As Birmingham 2022 suffers from Rail Disruption, Political Parties play Games.
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As Birmingham 2022 suffers from Rail Disruption, Political Parties play Games.
Labour and the Conservatives are both playing politics with the strikes - it's a risky game that could come back to bite them.
The recent rail strikes played havoc with visitors to the West Midlands as the region plays host to the Commonwealth Games.
Inflation is causing workers from all sectors to get nervous around the cost of living which in turn has led to some workers asking for pay rises in line with inflation, the railway unions chief amongst them.
This can create a possible snowball effect as other sectors follow suit and demand the same pay uplift. With inflation largely a result of supply chain issues, the extra money in the economy could well cause inflation to get worse.
Railway workers are currently asking for a pay rise in line with inflation, but with the high salaries already in place for train drivers, the workers were offered a substantial rise of 8%, but not as much as they wanted. This led to strikes causing widespread travel disruption. Many commuters are angry about their journeys being cancelled and unions are using this to attack the government.
What do these strikes means for our current divided political landscape?
For the Government in Westminster, they clearly believe that railway workers striking carries a political benefit. Grant Shapps, the Transport Secretary has not met unions to try and stop the strikes - he argues they are a private company so it’s not his responsibility to do so. Many believe that strikes put political pressure on Labour, benefiting the Conservative Government.
Labour MP’s have joined picket lines, much to the frustration of their leader. Some voters may ask how a party can be serious about power when it is protesting on picket lines and endorsing travel chaos.
Keir Starmer has banned anyone serving in his shadow cabinet from joining picket lines. This was disobeyed by Sam Tarry who was subsequently sacked by Starmer. This led to backlash from his own party who say that Labour is meant to support workers, just as Sam Tarry was doing.
Criticism came from John Prescott, Zarah Sultana, John McDonell, and Owen Jones. Further inflaming tensions for Starmer is the reported romantic relationship between Tarry and his Deputy Leader Angela Rayner, seen by many as a serious contender for the future leadership of the Party, particularly by those on the the hard left.
Starmer’s response to the strikes - and his MPs joining picket lines - has shown him to be somewhat of a centrist in the party’s eyes, which may appeal to middle class voters but has lost him the support of the left who fear a new Blair. This may see students and left wing voters flock to the Greens, fail to turnout at elections or support the likes of the Trade Union Congress, splitting the anti-Tory vote in many areas.
An anti-Tory vote split in marginal constituencies with large student populations such as Birmingham Edgbaston and the red wall seats of Wolverhampton may become an easier prospect for the Conservatives.
In Birmingham Northfield, one of the only Birmingham constituencies with a Green local councillor, Rob Grant, could see the Greens use his local presence to make a parliamentary run giving Labour a headache from the left.
Given the Labour Party receive much of their funding from trade unions funding, public frustration at widespread disruption caused by union strikes will put additional pressure on the party. Constituents who expect their MP to represent them will be justified in their annoyance if their MP is seen to favour their union funders rather than those they represent who are suffering from strike disruption.
Widespread strike action isn’t without it’s problems for the Conservatives. Grant Shapps choosing not to the union bosses shows that they are making this a political football, giving their opponents ammunition. Disruption from strikes are also indicative of hard times, reinforcing the effects of the cost of living crisis and a sluggish economy.
One of the main reasons people vote Conservative is for their reputation of good economic managements. If workers are striking and inflation isn’t brought back under control, the Conservatives may well lose their image as the most suitable guardian of the economy.
If nurses, doctors, fireman, the police or postal workers go on strike - or indeed a full general strike is called as the rail union boss Mike Lynch has called for - voters might see a need for a change of direction, which may be the opportunity the Labour Party need to regain power.
Written by Jack Dixon