I return from my union meeting with another job - co-signatory on the funds. Not, unfortunately, a great opportunity for embezzlement: last year we bought a kettle.
I've had sport on my mind today. Last night I went to the university's fencing club, desperate to hit someone, only to find that it's been abolished by the students' union without regard for the democratic niceties: the union's disgraceful financial incompetence and slavish devotion to the university's management trump such details. It's a real shame: before I resigned as coach over a year ago, I acquired £5000 of new kit for them… sigh.
Later in the evening, I declined the opportunity to manage the England junior team for the School Games - I'm already the Games' Welfare Officer for my sport. Maybe next year.
Then, Ewar sends me a link to a very amusing and ideologically correct blog entry on my beloved Stoke City. You can tell it's clever and true because Ewar, blinded by his hatred for anything leftwing, describes it as 'bollocks'. In this piece, the author explains why the manager's defence of Ryan Shawcross's devastating tackle is 'pernicious' because it seks to explain the actions of the worker on an individualistic level (intention to hurt, in this case) rather than in structural terms (i.e. the system requires potentially dangerous behaviour because the alternative is to lose): it's classic Marxism. Stumbling and Bumbling earns a place on my blogroll for mixing football and Marxist politics.
4 comments:
I spent a considerable amount of time as a union rep in my last job. I got tired of telling the workers that they were the union, not the official organisation or the people they elected to represent them. Any direction the union could take must come from them. Since Thatcher repealed the law, that's not an opinion, it's a legal requirement. There's a lot of apathy around at the moment, that may change next year when the repercussions of the changes hit. Unfortunately by then it will be too late.
I'm sure Shawcross didn't mean to break Ramsey's leg on Saturday, Pulis was quick to say he's not that kind of player. I can only think of one player who has publicly stated that he went out to injure another; Roy Keen. Anyone else who did it would commit professional suicide. I wouldn't want to see hard tackles outlawed from the game but some walk a thin line. As i'm sure you're aware, Shawcross does have form.
Which union were you in? Mine's UCU - useless nationally but good in this institution. You sound like me: a syndicalist. Our union leaders will always betray us.
Shawcross has one incident in his past. That's hardly 'form'.
Yes, I had to look it up but that sounds like me. I was in the T&G. You're absolutely spot on, most unions are completely toothless on a national level and corrupt in their middle management. They can be highly effective on a local basis, but it requires a lot of effort and courage from everyone involved.
I was merely pointing out that Shawcross has broken someone else's leg and has been involved in some other controversial incidents. I like him, he's a good player.
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