British government attacks Unite union

Lord Adonis, the transport secretary for the UK government, has today gone on the attack suggesting that strikes by British Airways employees were "totally unjustified". This is the first actual comment from the UK government with regards to the ongoing dispute between British Airways management and the Unite union which now goes back years. However, the silence is deafening from Gordon Brown's quarters with many believing he will not criticise the unions as they have been central to his support in recent times.

It is noticeable that this weekend has seen a flurry of "consumer protection" comments with regards to an array of issues happening in the market today. After weeks and weeks of dragging its feet the UK government now appears ready to step up to the mark and protect consumers and businesses from ongoing industrial action. However, the very fact that Lord Adonis and not Gordon Brown has been quoted in the press would indicate that this "attack on the unions" is very weak and will ultimately be very short lived.

Each and every political party in the UK has been attempting to grab the headlines over the last few weeks with bizarre and often flimsy comments which have hit the headlines only to be retracted at a later date. The public relations machine of the UK political scene has gone into overdrive although the message to UK voters is proving more and more difficult to decipher.