Tube Strike - now what?

Trying to win the Understatement of the Year Award, I'll go as far as saying that this Tube strike didn't make anyone's life easier. However if attendance in my office is anything to go by, it is also fair to say that the disruption caused to commuters and businesses in London was probably smaller than those five-knuckle shufflers at RMT were hoping for.

The disruption was not as bad as originally expected for two main reasons: a) the other main trade union (ASLEF) refused to join the RMT on the picket lines, which resulted in one driver out of three turning up for work as usual; b) perhaps Bob 'James' Crow underestimated the commuters' resilience and their resolve to get to work in the face of adversity, particularly if it means sticking 2 fingers up at the RMT and their ridiculous contractual demands. Personally I don't know anyone who was actually supportive or even mildly sympathetic of this strike, therefore it's easy to predict that this strike didn't do much to endear the RMT to Joe Public.

I sincerely hope that TfL officials don't give in to these small-time bullies and tell Bob 'James' Crow where to go if he doesn't drop his absurd stance. As a long-term solution, I wonder why we can't do like in some European countries, where the Army is trained as a stand-in replacement for essential services, like the Fire Brigade or train drivers. If the RMT decide to go on strike again (for a pathetic reason, like in this instance), let's call in the Armed Forces - it's a well know fact that Tube trains are so automated these days that driving one is hardly rocket science, so why don't we give this idea a go?