YES!!! UK on general strike!!!

[backscatter712]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/nov/30/public-sector-workers-strike-uk

Day of strikes as millions heed unions' call to fight pension cuts
• Disruption across UK as many services come to virtual halt
• Airports, schools, rail services and hospitals affected
• Reform of public sector pensions is at heart of dispute

The UK is experiencing the worst disruption to services in decades as more than 2 million public sector workers stage a nationwide strike, closing schools and bringing councils and hospitals to a virtual standstill.

The strike by more than 30 unions over cuts to public sector pensions started at midnight, leading to the closure of most state schools; cancellation of refuse collections; rail service and tunnel closures; the postponement of thousands of non-emergency hospital operations; and possible delays at airports and ferry terminals.

The TUC said it was the biggest stoppage in more than 30 years and was comparable to the last mass strike by 1.5 million workers in 1979. Hundreds of marches and rallies are due to take place in cities and towns across the country.

Pickets began to form before dawn at many hospitals, Whitehall departments, ports and colleges.

This is how you do it. If you want to get through, you must disrupt, you must shut things down and make the status quo impossible. And a massive general strike is the way to do it!

[Quartermass]

1. Which is why OWS won't win.

As much as they like the rhetorical bs of everything they do is win win win, they just don't have this kind of numbers and support to be this disruptive to the bankers. occupying things like parks and city halls only makes them look bad as well. You need to be disruptive on this kind of scale in order to have any kind of effect on the bankers and the status quo. Until then, nothing will ever change and the bankers will just keep on getting away with their crap.

[backscatter712]

4. Thank you for your concern.

Movements like OWS are how you build to a movement capable of a general strike.

Hell, they've already done one general strike in Oakland. And I'd describe the Move Your Money campaign as a great success that cost the banksters billions.

[Huey P. Long]

5. You are aware this is in the UK, right? To address you other bs...

November 21, 2011 12:00 PM
America, Take A Bow! Megabanks Could Lose $185 Billion Due to Bank Transfer Day
By Susie Madrak

Is there anything quite as exhilarating as knowing that, despite their posturing to the contrary, Big Banks took a real hit, thanks to a broad-based populist movement? Maybe we can move onto the cable behemoths next: "A Month Without Cable," where everyone cancels their cable for a month and uses Netflix instead -- I can dream, can't I?

During “Bank Transfer Day” earlier this month, 40,000 Americans moved their money from the nation’s biggest banks to credit unions, voicing their distaste with the action’s of America’s financial behemoths. About 650,000 Americans joined credit unions in October, which is more people than in all of 2010 combined. According to cg42, a consulting firm that does work for the biggest banks, “the nation’s 10 biggest banks could stand to lose as much as $185 billion in deposits in the next year due to customer defections.” Of the banks, “Bank of America is the most vulnerable and could lose up to 10% of its customers and $42 billion in consumer deposits in the next year.”

Plus, you know, a lot less money to buy politicians!

---
http://crooksandliars.com/susie-madrak/america-take-bow-megabanks-could-lose

[Brickbat]

2. Actually, a one-day strike is not the way to do it.

[Freddie Stubbs]

7. But that strategy worked so well in Greece

[Huey P. Long]

8. Not sure why you think the Greece story is over. Its just begun. Watch. -eom

[Warpy]

9. A one day strike is a shot across the bow of the ship of state

warning them to swing that rudder to the left or the consequences will be more dire.

[Hotler]

3. k&r n/t

[Lionessa]

6. It's way past time for us to do it. Should've started them two years ago.

[in_cog_ni_to]

10. NOW would be the PERFECT time to shut this country DOWN...the HOLIDAYS are here.

Want to make a statement? Strike until January 2, 2012.

[blindpig]

11. Solidarity. k&r

[muriel_volestrangler]

12. Technically, not a general strike; all those striking have a specific grievance

about their own employment, because the government is trying to change public sector pensions in nearly all cases. But there are many unions and sectors involved, so it has an effect somewhat similar (though not as much as in the past; due to privatisation, buses are running much as normal (except in Northern Ireland, where they haven't been privatised, it seems), and so are most rail services).

It may have an effect; certainly, the threat of it had forced the government to improve its proposals, but when the unions said they still weren't good enough, the government murmured about withdrawing the improved offer. We'll see what happens next.