George Galloway blasts closeted Conservative on pension reforms

From BBC News:

Hundreds of thousands of civil servants and teachers have gone on strike in England over proposed pension changes.

Rallies took place across the country, including in Manchester where 200 firefighters, who are not on strike, joined a march to show support.

More than half of state schools were shut or partially closed over reforms that public sector workers say will make them work longer and pay more.

The government said the plans were "fair to taxpayers" and necessary.

Up to 750,000 teachers, civil servants and other workers went on strike in England. Disruption hit airports, job centres, driving test centres and courts across the country.

London's Metropolitan Police said 90% of civilian staff who handled calls had not turned up for work, making response times slower.

The force said 335 police officers had been taken from their borough duties to cover night and day shifts for 999 call operators.

Met Police Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson told a Metropolitan Police Authority meeting it meant "service to Londoners was necessarily degraded".

Almost all staff at the Passport Agency in Liverpool were striking, the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) said.

At the Criminal Records Bureau, 485 out 500 were on strike; while at the Ministry of Defence 485 out of 500 staff took action, the union said.

Meanwhile, up to 6,000 people joined a pension protest through Newcastle, a union leader said.

TUC regional secretary Kevin Rowan said: "It's a real show of strength because we have a fairly weak private sector, so any action by the government is going to impact more on this region.

"It is unjustified and unacceptable."

About 30 people were arrested at a march in central London, the Met Police said. The alleged offences included drugs possession and criminal damage.

Unions said up to 20,000 people took part in the demonstration which passed Downing Street and Parliament.

The Department for Education said more than 11,000 of its 21,500 state schools in England had been affected by the industrial action.

Christine Blower, National Union of Teachers (NUT) general secretary, said the "draconian changes" meant teachers paying more, working longer and getting less.

However, David Cameron has insisted the pension changes, being proposed for millions of public sector workers, would secure affordable pensions for decades to come.

The government said reforms were necessary because as people live longer the cost of funding public sector pensions was "unsustainable".


George Galloway speaks to a closeted Tory caller on the pension reforms, which could see workers having to work more for less money. Galloway points out the hypocrisy in the Con-Dem government in which they claims the pension scheme is going bust yet we have more than enough cash to renew Trident AND go to war in Libya.

Originally broadcasted on 1st July 2011.

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[karezza6]

Galloway's only concern is himself.

He is a sociopathic dwarf.

[DrMontague]

@maosef You call people but as yet you have not presented an constructed counter argument. against Galloway. Are you a Sun reader?If George is talking crap then you should be be able run him into the ground with you intellect! Waiting.

[maosef]

@DrMontague Still pull nonsense out their arse and have a bunch of followers who are seemingly estranged from reality.

[DrMontague]

@maosef Wrong Alex Jones is Right Wing. George Galloway fights on behalf of the working class i.e. he is towards the left.

[maosef]

@DrMontague Yeah ok thats what i want.....George Galloway is kind of like the British Alex Jones

[DrMontague]

@maosef We are all living too long! No doubt you would agree if the government passed a bill stating anyone who reaches the age of 65 yrs should be exterminated. Do me a favour please commit suicide It will be one less pension to be concerned about and think of the saving to the tax payer!

[maosef]

Hate this Galloway prick, talks out his ass all the time

[7jem331]

Don't be harsh, Gary is just the product of over a decade of Sky news and Murdoch press.

[7jem331]

@theodore751 Well you can if you sign up to a contract and then the employer decides to change your contract, pay you less, tell you to work more hours for less money, work for several years longer for no other reason than the employer has bailed out bankers with the money you have been saving up.

By the way, how are people supposed to afford those tasty "Fruit and veg" When they don't have money to pay the bills?

[theodore751]

The point is that all accrued pension benefits will be honoured forever. So nothing built up will be robbed. You cannot rob someone who might one day buy a colour TV but has not yet done so. As life expectancy changes, so the schemes in the public sector must adapt. The state pension age rises are also fair. It is better to live longer and work a bit longer isn't it? Healthy living is not expensive-fruit and veg, exercise, abstinence in drugs and drink. George was unbriefed on the facts!