Four minutes after ten is the time. And you know that something rather strange is happening,

something notable is happening, when Rupert Murdoch's Times newspaper dedicates a few paragraphs of

editorial to the burgeoning popularity of the General Secretary of the RMT, Mick Lynch.

Murdoch, of course, probably bears more personal responsibility than anybody in

British history, except possibly Margaret Thatcher, for the denuding and the dilution of trade union

power in this country. That's not an opinion. That's just counting, all right? You might think

it's a bad thing that trade union power has been diluted. You might think it's a good thing,

but I don't think there's much argument about who bears the most responsibility.

But under the sort of headlines today is a genuine acid-tongued RMT leader wins fans as he takes the Mick,

reports the Times today. And that is a remarkable

departure from business as usual. And it is obviously an enormous credit to the rhetorical

skills and quite possibly the strength of the case being put forward by Mick Lynch. Now, I want to talk today about why anybody would be surprised by that.

And I want to state from the start that I caught myself in that category this week.

And I really shouldn't have done because I was lucky enough to have a fairly huge, um, aperitif,

if you like, to that experience when I crossed swords on occasion with one of McInch's predecessors,

um, the late Bob Crow, who was possessed of a, of a similar rhetorical style, although a more

combative one.

What I find, you know I'm a student of this kind of thing.

I find it absolutely fascinating.

And Lynch's particular skill is to stay so calm.

He's insouciant as he fillets people.

It's quite incredible to see, and very,, very rare because, I mean, as this

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