Asked if he was concerned about the chaos that might ensue from the December 31 strike Mr

Asked if he was concerned about the chaos that might ensue from the December 31 strike, Mr Crow said “absolutely”. But he added that he was more concerned about safety on the Tube. And asked if it was an unpopular move to call a strike on New Year’s Eve, Mr Crow said: “Any decision will be unpopular, but the reality of life is that we will not accept dilution of safety.” A London Underground spokesman said: “There are no staff cuts across the Tube network.” LU added that the 35-hour, five-day working week was something RMT “campaigned for and signed over a year ago and which was endorsed by their general secretary, executive council and Tube membership by a margin of 30 to 1″. LU went on: “We and the RMT agreed to implement a shorter working week, as long as it came at no extra cost to the Tube farepayers. This means some staff being redeployed from ticket offices to station platforms and ticket halls, which can also boost reassurance for our passengers and security “There will be no overall cuts in staff numbers. The continued success of the Oyster travel card has led to a significant reduction in the demand for paper tickets – one million less paper tickets each week – reducing the need for the same number of staff in ticket offices. “We hope this can be resolved without the need for strike action.” Roger Evans, chairman of the London Assembly transport committee, said: “This is not the season to be jolly on London Underground.

The RMT may believe industrial action is beneficial for its members. But inflicting Underground passengers with a barrage of strikes is not a success for businesses and shoppers, especially during such a lucrative time for retailers and the capital’s economy “It will also dampen the spirits of New Year revellers. Commuters are already bracing themselves for the nightmare of sections of the Underground shutting down for long periods of repair work. Tube managers need to get a grip and set up proper negotiations with Underground workers It’s time to put an end to this strike culture.”. Britain is to become the first country in the world where the movements of all vehicles on the roads are recorded. A new national surveillance system will hold the records for at least two years. Using a network of cameras that can automatically read every passing number plate, the plan is to build a huge database of vehicle movements so that the police and security services can analyse any journey a driver has made over several years..

Singing “Silent Night” in public does not normally carry the risk of arrest but the peace activists gathered outside Westminster last night had been warned they could be breaking the law by staging a carol concert outside the Houses of Parliament. But under the gaze of a giant statue of Winston Churchill, up to 150 took the risk and joined the seasonal celebrations in Parliament Square.
Had police chosen to define the gathering as a demonstration, the participants could have been detained and prosecuted under laws banning protests within one kilometre of Parliament. In fact, police kept a discreet distance as the activists, led by a solitary trumpeter, gave enthusiastic renditions of “O Come All Ye Faithful”, “Jingle Bells” and “Amazing Grace”. A minute’s silence was held for “all those who have died and suffered as a result of conflict”.The hour-long event ended with the Lord’s Prayer, led by Brian Haw, the veteran protester who has survived numerous official attempts to evict him from his “peace camp” opposite Parliament’s gates over four years.Maya Evans, 25, convicted for breaching Section 132 of the Serious Organised Crime Act after reading aloud the names of British soldiers killed in Iraq next to the Cenotaph on Whitehall, also joined the service. She said: “If we stand up to be counted and show we’re not willing to allow government acts of legislation that infringe our civil liberties, we can make a difference.”The law, which came into force in April, was drawn up to prevent MPs from being disturbed by Mr Haw’s loudhailer, which he has used daily to berate the Government over the war in Iraq.Last night’s event was organised by Tim Ireland, an Australian-born internet campaigner who uses an American-style web-log, www.bloggerheads , to campaign on issues from demands for an inquiry into the attacks on London on 7 July to the anti-terrorism laws.He said: “The aim is to sing carols and that is it.