Thanks, but no thanks
Turkish students protesting a 300% hike in university fees last week evaded a police blockade by dısplayıng thıs placard, reading ‘Thanks, my honourable Prime Minister!’, as they marched.
Only to peel that slogan off the banner, revealing their true message to Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, ‘No gratitude, No haggling, No to fees! (Student Collectives).
300%... I don't think they want students anymore.
ReplyDeleteIn my area (California), the civil service unions agreed to defer raises for years at a time, for benefits such as a cash-back on insurance premiums that have eroded to nothing, and increased retirement benefits. Now that the market has crashed, not only have retirement benefits become a new cause celebre to be used against government workers statewide, but the local County government also has announced a plan to reduce full time positions to 9.8 percent - for non-administrative staff, that is.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I always was a little tweaked about negotiations by union representatives that loaded a majority of the holidays into the winter months - but then I don't ski.
I never bought into 'the cog in the wheel' concept. Because of the comparatively privileged position into which I was born, I was able to do work which satisfied me and support a ferocious book habit as part of my living expenses.
Despite the oft-repeated perception that there isn't much difference between the Democrats and the Republicans in the USA, how policies affected my daily life was notably different depending upon which party was in power.
I'm not sure that's true any longer, and can see that, in many respects, in many respects the difference is similar to that between Likud and Labor - both parties support policies that ensure the continuance of privilege systems - as do the unions.
Things are changing - the verities must eventually fall away.
Interesting tactic, changing signs.
ReplyDeleteRegards.