#n30 some first thoughts

So, it's finally #n30. The biggest day in the last generation for trade unions, and the media has been doing everything they can to belittle it.

i'm not one to accuse the bbc of having an inbuikt bias, but, just this morning, on the breakfast news, they had live segments from Bury St Edmunds. Don't get me wrong, I do like the town of BSE, but, it has a reputation as being an incredibky well to do town, with the most famous current resident being Norman Tebbitt.  The segments that they did were from a.coffee shop, and, if you don't know the town like I do, you'd be under the impression that this was in the town centre...oh no, it's in an expensive new build estate, two miles out.of the centre, the opposite side of town to where the majority of people who are affected by the governments proposals live, the public sector workers, the users of public services. This estate is full of "businesspeople" you all know the type, the ones who "can't afford to pay my staff any more, we're all in this together" while still buying brand new top of the range ferrarris every five months, and sending their kids to the highest paying independent schools, and then flying off to necker island for a two week break "from the stress".  This coffee shop caters for these people, £5 for a bog standard cup of tea...

In the town itself this morning, everybody was so so supportive. I had on my badges from various unions, and when I went into town to get the pcs jobcentre pickets a cuppa, the market traders all asked me to pass my best on, and, in the local independent cafe, the owner refused to accept any  money at all for the 8 cups of tea and coffee I got, because, as she said "they're fighting for us, they do all the shit work that we need to get on with our lives" 

This is correct in every sense. Think of who the strikers are

Teachers - educating the citizens of tomorrow
Hospital staff - helping to ensure we're all well
Bin collectors - we don't want our rubbish going rotten on the doorstep
Library staff -one of the most essential community services
Jobcentre workers -giving the help to those in the worst places in society

This is just A sample of the.millions of different public sector workers.

I'm currently on a train on my way yo ipswich, to hear megan dobney (Sertuc secretary), Richard Howett (labour mep) and Kerry fairless (pcs regional chair for eastern region) speak after a march through the town. I know that we will all get the same support there as we have had in bury.

So, a quick message to every single one of you who is on strike.  DON'T BE DISHEARTENED, THE COUNTRY IS BEHIND YOU, it's just the.media, the coalition, and the labour leadership who aren't, which is why all of the media is whitewashing the facts....they're all running scared.

Stay strong comrades