Gordon is campaigning in to become the next MP for the area.

Alex Dingwall said of his defection from the SNP to the Scottish Liberal Democrats: “I believe that Glasgow needs a change in how our city is run and a party that sets out a clear, credible alternative to the current Labour Administration. Regrettably over the last year it has become clear to me that the Glasgow SNP Council Group lacks both the leadership and the authority to set out an alternative vision for our city."

“After 31 years of membership with the SNP the decision to leave has not been an easy one but the move away from a local to a centrally set income tax and the recent threats to take away control of schools and care for the elderly from local authorities show the SNP simply doesn’t trust its councillors, preferring instead to govern local communities by ministerial decree."

“That’s why I am pleased to be joining the Liberal Democrats. I share their commitment to local government and to the core principle of keeping local decisions local.

“I will continue to work constructively for my constituents and for the people of Glasgow, but now in a way which is entirely in keeping with my personal and political beliefs.”

Liberal Democrat candidate for Glasgow North, Katy Gordon added: “I’ve known Councillor Dingwall for many years and I’m really pleased to welcome him to the party.

“This is a real boost to the Liberal Democrat campaign in Glasgow North. People are fed up with Labour and Councillor Dingwall’s decision demonstrates once again that the real alternative is the Liberal Democrats.”

The Liberal Democrat MSP for Glasgow Robert Brown added:  “I’m delighted that Councillor Dingwall has decided to join the Liberal Democrats.

“As a talented and able politician, he will be a real asset to the Liberal Democrat group.

“I’ve no doubt that he’ll work in close harmony with his Liberal Democrat colleagues and with Liberal Democrat principles for the greater good of Glasgow.”

Labour MP Jeff Ennis to stand down

Another Labour MP jumps the sinking ship. Jeff Ennis, the Labour MP for Barnsley East and Mexborough is to quit at the next election after 30 years in public life, ie, in a matter of weeks.

That is nearly 90 Labour MPs who are deserting, jumping ship, collecting a pay off (in the rules and all MPs receive this) as they pass go, resigning or plain retiring before the election.

It is incredible that so many are leaving it so late to announce their decisions.

International Olympics Committee get their social media knickers in a twist

They aren't the obvious bed fellows are they, Cameron's Conservatives and the International Olympic Committee? but both find themselves in similar tea cup storms this week over installing confusing and potentially un-enforceable rules on how to use social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook and blogs.

I blogged last week about the Tories Twitter rules for Twits and now the IOC find themselves in a similar state of confusion.

The IOC have created a four page rule book consisting of thirteen rules about the use of blogging, facebook, twitter and photos on such sites.

Nick Pearson, pictured, was one of many athletes on Twitter who were generally confused about the rules but is a happy chap now and I look forward to his tweets.

The general jist is that the athletes can post anything they like apart from any video (moving images), comments about other athletes or people there and only photos of them doing nothing.

Photos are not allowed of any athletes at the opening or closing ceremonies, medal ceremonies or in fact of any athletes participating in any of the events.

In other words the athletes, sorry, athletes and other accredited people that aren't journalists must keep all of their postings in the first person and they must reflect their personal views only.

They have the detailed story over at wired dot com;

there is no Olympic rule that sets up a blackout period for athletes according to Bob Condron, the Director of Media Services for the United States Olympic Committee.

“Athletes are free to blog during the Games,” says Condron. “And Twitter is just a blog that’s written 140 characters at a time.”

There are some restrictions on what athletes can do online during the Olympics. According to the IOC Blogging Guidelines for the 2010 Games, athletes and other accredited people must keep their posts confined to their personal experiences.  

“You can’t act as a journalist if you aren’t,” says Condron. “You need to do things in a first person way.”

Rule 49 of the Olympic Charter says that “Only those persons accredited as media may act as journalists, reporters or in any other media capacity.”

I do wonder why this is so harsh, given that they surely cannot prevent any of the supporters present posting photos of the events and ceremonies?

Anyhow, I am sure as ever the Winter Olympics will be a great joy to watch, thank goodness for Sky+.

Vancover 2010 Highlights from the Games