Meeting held on Monday 20th June 2022
13 people were present. Five sent their apologies.
The topics we wanted to cover included the forthcoming rail strike, war in Ukraine, murder of an environmentalist in South America, French election result, Rwanda and immigration, and the car park and associated developments at Thornbridge Hall.
Regarding the last of these, we were concerned that the National Park did not intervene to stop Emma Harrisons’s proposal. We were roundly critical of it on many grounds as being typical of the corrupt approach of Tories to make personal profit out of a project which pretends to have social value.
Concerning the forthcoming rail strike we saw how the government was using this to further its own interests as the party which opposes Unions and their strikes. While supporting the strikers, there was a certain ambivalence against causing public harm. We had somewhat different views about the ‘modernisation’ which underpins the strike. This would involve removing ticket offices, thereby reducing human contact (which so often seems to be the consequence of technological innovation). The muddle of private and public ownership in the railway industry doesn’t help. Whereas the Tory position on strikes is always clearly against any workers acting to raise their pay, Starmer’s position for the Labour Party is much less clear. He certainly does not present himself strongly as a supporter of workers’ pay and rights. In reporting the strike there were different views regarding the objectivity of the BBC (although the Tory party’s frequent criticisms of the BBC gives us some assurance!)
We saw the result of the French election, which appeared to be the consequence of impressive collaboration between up to five different opposition parties, provides a lesson for UK. It supports Compass’s campaign for much more collaboration between opposition parties.
Regarding the forthcoming by-elections in Wakefield and Tiverton, we were concerned that, in the present circumstances, Labour has only such a slim lead over the Tories. The ‘meme’ that Starmer is ‘boring’ has gained much currency. Or is he playing a ‘waiting game’ in relation to policy formation?
And finally a discussion of Ukraine included evidence that many NATO inspired developments in Eastern Europe over the last 20 years give some credibility to Putin’s claim that Russia is ‘threatened’ by NATO expansion.