The Tube Strikes: Views From The Drivers

Queues longer than the latest Banksy exhibition, red-faced workers and a capital city failing to handle the amount of people teaming onto the streets. The pleasures of a tube strike, but as our daily commute might seem easy now, London is bracing itself for another two 24 hour walk outs by the London Underground staff. The 25th and 27th will see more industrial action, as workers look to protect themselves and those they aim to help/

While the media has been rife with talk about the next bout of strikes, it has led to drivers of the London Underground being labeled as ‘lazy’ and stating that ‘they are on 50k to do nothing,’ this has left a foul taste in the mouths of many Londoners. There has been senseless statements on social media with scathing words aimed at the tube drivers by commuters, Londoners and even people who don’t even travel into London. While its only a minority of people, they still need to realise that this strike isn’t just the drivers taking part. But, before we proceed in condemning their strike actions, you firstly need to ask yourself why are they striking? What are the facts? And is it just the drivers striking?

So what are the facts? There are over 20,000 people who work for the London Underground, and only 3,000 of those workers are drivers. So that leaves 17,000 people who you have failed to condemn for being ‘lazy’. This isn’t a strike about the drivers, this is a strike about protecting the safety of you, the passengers and ensuring the safety of staff. With the current government hell bent on following through with austerity, it’s ripping out the very fibre of one of the most recognisable British institutions in the world. Back in 2011 the TFL had its budget cut by £7.2bn, since then, its cut more jobs by closing numerous ticket offices across the entire network, but while the four unions (RMT, ASLEF, TSSA and Unite) have called for talks with the mayor, Boris Johnson has failed to consult with these unions since becoming mayor in 2008. Manuel Cortes of the TSSA has been quoted saying, “time for the mayor to start getting his hands dirty and get down to serious direct negotiations.” The longer the Mayor refuses to negotiate with the unions, then expect further strike action in the future.

Speaking about why they are striking, I spoke to two tube drivers, whose names have been changed, in order to protect their identity and more importantly their jobs. Mr Northern says “Management have still not given us any sort of deal that meets our demands for a fully staffed, safe railway. Over 20,000 work on the Underground – only 3000 of them are drivers. Also involved are power supply workers, depot staff, control room staff, managers, and of course the largest number is station staff, who will be the worst affected by these proposed cuts.”

Mr Piccadilly goes onto argue, “forcing an issue like 24 hour train service without any consultation with any of the unions, some station staff will be getting one weekend off in 27!! The unions are not against Night Tube, as it will ultimately mean more jobs, however they’ve just laid off 900 people and yet they are telling everybody there will be more visible staff?  How?

When asked if they felt sorry for the commuters this will be inevitably effecting, Mr Northern replied with, “Of course – no one likes taking strike action – it’s the absolute last resort. But the future of the Underground is at stake here, and with it the safety of the passengers. The blame should be laid at the door of senior management and the political motives of the mayor.” And Mr Piccadilly took the same stance, stating, “Yes I do actually but they should vent their frustrations out on management and our Mayor for trying to impose upon us all, not just drivers, hideous new rosters.”

It’s clear the future of TFL is very much under scrutiny, will these strikes achieve what it set out to do, or will the cuts continue to jeopardise jobs and the safety of passengers who ride the tube? Both drivers seem to agree that the current regime will rip the heart out of this railway. “Under this regime things look bleak. Hopefully a change of mayor will enable TfL to get back to running a railway, rather than playing politics with the workforce and the passengers.” Mr Northern explains, whilst Mr Piccadilly takes a more pessimistic approach, exclaiming, “Ultimately I feel that there will be major de-staffing and ultimately it will fully automated with 1,000’s of people laid off, is that a good thing?  No of course not but no matter what happens, even if there are driverless trains there will still be a driver on board and if they go on strike there will still be no trains! Automation is not good, there is nothing better than talking and dealing with a person, they can solve a problem better than a machine.  As they’ve now closed ticket offices the queues are now horrendous at ticket machines, check out places like, Victoria, Kings Cross, Euston, it is horrendous!”

These testimonials only come from two drivers in a network of around 3000, while these sentiments might not be felt amongst everyone, they represent a feeling that comes from the majority. Before you take a swipe at the drivers or the TFL staff, think about the consequences these sanctions are having on the lives of thousands. The inconvenience of a strike, is frustrating, but if these people don’t stand up to protect the very foundations of a system that is relied on by millions each day, then it is doomed for failure.

How many times have you had to help someone else out on the tube because they didn’t know where to go, or how to top up? These 24 hour tubes, while a godsend for London’s vibrant night life, how are they expected to run a service with inadequate staffing all the while trying to save money by cutting more jobs elsewhere. The 24 hour tubes should either be scrapped completely, or allow pay to be representative of the job in hand. Where do you stand on the tube strikes?

The Pain of Retail

Now the fuckfest that is Christmas in retail is over, It has allowed me to calm down and collect my thoughts. Working in retail during it’s busiest period really is something out of the Serengeti. People stroll into store wild eyed with the possibility of them ripping your head reaching boiling point. All trimmings of human nature goes out the window at Christmas, despite being the season of good will, bollocks to that. The barging, the constant queuing and not getting what they want sends the heart rate of these people through the roof.

I work in one of the biggest retailers in the country and with this came some experiences that I will no doubt take to my grave, seeing people act the way they do is somewhat shameful. Although you do get a gem of a customer from time to time that brightens up your day, but the reality of it is 8 times out of 10 most people will treat and talk to you like you belong on the bottom of their shit trodden boot.

Don’t you dare tell a customer that an item is out of stock – the amount of times I had to deal with people complaining at me because they couldnt bothered to 1.) check the stock checker, 2.) reserve it online or 3.) ring the store to see if we stock it. I am just doing my job at the end of the day, it’s also the busiest period of the year the demand for items is at a astronomical level. The amount of times I had customer walk away from me in a massive huff because we didn’t have it in stock happened on numerous occasions with one person even telling me I ruined their Christmas (even though it wasn’t really my fault). If you want something so bad, you’ll go through lengths to ensure you get it. Then you get questions like, “Why don’t you have this in stock?”, “Will it be in before Christmas?” and even on one occasion I got asked “Why is it so busy today?” the last question coming TWO days before Christmas.

Then came Christmas Eve, a day where people go into panic mode as they lose all sense of who they are. I had the joy of working from 9-5, nothing puts you in the Christmas spirit like an 8 hour shift. You may or may not know this, but we do have lives as well, we are not humanoid’s programmed to just cater to your needs. So the managers decide to close the doors at 4.30 because quite frankly the store was still packed out and we all wanted to be out by 5/5.30. Which is only fair, as a work force we have worked our metaphorical bollocks off to ensure you all have a nice Christmas. Two of my female colleagues man the door, to let people out and to stop the rush of people coming in. Of course, people didnt like that did they? With one gentleman getting so irate he threatened to wait for my colleagues after work so he could essentially ‘deal’ with them. tralalal la la la. Here is a thought, Christmas is something comes around EVERY year, why have you left it until 5 to 5 on Christmas Eve to buy something? What planet are you on?

I have always been the type of person who is open minded when it comes to people, but working in retail really makes you question how some of these people even function on a daily basis. From the idiotic questioning, to the abusive rants as customers blame us for everything that has gone wrong and the most infuriating part of all of this, is the customer is ALWAYS right. Why is that? What gives them this divine right? Yes pretty much every retailers employs this stance, but sometimes there has to be a point where you draw the line. Getting abused verbally and even threatened, which I have experienced on numerous occasions isn’t fair on the employee when this idea of always attending to the customers needs is the top priority. Why should I help someone who is currently telling me that he/she wants to hurt me and is calling me all kinds of names under the sun? Yes, we can walk away and are allowed to stand up for ourselves to a point, but that feeling of not being able to argue back is one of the most frustrating feelings.

Refusing refunds on some items is the next subject that really gets me riled. Customers think they can return the item in any situation, when it’s outlined to them when buying the item and on the refund policy, that if  you lose your receipt we can only issue you a giftcard for the lowing selling price. “But I paid 39.99 for it!!” as one Customer exclaimed at me once, well if you had your receipt I would happily give you that money, but the receipt is your responsibility once you leave store. The price of the item had been on offer on numerous occasions, so all I could do was refund it to her as 24.99 onto a giftcard, which caused a massive stink. She demands the manager, who I willingly get, over comes the manager and guess what says exactly the same thing. Just because he wears a suit, doesn’t mean I can’t do my job properly. It’s one thing that really grates and i’m sure anyone in retail would agree.

Christmas seems to bring the worst out in people, they all come down with an incessant need to get what they want, their pupils in their eyes widen, their blood pressure reaches new heights and their behavior becomes that of a vulture. I pray to the lord that this has been the last time I spend Christmas in retail.

These are only a small amount of incidents that come into my head but if you have any other experiences from your job in retail? Or an experience you have encountered whilst shopping?

Why Sutton, is in fact, not normal.

Last week Neil Couling, work services director at the Department for Work and Pensions, stated that my lovely home town of Sutton, was in fact the most normal place in Britain. This coming from a man who has never visited the area, despite claiming he ‘adores’ the place, but once you step foot on the slopes of Sutton High Street its just a down hill journey.

Sutton is located to the very North of Surrey, but the very South of London, coming in as a London Borough. So while the area is predominately working class families, the borough does in fact have a high number of upper-class citizens boding in this suburb. Growing up as a kid and into my teenage years, I have come into contact with a lot of weird and wonderful people from this newly acclaimed utopia.

Lets go back to my first memory of Sutton, when I was around 5 or 6 I was walking down the high street with my Mum and noticed a man who was suited in an all in white number, with yellow staining at the hems and his sleeves in tatters. From his head, a mane of worn down matted grey hair and a beard containing yesterdays sandwich. Ladies and Gentlemen I introduce you to the man that got dubbed ‘The Jesus Man’. If anyone from Sutton knows, in fact anyone from surrounding towns, this man became a legend of Sutton. He would frequently walk around with bird seeds in his pocket, as the feathered contingent would flock to him. This was also a man, that if you told him it was your birthday he would give you money or in some cases sweets, as the tales go, though I never experienced at first hand, I have met people who took advantage of this man’s mental state and actually got money out of him. Unfortunately for Sutton, we lost our hero a few years back as he succumb to stomach cancer.

Next, is a man who is Sutton’s biggest celebrity at the moment, ‘The Wizard Man’ aka Conrad Pugsley, what a fantastic name! A pagan priest to those who visit him from far and wide, but to the knucklehead population of this town, some geezer wearing a purple cape pretending to be Gandalf. When he first came onto the scene, he was admired by the fact he would walk around town with his cat on his shoulder and his dog following his every step. His popularity grew so much, that he was asked to turn the Sutton Christmas lights on one year, but this was canned as animal rights protestors claimed he mistreated his animals – when in fact they had more freedom than most pets. The picture below went viral during the summer riots of 2011. Clearly another example that Sutton is far from normal.

‘Alice In Wonderland’ is the name given to an elderly lady, who has one single matted dreadlock amongst a hair do that hasnt seen shampoo since it was invented. She strolls our high street dressed as if she was about to dine with the mad hatter himself, every time she appears she is wearing a long floral/polka dot dress. This then leads into another character that has gone down in Sutton legend, this man being ‘The Water Tank Man’ pretty self explanatory really, but let me elaborate. He was a pale looking gentleman, with a gaunt figure, his attire consisted of white shorts and a white polo top, but he didnt get his name from that, he got it from the fact he carried with him 2 gallons of water on his back in a makeshift water carrier back pack. We never saw him drink from it, or offer anyone any water, maybe it was an exercise regime or just a way of making a scene.

While these are only four people in a population of over 40,000 people, there are still plenty of characters on offer here to show you that Sutton is in fact, one of the most peculiar places in the country.

ZZZZZZZZ Not Metallica Again!?

So Metallica were announced as the first headliner for Reading and Leeds festival yesterday – the least exciting festival announcement in recent times. Before we go any further, let me explain that I am in fact a huge fan of the Hetfield/Ulrich Party Bus, so this isn’t a piece taking a hateful snipe at them, however I think – like a lot of other people – that the kings of metal do need to go away for a while.

Yes, I fully understand the booking and it’s great to see Reading and Leeds booking these types of headliners again, as Tenacious D once sang, “You can’t kill the metal, the metal will live on! ” and you can’t. After being the first heavy metal band to headline the wankfest that is Glastonbury, it sent a small shock to the Glastonities (the Worthy Farm regulars), but they obliterated the entire festival. Also it’s fucking Metallica, the greatest Heavy Metal band of all time and one of the best live shows still kicking around, but it’s now getting to a point where it’s becoming rather stale.

Since 2003, Metallica have played the UK every summer bar two in that time (if my facts are correct). Out of a possible 12 summers, that means they have been here for 10 summers. Which is great for their hardcore fans, but it’s now getting to a point where there hasnt been a new album since 2008 with Death Magnetic and despite spending this summer doing ‘By Request’ sets, which saw all you fucking idiots voting for the same songs anyway, we didn’t get to see anything like Dyers Eve, Trapped Under Ice or Whiplash, so there was nothing new or original about those sets. Having played Download in 2003 (secret set), 2004, 2006 and 2012, as well as Sonisphere 2009, 2011 and 2014. Then we can’t forget their Reading headline sets of 2003 and 2008. It doesnt stop there we can;t forget about their massive sold out show at Wembley Stadium in 2007 that only leaves 2005 and 2013 when they weren’t in the UK playing during festival season.

It makes me question the demand for this band anymore, there is nothing exciting about booking them as a headliner in 2014, yes it’s a safe option, yes they will bring hit after hit, but sometimes you have to take something away for people to truly miss it. If Metallica decided to take about 3 or 4 years away from music and came back with a brand new album, a new lease of life and a different stage show then maybe people wouldn’t be turning their noses up as much as they have been. Yes festival headliners are starting to wear thin, especially when you take into account who is currently active and who is actually good enough to still do it, but when Metallica were announced yesterday, my first reaction was ‘meh’ and i’m sure people did exactly the same thing.

Yes, it gets them playing to a younger audience, which is the perfect path to take when you have been doing it for so long, but guys, I want to feel that excitement again when your name is announced for a festival, I want to be able to feel all giddy at the thought of seeing Battery blasted out across a festival field. Having seen them do it time and time again, with some performances being incredible and some being rather shakey, I think it’s time for Metallica to take a break. We all know that once they come back, they’ll come back even bigger than before, which is a win win.

What do you guys think?

Which band could be a future Download headliner?

Now into its 13^th year as a festival, after taking over The Monsters of Rock’s stomping ground, Download has been the calling for all things metal, rock, punk and every sub-genre in-between. This is an event I pencil into my calendar every year, but as the festival continues to grow and develop the question coming to everyone’s attention, is who will be the next Download headliner?

Last week we saw the first batch of announcements, with Slipknot, Muse and Kiss all announced to headline the 2015 edition of festival. While Slipknot was always bound to happen, this is the third time they are headlining since 2009. Muse provide us with something brand new for the festival and while they are making their Donington debut, it’s not exactly an unproven headliner, as we all know how spectacular their live show can be. This leaves Kiss, a band who provide the classic rock headliner slot that Download love so much, again a band who have headlined before. I am a huge fan of all three bands, especially Slipknot but there is nothing about these headliners that is a gamble, for this world of music to move forward it needs to be handing some of these headline slots to bands who are yet to headline any festival, Avenged Sevenfold were given their first headline slot last summer and it’s safe to say they absolutely smashed it, but this is the issue who is next? Who the hell is there?

Let’s take a look at the candidates, who I feel would make cracking Download headliners. If I was a betting man, Bring Me The Horizon could well be that band who take up that place as a festival headliner. Sempiternal did them wonders, with Radio 1 fashioning them more than ever, as all the major magazines giving the album glowing reviews. Off the back of that, they played third to Linkin Park this year at Download and they have sold out Wembley Arena. All eyes are on what the Sheffield mob will unleash next, with a new album imminent – this release will determine if they reach the glorious plains of headline band. They have the tunes, they have nailed their live show, one more chart success and another arena tour under their belts, don’t be surprised to see this band headline one day.

The next contender on this list has to go to Bullet For My Valentine, for years they have been on the cusp of greatness working their metaphorical bollocks off to the glorious heights of sub-headliner. Each time I have seen them play this spot, they have brought the production and played the right bangers worthy of a headline set. The Poison, Scream Aim Fire and Fever were all fantastic records, but then came along Temper Temper which in my opinion put the bands career back two years. The less I say about that fourth album the better, as we all know it had as much imagination as an episode of Hollyoaks. Luckily they can still salvage what they worked so hard for, as they are currently working on their fifth album. If this album is on the same levels as their first three, hopefully they can reignite that spark and finally take that step up as headliner.

Now this is where things get a bit tricky, who else is there? American heavyweights Alter Bridge could easily be the next headline band, having already sub-headlined the festival and with their last two UK tours being sold out Arenas its now just a matter of time surely? But why do I say this with such reluctance? Why wouldn’t I be excited by a band who I am a fan of? Myles Kennedy is a bonafide rockstar and is the complete frontman – on top of that they have plenty of tunes to please any Download crowd. I think this one depends on the next album, but it seems every time they come back to the UK they just get bigger and bigger. I think if Andy Copping took the risk and booked them as headliner, it would please the majority of fans and they will no doubt put on a great show, but for some reason I just don’t think they’ll ever get that big, hopefully I get proven wrong.

Another new band, who have propelled themselves into stardom, is Royal Blood. Now most of you sitting there might be thinking, what the fuck am I on about, surely they are a Reading/Glastonbury band. Which I do agree with, however they are a band who appeal to a wide range of people. Their debut went to number 1 and the hype machine has been in overdrive ever since they burst onto the scene. While there is still a long way to go, expect this band to just growing in stature, the real challenge will be what their second album produces? But they are already amassing festival field anthems and that is what you want from a headliner.

Like many other people, I for one would absolutely love to see Machine Head headline, but as much as it sucks to say this, their time has come and gone for that spot now. Sub-headline would be a bit of a push, while The Blackening is a 21^st century masterpiece and the band themselves are one of the best to do it in the last 20 years, they tried to play arenas and struggled with selling them out. While their fan base in the UK is as loyal as a dog, the demand for them just isn’t as huge as people expected it to be.

While I have blabbed on about only 5 bands, there are still plenty of exciting up and coming bands already being fashioned as future festival headliners. However these are the 5 bands I feel have the strongest shout to be that next headliner. Yes, we have bands like Marmozets, Issues, Architects, Of Mice And Men, King 810 having a huge year – these are only a few names – there is a bright future for rock and metal, but do these bands have the pulling power to be that next big thing that when we leave the festival we remember their headline set forever?

Who do you think could be a Download headliner in years to come?