Red Ed led to defe(n)d the wed.

                              Celebrate, peasants!

Yesterday, Ed Miliband condemned union activists planning a tube strike for 29th April, the day Prince William is due to marry his 'bit of rough'.

The aim of the strike is to cause major disruption to London's transport network on this day for national celebration.  I'm not sure just how much bother it will cause - the happy couple are unlikely to be taking the Circle line to Westminster (guffaw) - and it definitely won't cause any bother for anyone that matters.  In fact, being a public holiday, it's quite a responsible date to choose; no one's going to be hindered on their way to work.  Brilliant.

The only people who are going to be inconvenienced are people on low to middling incomes who have somehow been seduced into thinking that this is an important event.  If you're foolish enough to think their wedding is worth turning out for in person, then you deserve all the inconveniences in the world.

If anything, there should be more obstacles en route to Westminster Abbey:  Razor wire, climbing walls and mine fields (for nostalgia's sake).  It's a sure fire way of whittling down the country's hard royalists, whilst providing great televisual entertainment for those who don't want to pore over the details of the ceremony itself.  they could get Harry Hill to narrate it in the manner of you've been framed.

Speaking seriously for a moment though, what this story shows is the sad state of our politics.  For those of us who thought a change of government might radicalise the left and put a stop to the endless chasing of the middle, this story is a serious case of disappointment.  Whether or not you agree with the terms of the proposed strike - bearing in mind that the RMT union events diary doesn't currently list the strike as an event -  you have to admit that it is a shame for Ed to put the royal wedding ahead of union activities.  As Labour party leader, he doesn't have to agree with the unions all the time, but he also doesn't have to sycophantically suck Prince William's opulent, jewel-encrusted member.

I'm off to make dinner.  I'm having swan.