The Guardian reports Jeremy Corbyn’s interview with Andrew Marr. It seems like good news and a welcome breath of the new politics:

“Jeremy Corbyn says he would repeal Thatcher’s sympathy strikes ban

Labour leader says walkouts in support of workers from another industry are legal in most countries and should be so in UK”

And it is a welcome breath of the new politics, of course. But isn’t it typical that someone should immediately use a method based on the old politics to undermine the new and spoil our dinners? According to the report Len McCluskey, the Unite union’s General Secretary, quickly waded in to insist that Jeremy didn’t mean anything of the kind (how old politics that is). He claimed that when Corbyn said he would repeal Thatcher’s laws against solidarity action it didn’t mean “tube drivers going out in support of other workers.” Oh, yes it did, Len: according to the Guardian,

“On whether that meant he would repeal the legislation imposing bans on these [solidarity] measures, [Corbyn] said, ‘Of course.'”

I’m not sure what part of the phrase “Of course” Len doesn’t understand. But to me it means that Jeremy “would repeal the legislation imposing bans” on solidarity action.

Well, thank Gawd for that! And if solidarity action was legal now, not only tube drivers but other workers too could strike in support of, say, the junior doctors. Now that would get them their contracts, and protect patients, doctors and the future of the NHS.

So what would be wrong with that, Len?

When I got to the hospital at 1pm today there was no sign of a picket outside. Where were the striking junior doctors? Inside? I walked in and there was just the usual queue for the lifts. There are 12 floors at Hull Royal Infirmary – try to climb the stairs and you could end up being a patient! Anyway, no junior doctors’ picket.

Back outside, I spotted the office of the union Unison. The woman inside told me the strikers had gone to march around the centre of town, so I set out to find them. Halfway there I met about a dozen strikers, mostly in uniform, placards in hand, on their way back to the hospital, all set to stay on the picket line till 5pm. In town they’d handed out leaflets and explained their case for striking, and now, on their way back, they were greeted by a continual stream of car drivers hooting their support.

Why were they striking? They’ve been trying to negotiate a decent contract, they explain in their leaflet, that

“pays us fairly for the hours we work

ensures that the hours we work are safe

provides cover at weekends and at night, but also recognises our right to family life

doesn’t disadvantage those doctors who work less than full time or who take parental leave”

Now the government is threatening to impose a contract on them which doesn’t satisfy these points. The strike is “a last resort”, they explain. One of the doctors holding a placard and a handful of leaflets told me, “Quite honestly, I’d rather be working, but what else can we do?”

His words illustrate two things. First, their action today was not aimed at patients and did not put patients at risk, though that allegation has been made and will be made again. They are medics because they want to care for their patients. Secondly, his words are a measure of their desperation. Their leaflet explains:

“We are fed up of hearing government ministers undervalue our work and undermine patients’ trust in us. Many of us are already at breaking point, looking to work overseas or even leaving the medical profession altogether.”

“So when’s the next strike?” I asked my new doctor friend.

“Oh, not till next week,” he said. “But we’re  hoping it won’t be necessary. We’re hoping the government will see sense and come back to negotiate.”

I must say the idea of the government seeing sense is not one that has often occurred to me. I suspect his hope is a vain one. There’ll be need for more strikes, and support from other workers, not just those in the medical professions, before the doctors get their contract.

Anyway, next week I’ll try to be on time and join the picket. Is that still called “secondary picketing”? And is that still illegal?

Don’t know.

Don’t care.