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So, in other words, inconveniencing them.

That’s not my experience. I recently got in touch with them about some Jabra earbuds that were just over two years old and had developed a fault. I was prepared to quote the UK consumer rights act to them, but it wasn’t necessary. They refunded them immediately and said I didn’t need to bother returning them.

You’re missing my point. If side loading and alternate app stores offer a bad experience it doesn’t need to affect you. Just don’t use them and you will continue to have the same ‘walled garden’ experience that you currently enjoy. If other users choose to use them and have a bad experience, that’s their choice!

How so? If you don’t want to side load, then don’t. Others having the ability to do so doesn’t mean it needs to affect you…

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You’re entitled to your opinion. I do wonder if it would change if it was your mum or brother or some other loved one that gets killed while minding their own business but whatever. In your mind, Hamas would be justified for it.

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I don’t have numbers to hand but I’d posit a guess that it’s significantly less.

Don’t get me wrong here, I’m not trying to defend them. What happened last week is pretty indefensible by any reasonable person. I can see the motivations and frustrations but it’ was flat out wrong. Terrorism. However, as a democratic nation with a much more organised military and government, a lot more is expected of Israel. They have every right to seek some recompense but they’ve taken it too far. Further than the US and UK did.

I don’t know if I would call 20% a fraction, but you are right to say the total number of bombs dropped in Iraq by the US and UK was higher. I think it’s good to remember that the 30,000ish dropped in Iraq was over 8 years. Israel have reportedly used more than 6000 in less than a week.

It’s not always necessary to ‘go through the union’ instead of speaking with your manager. For pay, conditions and other disputes, yes, you’d want the collective bargaining of a union to get the best deal. For other things, it’s not always necessary.

I had a fall at work a couple of years ago. I fractured my ankle and was away from work until it healed and I could work again. When I returned, the problem area that lead to my fall hadn’t been looked at. I raised it with management myself and they dealt with my concerns and rectified the issue. I informed my health and safety union rep of what I was doing and he agreed to take it up if necessary. It wasn’t.

The company I work for has a long history of working with unions. They obviously have their motivations to improve efficiency and profitability but generally aren’t arseholes about it. The toxic culture I see in other companies only comes about when bosses can get away with murder because employees aren’t able to stand together.

I wasn’t bashing capitalism at all. My comment was directed at the fact that it is often (quite ridiculously) suggested that unionisation and its pursuit to protect workers rights and improve pay and conditions lead to the downfall of businesses. It’s an obvious weapon to try and disuade employees from joining a union by leading them to believe that they might lose their job completely when the union forces them out of business.

It’s pretty obvious that capitalism has its flaws but there is plenty of evidence to suggest that the alternatives usually don’t fair well. I don’t disagree with the ideology but I do believe that I am entitled to my fair share, after all, my bills are rising like everyone else’s. Why should my colleagues and I lose out so that a few at the top can fatten their pockets? They don’t pay me anymore than they need to - they compensate my colleagues and I sufficiently to make us do the job. If they pay less, I’ll look elsewhere and they know this by agreeing to the demands of my union.

Over the last 11 years since I moved into my current role, my salary has risen by approximately £35k. In addition to this my conditions have improved and I work fewer hours. My yearly negotiated increase has always outstripped inflation and I have only lost one day’s pay due to strike action to achieve these rises.

The company I work for continues to post profits in the billions of £s, despite paying their workers fairly.

I’d say my monthly union dues of <£20 have served me pretty well.

Anyone advocating against a union either stands to lose out by unionisation (ie those at the top that would rather keep their bonuses/salaries as high as possible) or have completely bought in to the capitalist nonsense that is often thrown around about unions.