Union ‘fat cats’ must not hold country to ransom

MIDDLE Ireland came out of its deep slumber on Lisbon Treaty referendum day and restored our belief that we still live in a healthy democracy.

Quite apart from the pros and cons of Lisbon, it is comforting to know that a knowledgeable core of the electorate, when pressed, is strong enough to steer a safe passage through all the bluster and lies, from whatever quarter.

And now that SIPTU general president Jack O’Connor has put the country on notice that we are in for a winter of industrial unrest, we will need that core of stability to overcome possible challenges to our democratic structures. It is unfortunate that we must face into this uncertainty at a time when our political leaders are in disarray and our economy is virtually on life support. However, that is how it is. But why should four million people have to watch on helplessly as unelected, well-paid union leaders carve up a diminishing cake in the interests of well protected members, and at the cost of thousands of private sector jobs?