Chapter 1517 Breaking Someone’s Leg

It was known that Britain had to adopt a strong monetary policy for the sake of the circulation of the pound sterling, which helped imports to the detriment of exports, but the strong monetary policy was still a stumbling block that hindered the development of British industry.

Especially coal workers steel workers, these two industries with meager profits, in the pound’s strong monetary policy, has long been a burden.

This is very difficult to deal with, the constant printing of money and inflation race will put pressure on the pound, but the trade unions can not care about this, still want to raise wages and raises. Maybe in their view, the pound status can be unlimited overdraft, to say that before World War II can really be, but now the pound are the first settlement currency status has lost twenty years.

Although the Bretton Woods system has long established the status of the dollar, but the pound because of the pre-war status, until the late fifties after the Second World War, was officially pulled by the dollar gap.

At this time the trade unions that demanded a pay rise, in the eyes of Alan Wilson, has become an unruly people who do not sympathize with the difficulties of the court, there are times when you think about it, Mrs. Thatcher’s claims can not be said to be all wrong.

Allen Wilson returned to London before the Prime Minister Callaghan has just met with the trade union leaders once, the permanent undersecretary of the Treasury Frank informed Allen Wilson of this matter, “In fact, Armstrong is more suitable to tell you about this matter, but 么, your Cabinet Office is more complicated, not as clear as the Ministry of Finance so clear.”

“You mean Armstrong wants to cooperate with the Prime Minister and be able to take my place?” Alan Wilson smiled and asked rhetorically, “No way, our relationship is quite good.”

“When Sir Edward and Sir Norman were on good terms as well.” Frank smiled slightly, “I’m not saying he’s ambitious, just overly active in the union’s demand for a pay rise.”

“That group of lazy workers, not sympathetic at all to the country’s difficulties, at this rate, their good days will be over.” Alan Wilson, with a cold face, fiercely attacked the workers’ delicious laziness and the greed that was not at all concealed.

How is it that they don’t know any better? Nor do they look at how much profit the trades in which they are engaged can produce.

But that’s just the way it is, Alan Wilson knows that an inflation rate of close to ten percent is nothing compared to the looming thirty percent he remembers in Britain, but he knows that the rest of the British people don’t know that, and will just blame the government for the unprecedented inflation without even the slightest bit of gratitude.

“Citizens won’t compare it to European countries, but they will compare it to the citizens of the United States, where inflation is less than eight percent.” Frank shrugged helplessly, he wasn’t singing against the Supreme Authority, it was true.

“America’s inflation is only one percent lower than Britain’s, and that’s a comparison?” Alan Wilson was furious, “America still has more than nine million people on the mainland, why don’t we compare on that? Anyway, in this case Whitehall still needs to make clear what the problem is, pay rises are not solving the problem but creating it. The unions are going too far and they should not think that the government will back down endlessly.”

Labour’s long post-war period in power was a result of the personal abilities of Aidley and Harold Wilson, not that Labour was really stronger than the Tories, big wins like Aidley’s first two terms have gone missing in the last couple of elections, and Labour’s position in power is nowhere near as secure as it was back in the day.

“It depends on what the Prime Minister thinks about this.” Frank said helplessly, “Why don’t we talk to the Prime Minister, hopefully the Prime Minister will come to his senses.”

“When it comes to matters of support, even if he understands it in his heart, he may not dare to do anything about it.” Alan Wilson said in his heart how can it be so simple, the labor unions are the main supporters of the Labor Party.

Electoral system countries as long as it goes with the vote, everything is nothing. But can a wage rise save Labor’s support to stay in power?

The truth is that Callaghan has always compromised with the unions for the fundamental reason of wanting to win re-election, but Labor can’t just conjure up money out of thin air. Keynesianism has been increasingly questioned in recent years, and with inflation in Europe and the United States remaining high, there is little room for Labor to make concessions.

Once tolerance of inflation exceeds the tipping point, union support will not save Labor.

Out of Whitehall’s responsibility, Alan Wilson still came to the door to talk to the Prime Minister, Callaghan listened to it and said, “Sir, this matter is not so simple. The problem is not just coal workers and steel workers either, workers are a collective, Land Rover workers and Comet airliner workers, are equally workers. While Sir’s words make sense, what if there is a strike in Ms. Pamela’s industry?”

“I am not going to budge, I mean Pamela is not going to budge.” Alan Wilson’s face was hard to see, this possibility existed, but he was so forbidding to leave a portion of his high end industry on British soil, was it even a fucking mistake?

Well, this issue aside, he went to Washington this time to show that Britain, the United States and France should respond to the coup in Afghanistan and hold military exercises in the Arabian Sea as support for Pakistan. To show the unrivaled power of the free world to back up Pakistan.

“I will push for this matter.” Callahan nodded, and the prime minister thought that the exchange of words on the matter of the pay hike could be considered a win for himself this time.

Callahan immediately had the action, began to lead the British, American and French navies to conduct exercises, although the size of the French navy is also so, but when it comes to the issue of right and wrong, even if the French navy is really not good enough to be used, this time it is also necessary to step in, and the United States is also the same idea.

The two countries explained to France the seriousness of the current situation, that the Soviet puppet government in Afghanistan was likely to take risky actions, and that the free world should be closely united.

Alan Wilson took a book to pass the time, in Xia Meng here to disperse, soon Xia Meng will go to Xiangjiang as a judge, he came over to accompany to show the importance of, but the three kingdoms in his hand shows that the Cabinet Secretary General, the current situation is very dissatisfied, staring at the passage of Sima Zhao regicide to see again and again, he always felt that Callahan mentioned the workers of the Land Rover Company, in a sense, it is in a sense a threat to him.

“What’s been going on lately, Lord Lt. Hall?” Charmaine said the man’s self-proclaimed name, wondering why Alan Wilson was in a bad mood, and could only find nothing to say to try to make fun of this man who was so proud of his prime ministerial talent.

“It’s useless to talk to you. Expand your network properly when you get to Xiangjiang, your good days are here.” Alan Wilson put down the three kingdoms and started to follow the advice, “Now the Europe and the United States side of the problem is very big, while your homeland is still a blue ocean, put what you see and hear on this side, find the experience that can be borrowed, I believe that the future of you and your child is bright.”

“Got it, I’ll be obedient.” Xia Meng was busy nodding her head, although this man was not all his own, he was still nothing to her, “Don’t look, what’s there to look at in someone like Sima Zhao.”

“He’s the same kind of person as Cao Cao. Only more unlucky.” Alan Wilson replied in disbelief, wouldn’t Cao Cao dare to commit regicide? He dared to kill the empress and the prince, but he still cared about an emperor.

It’s just that Emperor Xian of Han didn’t make the move to directly showdown with the Sima family like Emperor Wei did. If Han Xian Di dares to make a showdown move, there is nothing Cao Cao wouldn’t dare to do.

Alan Wilson feels that the day of showdown with the powerful trade union forces in Britain is not far away, in fact, Callaghan is right, the demand for a pay rise can not be treated as the demand of steel workers or coal workers, this is actually the demand of all industrial workers in Britain, it will not be because the workers in the automobile or shipbuilding industry are well-paid, they do not ask for a pay rise.

“So what are you going to do, my dear, if the Land Rover car workers demand a pay rise?” Alan Wilson suddenly found himself in an unenviable position, Pamela Mountbatten’s reputation could be tarnished if she firmly opposed it, and if she didn’t oppose the government she would be backing away from the unions again.

“That’s quite a problem.” Pamela Mountbatten pondered for a long time, asking her husband who had asked such a tricky question, and only answered when she heard that it was the Prime Minister, “So it seems the threat is there. Wouldn’t Whitehall be terribly embarrassed if once the five percent limit was exceeded, especially since you’re my husband, would people think it was collusion between business and the government?”

“Then what’s the point?” Alan Wilson dragged his chin, the two were husband and wife, and if Pamela Mountbatten was adamant in her support of the government, she would not give more than the five percent limit.

British workers may not be smart, but to the government and business collusion above the association, or not more than the ability of the workers.

“Even the automobile industry can’t accept endless requests for greed, and the treatment I’m giving is already among the top group in the UK.” Pamela Mountbatten answered so from interest considerations, but thinking of her husband as Cabinet Secretary, “Perhaps we should take the approach of letting someone else explore.”

Alan Wilson had a head full of question marks while Pamela Mountbatten spoke, “Just watch, if someone has a problem before us first, doesn’t that mean we’re okay?”

Pamela Mountbatten is full of confidence, decided to find a scapegoat to launch to test the waters, to see the current confrontation between the trade unions and enterprises within the United Kingdom, there is still no room for détente.

“Then it’s up to you.” Now the female president, has not been when a handful of diamonds on the dizzy little girl, since the female president has an idea, Alan Wilson will do a good job as a spectator.

Immediately after that, he began to prepare to plan the military exercises to cheer for Pakistan, leaving all the operations against the labor unions to his wife.

The conflict finally erupted in September, after the British Ford, which was doing well, accepted the government’s limit of five percent pay rise, 15,000 Ford employees responded with a strike, the vast majority of whom were members of the Transport and General Workers’ Union (TGWU), and a week later the union decided to support the unofficial action, making it an official strike, and the number of strikers rose to 57,000 people.

Pamela Mountbatten’s solution was also simple: before anything happened to Land Rover, she let something happen to Ford, broke Ford’s legs, and saw how the Labor government responded to the strike.