Striking back

IN REPLY to Jim Sillars (Letters, 21 November) criticising my Labour colleagues and I for the heinous crime of supporting millions of workers across all sectors who are being cruelly abused by the Tory/Lib Dem government (Letters, 21 November) it surprises me to see Mr Sillars of all people seeks to put parliament on some sort of elitist pedestal separated from the real world of teachers, refuse workers, nurses, council employees, tax officers, benefits staff, maintenance staff and the rest.

I fear Mr Sillars is coming over all establishment as he heads towards his senior years.

Is this is the same Jim Sillars who called for people to engage in mass civil disobedience when he advocated non-payment of the poll tax? I don’t remember him showing similar deference to the parliamentary system then.

Does he now see only parliamentary activity as the way in which elected representatives can show support to constituents and campaign on important issues? Is Sillars saying that irrespective of what is happening in the real world parliament has to sit? Taking that to its logical conclusion is he advocating that parliamentary staff should not have the right to strike! If not then who does he expect to staff the parliament when all of the major trade unions will be out on strike and on the picket lines he would be crossing?

If the Scottish National Party and others want to show solidarity with the trade union movement in their fight against the UK government’s attack on their pension rights they should do this unequivocally. C’mon Jim, get your mojo back!

Neil Findlay MSP

Scottish Parliament

Edinburgh