An economy sapped by inflation; pug-nacious trade unions threatening strikes; an unelected Labour prime minister, weakened by mishandled speculation about a snap election, trying to keep pay settlements down: for Britons who recall the crises that gripped their country in the late 1970s, current events must seem disturbingly familiar.rnGordon Brown, as beleaguered a prime minister as James Callaghan was 30 years ago, insists that pay rises must be in line with the government's inflation target of 2%. The unions, who converged on Brighton for their annual Trades Union Congress (tuc) on September 8th, are livid, brandishing stories of underpaid members struggling to pay for food and fuel. On its opening day the gathering voted overwhelmingly for a campaign against the government's pay policy, including a national demonstration.
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