Strike Bingo!
It’s hip, it’s fun, it’s the new craze everyone’s talking about, it’s…Strike Bingo! Easy to play whenever strikes are discussed in the news! All you need is a keen eye for politics and current affairs and a national media with an overt bias against organised labour – it couldn’t be easier! So sharpen your pencils, eyes down, and have fun!
Rules:
- Print off and cut out the square below, or just copy and paste it then save it to your computer
- Look for the items in the squares in news and comment pieces and circle them when you spot them. Approximate paraphrasing is fine, but subject to the arbitrary whim of the umpire. The same news story or comment article can be used for more than one square.
- Any and all right-of-centre UK news outlets and blogs can be used. Definition of ‘right of centre’ is also subject to the arbitrary whim of the umpire and how generously and creatively you feel like bribing him.
- I’m the umpire. Obviously.
- Submissions should be in the comments, and require links to the relevant articles and a clear indication of which squares they refer to.
- There’s no set time limit. The game ends when someone wins or I get bored.
- First person to get an entire row or column not including the blue corner squares wins my love, respect and kudos.
- First person to get an entire row or column including blue corner squares wins a £10 donation to the charity (or strike fund, if there’s one up and running) of their choice.
- First person to get a full house wins the game, plus £30 to the charity/strike fund of their choice and possibly a homemade cake of some kind.
- I’m entirely serious about rules 8 and 9.
| Acknowledgment that going on strike is nearly always a last resort, rather than something workers do because they like causing trouble |
“Union dinosaurs” |
“Winter/summer/[insert relevant season here] of discontent” | Any reference to the UK having some of the most anti-union labour laws in the EU |
|
“…costing the taxpayer/the economy/hard-working people £x million per day.” |
“…dreadful inconvenience to the public” |
“Arthur Scargill” |
“donkey jackets” |
|
“firebrand” |
“dead left unburied” |
“…hellbent on causing mayhem” |
“enemy within” |
| Discussion referring to actual reliably-sourced data on whatever’s being disputed (e.g. pension payments, job losses or pay cuts/rises) |
Highly dubious claims about the massive salaries and benefits enjoyed by the striking workers |
Much more plausible claims about the pay levels of senior union officials |
Any mention at all of the pay/employment conditions/benefits enjoyed by any senior politician or business figure opposing the strike |
Reader Comments
That bottom left one will be the stopper.
Naturally the Waily Heil kicks off preceedings. Bottom row, second from right.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2008877/The-dozens-strike-leaders-pocket-100-000-plus.html
Hmm not sure if we’re supposed to wait until having a whole row or column before commenting, but who doesn’t enjoy reading the Fail’s insightful analysis into the important issues behind the strike?
I’m surprised that there is no box for ‘it’s all Gordon Brown’s fault’
Incidentally, what do we think here about
a) the pay levels of senior union officials and
b) the pay levels of union officials when coming out of public money rather than member fees (given that substantial proportions of member fees are spent on political donations etc.)?
More controversially, what employment disputes do readers of IIIE think would not constitute grounds for a public sector strike? (The obvious controversial example being an individual losing a job for safety breaches and striking despite the employer agreeing to abide by the decision of the tribunal). How high does a public sector salary need to be before striking to prevent a small cut to said pay would be inappropriate? Are these questions relevant?
winter of discontent;union barons; nobody wins in a strike; holding the country to ransome; blackmailing the nation; why are strikers so irrational; they should be grateful, it is worse in the private sector; only to private sector generates wealth; gold plated pensions;
oh forgot Spanish Practices; the enemy within;
After such a riotous occasion will we ever see a “Full House”
great work…
As winter draws nearer I fear the discontent won’t be far way and with the euro zone well and truely on its knees the outlook is pretty bleak – still a nice game of Bingo to look forward to – eyes down…
Anyone getting close with this? I expect the media to come to your rescue very soon as Ed “Bingo” Balls announces his five point plan for boosting jobs and growth – sorry Ed, “You’ve got to be IN IT, to WIN IT”