Everybody out! (ctd.)
September 16 2015
Video: via Facebook
I went to the National Gallery on Monday, and was surprised to see so many of the major rooms open. More than half I would say. So I wonder if the strike is beginning to loose its edge. There have been over 90 days of strike action so far.
It's likely the election of Jeremy Corbyn as leader of the Labour Party will give the strikers a boost, for he has been a strong supporter of their cause. He mentioned the strikers at yesterday's TUC conference. Many strikers were there to welcome his comments (including, I see from the photos, AHN's favourite troll). But as sincere as he is, the patchy start to his leadership suggests he will have bigger issues to focus on. It might not have helped that his speech was delivered in the manner of Michael Palin's boring prophet character in The Life of Brian.
Anyway, at the end of the day it will I suppose come down to money, and whether the strikers can continue to forgo their salary. There is a 'strike fund', which I suppose is helping out. It's a sad state of affairs. As far as I'm led to believe, the Securitas contract has been signed, and the new operation will commence in November. The strikers plan a 'day of action' on 24th September.
In the video above, the strikers were addressed by former Greek finance minister, Yanis Varoufakis. He said that the struggle is not about money but a '...question of decency and power... it's about putting good people down, just because they can... the real people who make the Gallery tick... Britain's integrity is in peril.'
