The notion cited by Labour grandee Lord Mendelsohn that some Londoners could benefit from the planned Tube strikes and that industrial action can be “economically efficient” is breathtaking in its naivety and its lofty disregard for the suffering caused to commuters by such disruptive union militancy.
The peer, a wealthy lobbyist and husband of Facebook vice-president Nicola Mendelsohn, told the House of Lords that a study found that a 48-hour Tube stoppage by the RMT union in 2014 had “actually helped commuters in the long run” by “encouraging” people “to examine alternatives” to their usual journey into work, citing an Oxford University study as he spoke out against government legislation that will make it harder to stage strikes in future. Doubtless those able to work from home temporarily or reorganise their business to avoid travelling might be able to cope during strikes and even enjoy the break from their normal routine. But most Londoners do not enjoy that luxury.
Tube strikes for them cause intense aggravation and slower, less comfortable journeys, squeezed on to trains and buses that are even more crowded than usual. Shops, restaurants, cinemas and theatres all suffer too as fewer of their customers travel into the capital. It is extraordinary that Lord Mendelsohn, a representative of the supposed party of the workers, appears not to recognise this.
It is equally troubling that his lordship, whose insensitive remarks coincided with the unnecessary junior doctors’ strike, though a member of Jeremy Corbyn’s shadow team, is regarded not as a radical but rather as a member of Labour’s mainstream. London needs sense from such people to prevent the party lurching further Left, not indulgent nonsense that is out of touch with the realities faced by ordinary people. Lord Mendelsohn should recognise the obvious truth that Tube strikes are bad.
A Garden Bridge boost
Today's news that Sky has become a major donor to the Garden Bridge project is an important milestone in the scheme’s development. Disagreements over the degree to which funding would come from the public purse seemed for a time as if they might turn into serious stumbling blocks. Now, with private backers lining up to support Thomas Heatherwick’s spectacular design, those disputes can — with some luck — be put aside as a bad memory.
It is often the way with futuristic endeavours that they initially encounter a degree of scepticism from pessimists who regard anything visionary as inherently impractical. But London became a great city by being far-sighted, not narrow-minded. The Garden Bridge venture is emblematic of that attitude — not only through the awe-inspiring design of the bridge itself, but by the refusal of the project’s supporters to give way to naysayers. Their determination to press on has been commendable and is now being rewarded. Quite right too. This exciting new bridge will be a boon to the capital.
Our superb film talent
The shortlist for the upcoming Evening Standard British Film Awards illustrates the depth of talent and lasting pedigree in British and Irish screen acting, with 81-year-old Dame Maggie Smith competing against Saoirse Ronan, 60 years her junior, for Best Actress. The presentation ceremony on February 7 will add to the gaiety of the film awards season which, after the Baftas, concludes with the Oscars in Los Angeles later in the month. We can hardly wait.
