If you are visiting London in the next couple of days...

...wear comfortable shoes. There's a tube strike on and you'll probably end up do more walking than you may have planned. Workers are striking because of the collapse of the company awarded the Private Finance Initiative contract for maintenance and upgrading of the Tube. The deal, opposed by London Mayor "Red" Ken Livingstone, was a thirty year, multi billion pound deal. The company responsible, Metronet, wanted billions more of public money to cover its overspend and ensure its profits and undoubtedly the bonuses of the companies directors. Workers want the work brought back into the public sector but the government is still pushing to re-tender the contract. In the meanwhile the London taxpayer (me!) is providing millions in emergency funding to keep the maintenance programme functioning.