Published: Thursday, 26th June, 2008 12:15
Rob Wilson's Westminster Diary
By Rob Wilson, MP for Reading East
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Reading East MP Rob Wilson
"WHY are there always so many strikes at the end of Labour Government?", is the question that my colleague Sir Michael Spicer put to the Prime Minister last week.
It's worth dwelling on for a paragraph or two as it has taken a longer than usual period for Labour to bring the country to the brink.
Now I'm not suggesting it's exactly the same today as in 1979 when we had the Winter of Discontent, the Unions were clearly more powerful then.
However, we may well have a ‘Summer of Discontent’ with millions of public sector workers, from teaching assistants and refuse collectors, to librarians and lollipop ladies on strike!
It's also true to say that figures out shortly will show that the Trade Unions are once again providing 90 per cent of the Labour Party's finance. Why does this matter? Simply because the Labour Party is heading for financial meltdown.
Ray Collins, its new general secretary, admits that its finances are in a parlous state. He's only got the job because David Pitt-Watson, a City fund manager - turned down the job because he did not want to become personally liable for more than £24 million of debt
Being so financially dependent on the Unions means that they are in a very powerful position to influence what Mr Brown does next on public sector wages and pensions.
Will he govern for the whole country or will he do a series of furtive deals behind closed doors (much like the Labour Government in the late 70s) which ensure the Unions get what they want and the Labour Party has the cash it needs to fight a General Election? I know where my money is going!
Wage inflation is once again a real risk to the UK's wellbeing and that's because the Government has lost control of the economy.
Personal debt is now around £1.7 trillion, the Government's borrowing is now out of control, particularly when you add all the devious accounting that has kept huge sums off the balance sheet, taxation is as high as the public will tolerate.
The Government can't tax more, it can't spend more, it certainly shouldn't borrow more. We are now drifting along in the hope of salvation, but the Government is doing nothing of any use.
As an opposition we try to keep the matters on the agenda, for example, today we have had a debate in the Chamber about the Cost of Living.
Just like 1979 it's rocketing and families, already struggling under a mountain of debt, are finding it hard to cope. Debt is everywhere you look in the economy, yet we've just had 15 unbroken years of growth, it's astonishing isn't it?
There is no point in pretending - things are going to get a lot worse before they get better.
We are going to have more strikes, more strife and more struggles than we've seen in a very long time.
I sincerely hope we can come through it as quickly as possible, but my warning as we see the longest day of the year disappear is that the dark days are closing in.
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