From our loyal friend Lilac:

It’s only my take on stuff, but I mentioned earlier today that the looming BA strike could provide a potential brake for a cable slide.
In effect, the strike could also act as a buffer with regard to the current state of play in the UK.
Perverse thinking, I know, but here’s the latest resume

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/7429899/Easter-holiday-plans-in-jeopardy-as-Unite-goes-ahead-with-7-days-of-BA-strikes.html

coupled with the fact that a further full out strike in May is currently still on the agenda.

“Gordon Brown came under pressure to condemn the industrial action. At a press conference he called on all parties to work together and added: “The disruption to services is completely unacceptable… this is bad news for the British economy.”

Well actually, this is seriously bad news for Brown – and the Labour polls.

Let me take you back to the Rover rout.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/11/business/worldbusiness/11rover.html

The sums involved and the jobs subsequently lost pale into insignificance by today’s standards, but the bail-out was engineered one month before the last UK general election in 2005. And then followed a pointless 4-year £16m enquiry.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/transport/6172359/Tony-Blair-quizzed-over-collapse-of-car-maker-MG-Rover.html

Having succeeded Blair in June 2007, and after much media speculation in early October that an election would be called for the first week of November, Brown called the whole thing off, following an opinion poll of marginal constituencies targeted by the Conservatives, which indicated that an election could result in the loss of the overall Labour majority.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/7031749.stm

Well! That little exercise cost the UK more than a couple of £m in pre-electioneering – it cost millions the Northern Rock ruck, which Jeff Randall inimitably summed up:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/3644045/Gordon-Brown-will-be-defined-by-Northern-Rock.html

“As a result of Brown’s meddling, what began as a corporate problem has degenerated into a national scandal, the end of which is nowhere in sight”.

A portentous precis of his whole tenure.

In short – the unions are circling their impotent prey.

Meanwhile, keep a beady eye on the punters

http://www.electionpredict.com/news/tories-still-on-course-for-majority-despite-latest-poll.html