Spectre of past disputes

IT IS probably too soon to dust off the Green Goddesses, those army fire-fighting machines trundled out in the 1970s when firemen went on national strike.

But the dispute between Cumbria fire-fighters and the county council-run service is worrying nonetheless, mainly because it demonstrates an apparent breakdown in communication between management and the workers.

The fire service, like all similar public services, is strapped for cash.

Rural counties like Cumbria suffer particularly because the people who hold the pursestrings in Whitehall insist on using funding formulas based on population rather than area covered.

Just like the police, firemen in the Lake District have further to go, over tougher terrain, to reach emergencies, than other comparable forces.

Chief fire officers, under pressure to cut costs, have carried out a detailed risk assessment and decided that the public's best interest would be served by cutting the number of vehicles sent out automatically when alarms go off, and instead to spend more time on fire safety.

The fire brigade's union fears job losses in the future if vehicles are not replaced because they are needed less often.

But they also complain that managers have refused to take a lead from a similar dispute on Merseyside, which was resolved when changes were delayed until after a review by a working party.

The union has accused managers of cutting services to the bone and refusing to negotiate.

A ballot for industrial action is increasingly likely.

It would be a shame if the two sides, who no doubt both have public safety at heart, cannot settle this dispute before it gets out of hand.

In the process, they could get enough evidence between them to put a joint case to the authorities to release enough money for the standard of service they both want and the rest of us demand.

Court room drama

COURT rooms and drama are common bedfellows.

But the phrase took on a new meaning with a long-running case which ended this week, and brought to an end a behind-the-scenes wrangle between Kendal's Brewery Arts Centre and a Southern music company.

The dispute hinged on the use of the phrase "from scratch", which the company used to describe concerts staged at venues like The Albert Hall.

The Brewery Arts used it to describe its own concerts, starting back in 1992, although stopped when the litigation started.

It must have been tempting for the Brewery, with all the other pressures it was facing through its redevelopment, to stop fighting the case.

Instead, the management and governors decided to fight on as there was an important principle at stake.

How refreshing for people to stand up for their principles and not cave in to predatory legal threats.

In this case, fortune favoured the brave, and deservedly so.