The RMT: a bunch of idiots causing another tube strike

The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (The RMT) who represent workers of the London Underground have decided to cause more disruption to the Capital by ordering another tube strike (see here). These people are idiots. It all comes down to plans by TFL to cut 800 kiosk job. Basically, in the modern era (today) people tend to buy and renew their tickets at machines...technology rules! And as a result, fewer staff are needed to serve customers. The RMT say that a reduction in kiosk staff will lead to safety issues at stations. This may or may not be true but...

1) At a time when job cuts and 'austerity measures' are a part of everyday life
2) Technology has been shown countless times to replace the need for human participation
3) The tube is a poorly managed and badly functioning service

...I have no sympathy or respect for anyone remotely involved in the strike. If taking the tube was a pleasant experience and the system 'worked' - no delays, no over crouding, no line closures - I would have sympathy. As things stand, and I think I speak for all 9+ million Londoners - the RMT can go fuck themselves.

To leave you with an anecdote, a kiosk staff at my local tube station was working on Sunday and said she was extremely (and unusually) busy. She actually told me that normally on Sundays she has nothing to do! If I were a properly run, commercially sensitive, customer focussed business, I would make her redundant - and all the other people in a similar position. Simple economic sense. More profit means more to invest to improve service... That woman could work as a bus driver or behind a till in McDonalds.

Gross National Happiness - in the UK

The UK Government intends to measure the happiness of its citizens. From April 2011, the Office of National Statistics will start taking measurements and publish its results in 2012 (see here). It is not just Bhutan that sees the importance of measuring happiness. In fact, wealth is linked to National levels of happiness (see the World Values Survey). I have talked about happiness previously - see my post here where Nancy Etcoff talks about the science of happiness. Believe it or not, there are economic benefits to being happy!

Tuition fees protest

The people who caused the violence at the protest about tuition fees (see here) have demonstrated that they do not have the intellect or personality to deserve a state subsidised education. You earn the right through your intelligent use of actions to claim support and passage through life. Education is about intelligence. Intelligence makes use of discussion, reason and empathy to seek its ends. Not violence which is the art of the cave man.