Political Rant 106: The Price of New Labour
- 00:08:39
- YouTube
Political Rant 106: The Price of New Labour
Gordon Brown condemned wildcat strikes as indefensible amid frantic efforts to prevent the row over the use of foreign labour escalating into mass industrial action. The Prime Minister said he recognised people were "worried" about jobs being taken by workers from other countries, but stressed that the UK was part of a "single European market". He also sought to explain his pledge of "British jobs for British workers", insisting he had only meant people would be given the skills to compete against other nationalities. The comments, in an interview with the BBC's Politics Show, came as efforts continued to stop tensions spiralling out of control. Earlier yesterday, Business Secretary Lord Mandelson promised that the Government would "make sure that both domestic UK law and European rules are being applied properly and fairly". "But it would be a huge mistake to retreat from a policy where European companies can operate here," he added. Health Secretary Alan Johnson - a former trade union leader - insisted that wildcat strikes were "unhelpful".
YouTube | February 1, 2009
