Quote Originally Posted by Baron von Biffo View Post
Lab seems to have a tag of protector of the PS everywhere except the in PS. And the only place that Croke Park is regarded as a boon to the PS is outside of the PS.

PS workers can see that even though they've delivered more than was asked of them under Croke Park they haven't been given the promised reversal of the pay cuts to the lowest paid and in fact the demand of them just keep growing.
FF were the party of the PS during the boom. Now that FFs collapse means that they can no longer deliver for the PS the PS need a new champion. Who else but Labour fits the bill?

The Labour leadership don't care about the lower levels of the PS, but to protect the Upper levels of the PS they need to throw their weight behind the Croke Park concept of all for one and one for all in the PS. In practice this means the savings will come from the bottom up. The PS Union leadership are part of the same circle of self-serving chattering classes as the Quango culture brigade. Maintaining the lifestyle of this circle of common interests is the raison d'etre of the Labour leadership.

While there's enough cash coming in from the bailouts to maintain the status quo the lower levels and the upper levels of the PS have a common cause. When the funds run out we'll be in for interesting times, perhaps new or breakaway PS Unions.

If SF thinks it can make significant gains at the next GE and then say it won't go into government unless it's the senior party it will have committed political suicide.
It's a racing certainty that FG will have the numbers to form a coalition Govt next time. FG have a visceral loathing of SF so that combination looks unlikely. The only way that SF will have to go into Govt will be in a coalition with FF and possibly Labour. No matter what happens SF will either be a strong Junior or Senior partner in a relatively equal coalition, the numbers just won't be there for a FF dominated coalition with SF as makeweights.