Bob Crow dead

[wayne71]

I earned a good wage in my UK railway days thanks to the RMT. Cheers Bob and may you RIP.

 

[law74]

Bob Crow was a working class political streetfighter, who achieved on behalf of his Trade Union members. If there were more people like Bob Crow, then this Country wouldn't have a massive inequality problem, wouldn't be engaged in a 'race to the bottom', where there has been an explosion of zero hours contracts (exploitation of working people in all but name) and millions trapped in shitty minimum wage jobs having to meet the basic cost of living via tax credits, housing benefit etc etc, whilst the those at the top get even richer.

As Ken Livingstone has said, Crow's members are the very few, if not the only, working class profession in London that earn a good wage. Why shouldn't working class people earn a decent living?

The Right, ever looking to divide and rule, bang on about his salary or him living in a Council house, or his foreign holidays. But Bob Crow believed that working class people, working an honest living should earn enough to live good lives. Look at what he did leading the Union, the hours he put in etc, he was worth every penny.

The political class is so professionalised now. They attended the same schools, the same universities and come from a very narrow political class. When do you ever hear someone in public life with Bob Crow's accent? Never these days.

RIP Bob Crow.

Ken Livingstone talks complete bollocks then although that is no surprise

Livingstone doesn't get everything right. His scandalous lack of urgently needed affordable and social house building in London, during his time as Mayor, is one thing that springs to mind. However what he says about Bob Crow is spot on. RMT members are not earning the shitty minimum wage of £6.45 or whatever, having to have their wages topped up by the Government, through tax credits and housing benefit just to live, no they are earning a decent wage. Crow was happy to take the fight to the government of the day, Labour or Tory, to stand up for his workers.

-- Tue Mar 11, 2014 3:48 pm --

By living in social housing he would have been paying the rent for that property, that rent was designed to go back into the pot for the refurbishment and replacement of social housing and to subsidise the cost to the public purse for providing housing for those that for whatever reason could not provide housing for themselves.

Or failing that he could have bought his own house and let a homeless person occupy his council house. You cant defend the indefensible I'm afraid, the man was a hypocrite. He was a character though and its a shame for anyone to die so young..!

Why is it hypocritical? Bob Crow believed in social housing, and was quoted as saying: 'I was born in a council house; as far as I'm concerned, I will die in one.'

Where is the hypocrisy? He believed in Council housing and was paying full rent for it.

but the neo-liberals would say that he should have bought the council house he was paying the rent for, then bought another house and let the council house out to pay the mortgage of his new house taking money out of the public purse rather than contributing into it.
It is not the fault of the Trade Unions that local authorities failed to invest the money made from the sale of social housing to invest in more social housing.

But we are going off topic here.

 

[Plaything of the gods]

I didn't know him and didn't take much notice of what he was about so I can only mourn him as the passing of a fellow human being.

Tricky one for me this but I will do my best.

I have to say that for me Bob Crow stood for everything I hated about the "old" trade unions, the sense of entitlement, the fuck the public attitude and the I will do what I want when I want attitude (was he a rag?) .

I thought his salary (and those of many other trade union leaders) was ludicrous and should have been restricted to the average wage of his members as should that of every trade union leader. Now I fully expect there to be major disagreement due to his responsibilities etc and I would perhaps modify this position to say it should have kept parity with whatever he was earning before he became a union officer. If he did his job for the benefit of his members he should have lived like them, not on several times their salary and in taxpayer funded housing to boot (that really is taking the piss whichever way you look at it, social housing for a man on a six figure salary? really?).

I, like many others I am sure, would happily take a job I really care about e.g. managing city for no more money than enough to keep my family with a roof over their heads, fed and clothed ( although with 2 teenage daughters this might work out to more than MP is on! ) presumably Bob Crow had his equivalent of that job so why did he need so much money?

Having said that he could (through gritted teeth it seemed to me) stand to have the piss taken out of him on HIGNFY and came across as a guy I might have enjoyed a pint and, probably, an argument with. However this is the death of another human being, moreover one who, although he made my blood boil at times, always made me think (ouch). RIP.

I have not intended to be disrespectful here, I doubt in life we would ever have agreed on anything (unless he was a blue) but the world is slightly less colourful for his passing

What is often forgotten when being envious of other people's earnings is the true rate for the job. Would one rather, for instance, £30,000 a year for a 40 hour week easy job and a home life, or £90,000 a year for a 120 hour week stressful job, no home life to speak of, and an early grave?

 

[SWP's back]

Crow got a right slagging off by the two muppets on Sky News review of the papers last night.

Am guessing they feel a bit bad this morning. Though as they are journos probably not.

RIP

Fuck him.

Why should they? They were bang on.

 

[Blue Til Death]

I didn't know him and didn't take much notice of what he was about so I can only mourn him as the passing of a fellow human being.

Tricky one for me this but I will do my best.

I have to say that for me Bob Crow stood for everything I hated about the "old" trade unions, the sense of entitlement, the fuck the public attitude and the I will do what I want when I want attitude (was he a rag?) .

I thought his salary (and those of many other trade union leaders) was ludicrous and should have been restricted to the average wage of his members as should that of every trade union leader. Now I fully expect there to be major disagreement due to his responsibilities etc and I would perhaps modify this position to say it should have kept parity with whatever he was earning before he became a union officer. If he did his job for the benefit of his members he should have lived like them, not on several times their salary and in taxpayer funded housing to boot (that really is taking the piss whichever way you look at it, social housing for a man on a six figure salary? really?).

I, like many others I am sure, would happily take a job I really care about e.g. managing city for no more money than enough to keep my family with a roof over their heads, fed and clothed ( although with 2 teenage daughters this might work out to more than MP is on! ) presumably Bob Crow had his equivalent of that job so why did he need so much money?

Having said that he could (through gritted teeth it seemed to me) stand to have the piss taken out of him on HIGNFY and came across as a guy I might have enjoyed a pint and, probably, an argument with. However this is the death of another human being, moreover one who, although he made my blood boil at times, always made me think (ouch). RIP.

I have not intended to be disrespectful here, I doubt in life we would ever have agreed on anything (unless he was a blue) but the world is slightly less colourful for his passing

What is often forgotten when being envious of other people's earnings is the true rate for the job. Would one rather, for instance, £30,000 a year for a 40 hour week easy job and a home life, or £90,000 a year for a 120 hour week stressful job, no home life to speak of, and an early grave?

I doubt very much he went to an early grave because of the stress of his job, more a consequence of his lifestyle I will wager..!

 

[bernabias home shirt]

Blimey must of been a heart attack. Bet he and Thatcher are at it hammer and tongs already if you believe in all that after life stuff. Not really much to say on the guy as such, I didn't like him as much as I didn't hate him. Sad for his family obviously and in fair terms was still youngish.

I hope he knocks fuck out of her
R.I.P bob

 

[gordondaviesmoustache]

£145,000 seems completely fair enough to me, for someone running a union that size.

 

[Plaything of the gods]

I didn't know him and didn't take much notice of what he was about so I can only mourn him as the passing of a fellow human being.

Tricky one for me this but I will do my best.

I have to say that for me Bob Crow stood for everything I hated about the "old" trade unions, the sense of entitlement, the fuck the public attitude and the I will do what I want when I want attitude (was he a rag?) .

I thought his salary (and those of many other trade union leaders) was ludicrous and should have been restricted to the average wage of his members as should that of every trade union leader. Now I fully expect there to be major disagreement due to his responsibilities etc and I would perhaps modify this position to say it should have kept parity with whatever he was earning before he became a union officer. If he did his job for the benefit of his members he should have lived like them, not on several times their salary and in taxpayer funded housing to boot (that really is taking the piss whichever way you look at it, social housing for a man on a six figure salary? really?).

I, like many others I am sure, would happily take a job I really care about e.g. managing city for no more money than enough to keep my family with a roof over their heads, fed and clothed ( although with 2 teenage daughters this might work out to more than MP is on! ) presumably Bob Crow had his equivalent of that job so why did he need so much money?

Having said that he could (through gritted teeth it seemed to me) stand to have the piss taken out of him on HIGNFY and came across as a guy I might have enjoyed a pint and, probably, an argument with. However this is the death of another human being, moreover one who, although he made my blood boil at times, always made me think (ouch). RIP.

I have not intended to be disrespectful here, I doubt in life we would ever have agreed on anything (unless he was a blue) but the world is slightly less colourful for his passing

What is often forgotten when being envious of other people's earnings is the true rate for the job. Would one rather, for instance, £30,000 a year for a 40 hour week easy job and a home life, or £90,000 a year for a 120 hour week stressful job, no home life to speak of, and an early grave?

I doubt very much he went to an early grave because of the stress of his job, more a consequence of his lifestyle I will wager..!

OK doctor

 

[SWP's back]

Bob Crow was a working class political streetfighter, who achieved on behalf of his Trade Union members. If there were more people like Bob Crow, then this Country wouldn't have a massive inequality problem, wouldn't be engaged in a 'race to the bottom', where there has been an explosion of zero hours contracts (exploitation of working people in all but name) and millions trapped in shitty minimum wage jobs having to meet the basic cost of living via tax credits, housing benefit etc etc, whilst the those at the top get even richer.

As Ken Livingstone has said, Crow's members are the very few, if not the only, working class profession in London that earn a good wage. Why shouldn't working class people earn a decent living?

The Right, ever looking to divide and rule, bang on about his salary or him living in a Council house, or his foreign holidays. But Bob Crow believed that working class people, working an honest living should earn enough to live good lives. Look at what he did leading the Union, the hours he put in etc, he was worth every penny.

The political class is so professionalised now. They attended the same schools, the same universities and come from a very narrow political class. When do you ever hear someone in public life with Bob Crow's accent? Never these days.

RIP Bob Crow.

Ken Livingstone talks complete bollocks then although that is no surprise

Livingstone doesn't get everything right. His scandalous lack of urgently needed affordable and social house building in London, during his time as Mayor, is one thing that springs to mind. However what he says about Bob Crow is spot on. RMT members are not earning the shitty minimum wage of £6.45 or whatever, having to have their wages topped up by the Government, through tax credits and housing benefit just to live, no they are earning a decent wage. Crow was happy to take the fight to the government of the day, Labour or Tory, to stand up for his workers.

-- Tue Mar 11, 2014 3:48 pm --

By living in social housing he would have been paying the rent for that property, that rent was designed to go back into the pot for the refurbishment and replacement of social housing and to subsidise the cost to the public purse for providing housing for those that for whatever reason could not provide housing for themselves.

Or failing that he could have bought his own house and let a homeless person occupy his council house. You cant defend the indefensible I'm afraid, the man was a hypocrite. He was a character though and its a shame for anyone to die so young..!

Why is it hypocritical? Bob Crow believed in social housing, and was quoted as saying: 'I was born in a council house; as far as I'm concerned, I will die in one.'

Where is the hypocrisy? He believed in Council housing and was paying full rent for it.

I suppose hypocrisy would be marrying a sugar daddy, not working and being a champagne socialist.<br /><br />-- Tue Mar 11, 2014 5:12 pm --<br /><br />

£145,000 seems completely fair enough to me, for someone running a union that size.

Yet people think the PM and cabinet get paid too much....

 

[Blue Til Death]

Ken Livingstone talks complete bollocks then although that is no surprise

Livingstone doesn't get everything right. His scandalous lack of urgently needed affordable and social house building in London, during his time as Mayor, is one thing that springs to mind. However what he says about Bob Crow is spot on. RMT members are not earning the shitty minimum wage of £6.45 or whatever, having to have their wages topped up by the Government, through tax credits and housing benefit just to live, no they are earning a decent wage. Crow was happy to take the fight to the government of the day, Labour or Tory, to stand up for his workers.

-- Tue Mar 11, 2014 3:48 pm --

Or failing that he could have bought his own house and let a homeless person occupy his council house. You cant defend the indefensible I'm afraid, the man was a hypocrite. He was a character though and its a shame for anyone to die so young..!

Why is it hypocritical? Bob Crow believed in social housing, and was quoted as saying: 'I was born in a council house; as far as I'm concerned, I will die in one.'

Where is the hypocrisy? He believed in Council housing and was paying full rent for it.

I suppose hypocrisy would be marrying a sugar daddy, not working and being a champagne socialist.

I missed out the word Rank before hypocrisy, as ever those that gleefully jumped on Maggies grave cannot see past their own hypocrisy as they spew forth the platitudes for Bob Crowe and expect those of us that admired Maggie not to take umbrage when they demand respect following his death..!