On Sep 9, 3:57 pm, bobrayner wrote:
On 8 Sep, 22:11, MIG wrote:

This accident had nothing to do with bolts falling off and everything
to do with a bizarre dismantling of the points, it would seem. I
don't know why you repeat the non-sequitur about bolts.

I repeat it because Bob Crow said it. Didn't you want a discussion
based on what Crow actually said? I don't for a moment believe it's an
accurate claim, but that's what he *said*.

I expressed it badly. Obviously bolts were involved, in the same way
that a train crash was involved, but this was consequential. The
problem seems to have been whatever strange working practice led to
parts being removed and not correctly replaced, and the subsequent
repeated failure of the inspection regime, not a one-off mistake by a
worker or anyone else. It's worth investigating the system that could
lead to that happening rather than just looking at who touched it
last.



So you agree with Crow that "Management" is to blame, rather than
whoever made the actual mistake?

Let's read the report before judging that (I have only read the
preliminary so far). It seems to be more to do with a bizarre
decision and subsequent deliberate actions than any kind of "mistake".

Yes. I, like you, would love to wait til more the facts are in before
leaping to judgement. Not Crow, however. He already seems quite sure
who the culprit might be, and it's certainly not a union member who
worked on that track. After all, he has to "look after" them, as you
put it.

Why do they need looking after? Most people do their job and get paid,
simple as that. A small minority do their job badly, and get in
trouble. If there's an investigation it's likely to find the truth
regardless of what Crow says. So who needs a socialist dinosaur to lie
on their behalf?


Investigations do exactly what they are paid to do. It's quite
possible that, without the existence of unions in the past, there
would be no system in place for the kind of investigation that's
taking place now, ie one that's has the job of finding the truth,
rather than, for example, justifying dangerous but lucrative
practices.

Individuals join unions because they don't tend to have the individual
resources that owners and directors of companies have. Unions allow
them to protect their interests on slightly less unequal terms. I
think that's a Good Thing.