On Sunday the boss’s tabloids were all over the same story. The Mail On Sunday even ran it on the front page. Apparently Tory minister Penny Mordaunt wasted parliamentary time and everyone’s taxes by giving a bogus speech for the sole purpose of saying the word ‘cock’ a few times. This to win a bet with her officer chums in the royal navy (she is a reservist). The fact that this contemptible piece of ruling class slime is happy to flaunt her privilege, by turning our excuse for democracy into a sideshow for her chinless mates, does not come as a surprise.

However Ms Mordaunt found herself in far deeper water last week for reasons that the mainstream media would rather not report. But we are happy to.

In her role as ‘Fire Minister’ she has presided over the destruction of Fire Fighters pensions and cuts to the service that have seen both its employees and the public put a t risk. In numerical terms that is 5,000 jobs lost and 40 fire stations closed since 2010. Unsurprisingly, she is hated by the rank & file of the Fire and Rescue service. So positive coverage for her in this role is hard to come by. Her spin-doctors probably thought that opening a brand new £4million fire station in South London was safe bet? Not so.

When the Freedom News team arrived we were confronted by the hilarious spectacle of a Met Police inspector pleading into his radio for more resources as his men looked sheepishly at 200 angry Fire Fighters surrounding the new station. The minister’s grand entrance was delayed by an hour as more plods were drafted in. When the failed reality TV star’s (did we not mention that?) car eventually arrived the crowd exploded. Forcing the MET’s finest back and blocking the entrance to the station. Funny how the cops behave themselves and keep those batons in their holsters when confronted by workers who can handle themselves? And whom they rely on for their own safety in fire & rescue situations?

There was stand off as furious fire fighters surrounded the ministerial transport eventually causing the driver to panic and flee. “1 – 0 to the FBU!” rang out across West Norwood as Penny’s car sped into the middle distance. A humiliating retreat.

For a while it seemed unclear whether she would return, but soon enough more of her heroes in blue arrived greeted by extremely sarcastic applause from those assembled. Once in the building, Penny had to endure deafening booing from the protest outside every time she passed by a window. Meanwhile rank and file workers in the station refused to meet her leaving the top brass kitted out in their Dress Uniforms to show her around.  All the press and PR around this event was mysteriously cancelled in what was welcome glimpse of what happens when working class people decide that enough is enough.

More strikes against the theft of FBU member’s pensions are planned so collections and active solidarity for the strikers would be more than welcome.

Text and image by Guy Smallman

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