James O'Brien Spots Staggering Link Between Southern Strike And The Daily Express

14 December 2016, 13:56 | Updated: 14 December 2016, 15:16

James O'Brien smiling in a tank top

James O'Brien's observation on the connection between the Daily Express and the recent spate of strikes will leave you staggered.

The Daily Express has gone in hard on the strikes at Southern Rail and the Post Office, condemning the unions and praising government plans to restrict industrial action.

But James points out that the journalists haven't had a pay rise for 10 years and are being made to write those articles for their billionaire boss.

Speaking about the Daily Express, he said: "The journalists haven't had a pay rise for the best part of a decade and the National Union of Journalists is desperately trying to prise some more pay from the pockets of their billionaire owner.

"Amazing isn't it that a newspaper whose own staff is in a state of constant protest against their wage restraints have to then write articles condemning unions because that's what their billionaire press baron owner has told them to do.

"And then you read that newspaper and you come away with an idea that unions are the enemy despite the fact that unions are actually the only people protecting the interests of the people writing the stories because they have to and they've got kids to feed and mortgages to pay, the people writing the stories convincing you that unions are a waste of time.

"It's incredible actually. There you go, that's it. That is industrial relations in Britain in the 21st century.

"Journalists who haven't had a pay rise for the best part of 10 years compelled to write articles about how awful unions are and how wrong industrial action is by a billionaire boss who knows the only chance his staff have got of ever receiving a pay rise is a union.

"Wow, that's just perfect, isn't it? Not only am I not going to pay you, I'm going to make you write an article about why the people demanding that you get a pay rise are scum bags. Genius, this is absolutely brilliant. Man alive.

"What do you do next after you come up with a scheme like that? Order 101 Dalmatians to make yourself a new coat?"

Categories: Southern Rail Strike | Newspapers

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