On This Day: 29 August
Friday, August 29th, 2008
Police being upset about their pay is nothing new in the UK. On this day in 1918, more than 6000 British policemen went on strike for better pay during the midst of World War One. Lloyd George swiftly came to a compromise over their demands.
This serves as a good reminder of the way in which unions often co-ordinate strikes for whenever the country is weakest. Any sympathy for police pay concerns today can quickly evaporate in the public conciousness if they are seen to be irresponsible.