Passport staff to go on strike, causing ‘significant disruption’

THIS actually shows what little values they have. They are complaining about a job that has good pay and holidays. Also with extra benefits. And they work in an office with a nice cushy chair. People like me work five days a week 12-hour shifts on less wage and less comfort – not once have I seen a chef on strike.

Cameron Thomson Paget

MOST there get the minimum wage. Scoff if you like but true. Good luck to them.

Adam John

AS a retired civil servant, they have my support. Good luck to them all.

Linda Rawson

WELL I wouldn’t mind their working conditions, decent pay, work from home, flexi working, more than average holiday package, six-month full sick pay, discounts from lots of companies just for working as a civil servant.

Helen Williams

WHY do they always do it coming up to holiday season? Ruining people’s weeks away.

Sharon Goodman

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@WalesOnline to design his own “truly liberal state”, which he, modestly, named Utopia.

Denver Thomas (WM letters, March 13) challenged him to produce this vision and Mr Roblin responded with his vision “Liberalism is the key to a thriving society” (WM letters, March 14).

The vision he outlined would be marked down by any schoolteacher with comments like “waffle” and “irrelevant”. In summary he says he favours a society that recognises individual freedom and liberties but recognises individual inequality, particularly economic inequality.

He does not state whether or not Utopia would have a state education and/or health service, but envisages a small public sector “where resources are devoted to defence, justice, policing, etc” and “the protection of property rights via assertive policing and judicial systems”.

Mr Roblin also states Utopia would practise free trade (i.e., no customs duties or taxes on imports or exports). Translating this, he is arguing for an assertive police state and judiciary that protects the property and wealth of those who have achieved that wealth through inheritance, rather than through their own talents or abilities. Where is the equality of opportunity if a few members of society can afford to pay for education and health provision, while the majority cannot? If Utopia was such a great state why would there be need for the police and judiciary (assertive or otherwise)?

The reality of free trade is that Utopia would have no customs duties on imports and other nations would flood Utopia with goods that have been produced with cheaper resources (including labour) and possibly state subsidies. These countries would keep their own customs duties, effectively keeping Utopia’s goods out. Would Utopia then extend its assertive policing to these countries as well?

It is interesting that Mr Roblin’s vision makes no reference to immigration. Would people be allowed the freedom to come and live in his liberal state?