You blokes live in Disneyland you seriously do. You have as much experience of disputes as we did. None. If you blokes were wharfies you can be all most certain that the current govt. will bat for you. Your not. As is I stated before you are seen as elitists, capitalists, spoilt, over indulged, it does not matter if you are in hock up to your ears, and live in a caravan, that is how you are perceived. The old Labor Party stood for the worker, Airline Pilots are not workers, not in their eyes. You are just as big a lot of babes in the wood as we were, make a choice, grow up and realise you are going to be hammered. How you survive it is up to you, what you get out of it is up to you, but this kidding yourselves of how much more in control of the situation you are then we were is bull****. How the hell do you know what is going to happen, once its game on, you obviously have insight that we were never privy to, but somehow I doubt it. Go for what you think is right, but realise what you are going into and get the right people on side. The Murdoch press has indicated it will support you, where are the stories that should be out in front of the public right now? All you are doing is ducking and weaving and making little its not fair noises, whilst Joyce is marshalling the troops, aka the Govt. I know the AIPA is waiting for the polls to come in, but use the time to your advantage, get it out there. I am not for one minute suggesting that your dispute is going to end up like ours, its not, no group of pilots could ever be that dumb again, its probably going to end up with just a lot of froth and bubble, with both sides giving a little bit and neither side getting what it wants, and it will simply grumble on, that is the most likely outcome, but escalation is your main worry, and that boils down to how much Joyce wants to screw you, or vice vercer. Nobody disputes you don't have a cause, you have every right to be feckin angry, but how you handle it is the big question. We watch with interest.