I read on a friend’s Facebook update (yes, I still haven’t jumped ship fully, I fear) words to this effect:

‘Even when London is in dire financial straits, the TFL will still hold the working people of this city to ransom. We must never forget this.’

It is, of course, easy to get angry at the tube strikers for being a good hour or so late for work or – dun dun DUN! – not being able to get in one day at all. This is largely due to our tendency to rely so heavily, as a city, on the once-every-five-to-eight-minutes services that take us from the Heathrow terminals to Upminster, from Stanmore to Amersham to Morden and everything in between.

This is exactly why we must exercise our sympathy, and stand with them while the current strikes take place. We should support their strike; so that ticket offices stay open and the 950 jobs that stand to be cut stay occupied; because we rely on that.

Wednesday’s road fiasco confirmed to everybody just how small this city is for how many people live here. No wonder we seem to have more apartment skyscrapers than we do parks. And the Underground, as much as I could stick my green-living oar in and say it’s not the healthiest mode of travel, is very needed.

We need to do this without punching Boris to get absolutely EVERYONE on bikes and ban cars from the city. Yes, pollution would drop incredibly, but until the climate of this country improves, we have to look to the underground system to transport us. Without people on hand to help both the residents and the tourists (who, in case you’d forgotten Mr Johnson, is where we get a big dollop of our income from!), the city will crumble. There will be tremendous problems, and the system in place is not strong enough to uphold non-peopled outlets and stations.

As much as I hate having to go on buses and do an extra bit of walking in this already-congested, smoky city, I stand by those who may lose their jobs, because they help keep London running. Their job is hard enough as it is.  I forgive the people behind TFL for going on strike and causing a couple of days of upset, because I stand behind their cause.

How the government can claim that 950 job losses will make a more efficient London at a time where we rely on tourism and travel; in an age our over-peers have deemed a recession is attempting to pull the wool over a lot of decent people’s 20/2o eyes.  Maybe if we taxed the large corporations a lot more; as is so sorely dodged in the Houses of Parliament; we wouldn’t be considering this nonsense in the first place. Although this in turn could cause job losses, due to some fat cat not wanting to lose his bonuses at the end of the year; why not cut loose some single mums and breadline workers instead?

The fact is that I, and people like me, need to be here in this city, both for a better job and living wage (even though the accommodation corresponding to said pay is usually a bit of a joke compared to my native North), for my relationship and a good few close friends.  Don’t try and fix what isn’t broken.  If others blame the TFL for their bad journeys to work, just remember that they are not your enemy.  They are what keep the city running, and they deserve to be treated well and have their jobs, as we all do.

If you want a better-running London and indeed country overall, just don’t vote Conservative at your next election.  AND MAKE SURE YOU VOTE!