Unity

I doubt anyone in Britain will be unaware of the national day of action today. Despite it costing a days pay it was a fantastic day. I think it was a real opportunity to stand up to the hypocrisy of the Westminster Parliament. I mean this is a cabinet of multi-millionaires who on one hand tell us we're all in this together while on the other hand hitting the hardest working in society while they and their cronies avoid taxes wherever possible. I'm sure the politicians answer would be that it is within the spirit of the rules. It's also the same government which has just rewarded Richard Branson's support for the tories in the run up to the last election by selling him Northern Rock for just over half the money the tax payer put into it. In fairness that's not the whole story because he didn't buy all of Northern Rock.... Just the profitable bit, we're still saddled with the part of Northern Rock which holds all the toxic debts and is losing money. How there is not a public inquiry into this nepotistic deal is beyond me!

Anyway, back to the demo, I was on the picket line at 7.20 then down to Johnston Terrace for the march at eleven. It was great to see so many out, both colleagues from my work and from unions all over Scotland. The only dampener was that the Scottish Government I voted for chose to neglect the will of a very sizeable section of their electorate and crossed the picket lines. Arguments about government going on seem a bit moot as any debates or votes could have been had on a different day and I can't help but think it would have been a far greater statement of intent and of what Scotland can potentially become for anyone relavent in parliament (and lets face it in light of the coalition in Westminster the ConDems are not relevant in Scotland any more) to show solidarity, particularly given that it was St Andrews day which our First Minister has suggested should be a national holiday anyway. Iain Gray, who I didn't have much affinity for as leader of Scottish Labour certainly came across better on the news today. It seems like a bit of an own goal for our Scottish government.

There were plenty of Saltires on the march today, but I thought I should blip this as Jennie played a blinder making the banner for us, and Rudy and rose were stars holding it for a while.