Strikes, confusion and war in peacetime

This week, we look at media commentary on the threatened strike by British Airways cabin crews, at Angela Merkel’s difficult coalition, and at Barack Obama’s acceptance of the Nobel Peace Prize.

Christmas strike

Flight attendants at British Airways (BA) have voted nine to one in favour of a strike over the Christmas travel period. BA’s management has a duty to cut its costs, writes The Daily Telegraph, adding that the holiday strike is a disaster.

British Airways cabin crew work for a loss-making airline with an enormous pensions deficit operating in a cut-throat business environment. In an attempt to reduce costs and secure its survival, BA wants to streamline work practices and shed jobs. The changes will not alter the fact that BA cabin crew are well rewarded, earning twice as much as those on Virgin Atlantic. … They are cynically using the million-plus BA passengers expecting to travel over Christmas to blackmail the airline's management. … These tactics belong to the industrial dark ages. …

Confusion in the coalition

Germany’s centre-right coalition is leaving an impression of confusion rather than coherence, writes the Financial Times. If this is to change, Chancellor Angela Merkel needs to use all her skills at conciliation to help the FDP get used to the compromises of government.

Angela Merkel’s centre-right coalition in Germany has had a rocky start. Its first six weeks have seen a series of alarmingly public disagreements between the coalition partners over such core issues as tax reform, health insurance and whether or not to subsidise General Motors’ lossmaking Opel car plants. … [T]he FDP, as junior partner, is proving to be prickly bed-fellow. … The party can and should produce fresh ideas — such as on the big issues of income tax reform and overhauling Germany’s costly health insurance system. But it must also learn when to back off. …

A necessary evil?

The Wall Street Journal was pleasantly surprised by US President Barack Obama’s speech last week when he accepted the Nobel Peace Prize.

President Barack Obama gave a gracious speech [on 11 December] accepting his Nobel Peace Prize, starting with the humble note that he has yet to earn it. If his Oslo hosts expected a woolly-headed address about peace in our time, they also didn’t get it. He stated clearly that sometimes war is necessary to defend the peaceable and to serve justice and liberty. He even hit the George W. Buch note that “evil does exist in the world.” Congratulations, Mr. President. …