Occasionally, union intransigence has contributed to the fall of a Labour government, as in 1970 and 1979. In other times, Labour prime ministers have scarcely treated them differently from any other pressure group, such as when Tony Blair ludicrously declared New Labour to be "the political wing of the British people", no less.
So it has been a problematic relationship. The looming rail dispute is no different, despite the RMT no longer being officially affiliated to the Labour Party.
These are the first highly disruptive national strikes for decades and are a direct result of the dislocations caused by the pandemic and the added pressure on the economy and public finances post-Brexit.
Conservatives have always used such industrial action to prove that it is they who are on the side of "working people" and to make Labour frontbenchers look as if they support militant leftwing activists, despite the fact that strikes happen in free societies (indeed, are an indicator of a free society) and happen only after a clear majority is achieved in a secret postal ballot.
Grant Shapps has tried to extract maximum political advantage from the dispute.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der June 17, 2022-Ausgabe von The Independent.
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Davey makes a splash with his plans to fix sewage crisis
Lib Dems want to end Ofwat and water company bonuses
Abbott has whip restored but could still be banned
Future of MP unclear as colleagues say she is left in ‘limbo'
PM to axe 'rip-off degrees' and boost apprenticeships
Rishi Sunak is pledging to create 100,000 more apprenticeships a year by shutting down \"rip-off degrees\" as he battles to remain in No 10.
'Crack teams' will cut NHS waiting lists, vows Starmer
Cutting NHS waiting lists will be the first step in a Labour government's plan to get the health service back on its feet, Sir Keir Starmer has said.
Reeves vows to bring UK a decade of national renewal
Rachel Reeves has declared she is ready to become Britain's first female chancellor as she set out Labour's stall as the party of business.
Low-paid workers promised a better deal under Labour
Labour has unveiled its first big general election offering on workers' rights, with a pledge to end discrimination on sick pay facing low-paid employees.
Rayner defies deep-rooted Tory party class prejudice
Now that Angela Rayner has been given the police all-clear over claims that she dodged tax on selling her council house, perhaps attention can be focused on evidence of a different form of misconduct in this matter - such as whether Tory MPs who led the witchhunt against her should be investigated for wasting police time?
Police take no further action on claims Rayner broke law
Angela Rayner has been vindicated, Sir Keir Starmer said last night, after police dropped a probe into Tory allegations about her council house.
GONE... IN A FLASH!
Oliver Keens misses mob rule when randoms would gather in public to sing, dance or stand still, a great British tradition of silliness that is up there with gurning and gravy wrestling
'I had a very high tolerance for all his salacious stories'
Novelist Rose Boyt talks to Fiona Sturges about living in the shadow of her ‘genius’ father Lucian Freud – and how writing about their relationship has helped her to make peace with it
