There's an interesting thread on politics.ie:
[broken link removed]
In pretty much every sphere I move in at present, and especially noticeable on internet discussion boards, the public-private sector battle is evident. It's bitter, divisive, and ultimately unproductive - except for the government, who are running a classic 'divide and conquer' programme.
At the risk of sounding like a naive, "can't we all just get along" type, is there any possibility that something of the attitude displayed in the link above could be harnessed here on AAM?
From the politics.ie thread:
[broken link removed]
In pretty much every sphere I move in at present, and especially noticeable on internet discussion boards, the public-private sector battle is evident. It's bitter, divisive, and ultimately unproductive - except for the government, who are running a classic 'divide and conquer' programme.
At the risk of sounding like a naive, "can't we all just get along" type, is there any possibility that something of the attitude displayed in the link above could be harnessed here on AAM?
From the politics.ie thread:
Posted by lifeisagame on politics.ie [Original post, edited]
As a Member that has ceaselessly attacked the Public Sector I am also a pragmatic Businessman.
Is it time to stop the war and join forces?
By this I mean a joint attack on the forces that are attacking both our Sectors.
We are ALL going to suffer at the hands of this or even the next Government.
Having, for many many years worked in environment of Industrial Relations and seen the Bitterness it left on long time friends against each other, I have long believed that no matter what, it only gets resolved by dialogue.
...
However, like the Government, the Unions and indeed ourselves we never expected this depth of depression. I am not sure that they can dig us out of this hole and I believe we must force direction on them.
How do we do that? Well for starters bridge the divide between us. Then set up a genuine recovery Forum on P.ie and bring the thoughts,minds, brains and will together.
This Government can drive anything through while we are divided because we are defenceless and they can laugh at us fighting among ourselves.
...
So I personally am going to back away from this war, I am going to do what I enjoy and do best and that is take the joint problems and seek Counter Measures that fit.
...
Finally, I personally am declaring a truce with the Public Sector...
Posted by Newsy on politics.ie
I welcome your post, lifeisagame.
There has been a very well orchestrated campaign on many things in the past months. The Banks/deveropers/politicians threesome being denied, NAMA not being a bailout and then the private/public war that was well managed and fueled by sections of the media.
The only way things will change in the country, is NOT to fall for the spin or not to be divided. There truly is strength in numbers.
We are a people, who can do better, be better and demand better. It is our responsibility to do just that.
Posted by Mitsui2 on politics.ie
I am not nor have I ever been a public sector worker, but some of the anti-ps vituperation that's been on here recently has been completely surreal.
Some of it may stem from actual deeply-held belief (although if so I think the believers need some kind of counselling) but an awful lot of it - it has seemed to me - is a kind of lashing out in the face of the enormous difficulties we all face and the fact that the government seems at best resigned to effing us all over, at worst quite determined to do so.
As far as I am concerned there is now a definite - dangerous, shortsighted and little short of criminal - tendency in this government and its minions in and out of politics to encourage social polarisation of one form or another.
The only conceivable reasons I can think of for this are so as to a) disract attention from what the government is actually doing and b) weaken public anger against the government by turning sections of the public against each other.
Though not, as I say, a public service worker myself, I very much welcome the OP as a voice of sanity. I suspect that the government will turn on various sectors before this is all over, at least some of which will probably coincide with my own prejudices and tempt me to fume & rant. But we all of us need to take a very deep breath at this stage, and remember who is actually behaving in the most inimical fashion towards all of us collectively.