The danger with long-running disputes is that all sides become entrenched. We are already starting to see this in the dispute between the RMT union and ministers.
Mark Harper, the Transport Secretary, has said that the Government will not “blink first” when it comes to pay negotiations. For his part, RMT general secretary Mick Lynch has accused the Government of torpedoing talks.
This is neither a Socratic debate nor a tough man competition. It is about finding a way through extraordinarily tough economic times and securing a landing zone acceptable to all parties. Ratcheting up the rhetoric gets no train back on the rails or nurse in the hospital.
And the consequences are serious. The capital should be bustling these next few weeks — Christmas is a time not only of goodwill, but when retail, hospitality and tourism make their money. As shoppers stay away from central London, businesses will suffer. Some may not survive. The same might be said for patients as operations and ambulances are cancelled due to industrial action.
That is why we need cool heads to prevail. Understandably, the Government wants to appear tough. These are negotiations, after all, and it needs to control inflation. As all sides dig in, it is the public — whether commuters or patients — who are stuck in the middle.
Teaching in crisis
The warning from Ofsted is stark: young people’s recovery from the pandemic is being hampered because there are not enough teachers. Staff are fleeing the profession for better paid jobs elsewhere, as the cost-of-living crisis bites and public sector pay falls behind not only inflation but that in the private sector.
We know the damage that lockdown did to children, particularly the most disadvantaged, who missed out on their education. Now should be the time to bounce back and make up for that crucial lost time. But Ofsed makes clear in its annual report that staffing issues are impeding those efforts. As a result, class sizes are growing while nurseries are closing.
The report is not all bad news. London schools continue to lead the country in grades, with 95 per cent of schools judged ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’. But unless we address staff shortages by making education and children’s social care a more attractive sector to work in, these problems will persist. Young people will continue to be let down, and as a society we will feel the consequences.
Victor the irrepressible
Victor Lewis-Smith, who has died at the age of 65, was not only a writer, broadcaster and satirist — he was a force of nature. He was a television reviewer for more than 15 years for the Evening Standard, where he brought acerbic wit to the page before Londoners dared to watch anything on the box.
Lewis-Smith was famously rude but so funny that he almost always got away with it. He was an inspiration to many young comics, his anarchic style often imitated but never equalled. His loss will be felt by any who knew him, if only through his writing or radio spots. He will be missed.
