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• • •• greater awareness and understanding of why refugees come to Europe amongst the general public than there was a couple of years ago.
But the waves of hatred unleashed by the Daily Mail campaign against the National Coalition and the Community Fund recently shows the danger of New Labour pointing the finger at asylum seekers. David Blunkett and his civil servants first tried to block NCADC's grant renewal and demanded an investigation some months ago.
Officers of the Community Fund, who along with many organisations commendably stood up for the legitimacy of assisting asylum seekers to assert their legal rights to stay here, and of the Community Fund to independently award grants free of government and tabloid interference, were subjected to John Lister "WHEN YOU'VE got them by the balls, all you need to do is squeeze," was how one militant shop steward memorably summed up industrial tactics in the height of the 1970s pay battles.
Thirty years later, the industrial landscape is different, and there have been serious defeats for the labour movement, but the essence of class conflict remains largely unchanged.
That's why many firefighters and those who had rallied to support their struggle for the full 40% pay claim will have been shocked to hear the decision of the FBU Executive to "suspend" the first of the planned strikes, pending further talks.
The dispute was at a crucial phase, building momentum. So great was the backing for the firefighters that the usual tried and tested way for governments to isolate and defeat a national strike - by getting the TUC to intervene - had not ..... only failed, but backfired spectacularly, drawing unprecedented statements of support for the FBU from the normally conservative TUC.
Other public sector unions, too, notably rail unions, UNISON and GMB power workers, appeared ready to back the FBU action by demanding compliance with health and safety in their workplaces.
But amid a torrent of hostile press coverage and under sustained pressure from the government making it dear that its use of army scabs would run alongside a vicious witch-hunt of FBU "Scargilites", it seems that the FBU General Secretary Andy Gilchrist blinked first, and stepped back from the brink.
However there are still very few details on what if anything has been offered to the firefighters to persuade them to pull back. Ministers had been adamant that there would be no extra funding for an improved offer. ... A popular cause: the £30,000 demand had solidified support in the FBU
It seems that the "independent" Bain inquiry into pay, conditions and working practices in the fire service, with which the FBU had refused to cooperate, has also been told to report much earlier - possi bly as a means of camouflaging an improved pay offer, though almost certainly one with strings attached.
The threat of strike action remains as a backdrop to any talks: but that threat will be seen as less menacing by ministers who have secured one retreat already.
The trade union movement really needs and wants a victory for the FBU. The union has argued that simply getting ministers to negotiate is a victory of sorts -and that would not have been achieved without the prospect of a strike.
But if the dispute is to be resolved in the interests of the firefighters, all the preparations must remain in place for the next strike on November 6, which has not been called off.
The government has tried to portray itself as the immovable object. It needs to be countered by irresistable force, so that victory for the FBU opens a path for the whole labour movement.