James Farrar wrote:
On Thu, 10 Feb 2005 09:34:59 +0000 (UTC), Brimstone
wrote:

James Farrar wrote:
On Thu, 10 Feb 2005 08:17:14 +0000 (UTC), Brimstone
wrote:


"James Farrar" wrote in message
newspslyf3izvwnvjb9@whisk...
On 9 Feb 2005 19:46:37 GMT, Robin May
wrote:

wrote the following in:


http://www.backingblair.co.uk/london_underground/

Jesus, when will this horribly boring, completely unfunny song go
away?

When it ceases being accurate?

Accurate about what, the reality or people's prejudices?

Well, I get assaulted by the smells of Burger King and **** and
sweat just about every day on my tube travels, often together.
"Every subway has a ****ing tramp" would have been a better line than
"platform", I admit.

That's down to the lack of consideration by your fellow travellers,
the staff get just as fed up with it as you do.

Thank you for agreeing that it's accurate!

And if the travelling public are prejudiced against the tube drivers
for their frequent strikes and threatened strikes, that's the
drivers' fault, not the public's.

Don't forget it two to tango, people don't go on strike for the fun
of it.

No, they go on strike because the union leadership feels it hasn't
been in the media recently.

I haven't heard anything from Bob Crow lately; I'm starting to get
worried.
Whatever the reason published in the media, it's usually the
culmination of a series of events. BTW, it's not always the drivers
who are on or threatening strike, that's simply the slant that the
idle tabloid journalists put on it.

No, but it's the drivers' strikes that tend to cause the greatest
disruption.

Not so, signallers and station staff would also cause the system to shut
down.

As long as management by fear and intimidation is the preferred method then
staff of whatever grade will be less inclined to suffer unreasonable
treatment. Excepting the odd few malcontents that occur in any large
workforce the vast majority of LU staff go to work intent on doing the best
job they can. (The good people would be just as happy as you and anyone else
to see the malcontents pushed out, btw, "malcontents" isn't the term used to
describe them, terms in common use are not repeatable in a family orientated
newsgroup).

Aiming jibes at the frontline staff is cheap, unfair and above all
inaccurate. Try lifting your gaze to the powers that be, starting with the
politicians and the entrenched attitude that prevails in the country as a
whole to public transport.

If you've a mind to read, find a copy of Paul Garbutt's book "London
Transport and the Politicians". It's been out of print for some while but
you might find a second hand copy. You could also try Christian Wolmar's
latest, "The Subterranean Railway"