Sunday, November 09, 2003



Jam tomorrow

The government has agreed to give workers four weeks annual leave - but not until 2007.

I'm less than happy with the way they've handled this. Once upon a time basic working conditions were a core Labour party issue, but their entire attitude to this has been to wish that it just went away. And then when people refused to shut up and kept pressing it, to deny it to as many people as possible, and put it off until the far, far future. Sure, you need some leadtime to let employers psychologically prepare, but three and a half years?

This is a perfect example of the problem with the Labour party at the moment - that they are now more interested in cosying up to the business community than in standing up for their traditional ideals. And when they do do something that benefits ordinary people, it's done so grudingly you get the impression that their heart just isn't in it. While they haven't sold out as much as Tony Blair, they're well on the way...

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