This years top journalist take downs and no-nonsense lines from the RMT leader
The RMT rail union leader is best known for his scathing comebacks to the right-wing press as well as his concise and no-nonsense demeanour.
As general secretary of the RMT union he was making the media rounds again this year as his union members took strike action. Here are some of his best moments from this year.
Tory MP destroyed over state of rail service
A refreshing start to the year saw Mick Lynch make a Tory MP look utterly clueless during a Select Committee, when he destroyed an argument aimed to discredit striking rail workers.
Tory MP Greg Smith attempted to push Lynch to say that strike action was driving people away from the railway and into their cars. He started by asking if Lynch accepted that the strikes had made the railway ‘uncertain’ from the eyes of the consumer.
Lynch quickly responded: “Are you talking about when we’re on strike or when we’re not on strike?”, to which the Tory MP said: “When you’re on strike”.
“What about the days when we’re not on strike, when it’s absolutely useless as well?”, quipped Lynch.
The committee seemed amused, as Smith tried to claim that was a question for another evidence session before pushing on whether Lynch could accept his strikes caused people to turn away from the railway.
“No they’re not, your government is,” Lynch replied.
Putting LBC’s Nick Ferrari in the hot seat
LBC’s Nick Ferrari got owned by RMT leader during an interview in the summer when Ferrari pushed Lynch on train drivers’ salaries.
The presenter pressed Lynch to comment on train drivers’ pay, the majority of who are not in the RMT at all but in the train drivers’ union ASLEF.
But Ferrari wanted Lynch’s take: “But some of them make £50,000 to £60,000 per annum. That’s not bad.”
To which Lynch replied: “Some of them do, yes. Lots of people make more than drivers Nick. I mean, there’s people in this room who make far more than train drivers.”
To which Ferrari responded: “They do but I don’t take their services away. I don’t go on strike when people need me.”
But an ever quick-witted Lynch quipped back: “I bet you’d go to another company if you needed to. If you weren’t getting the right contract.”
To which Ferrari seemed to lose the argument and said “if ever I need a negotiator, Mr Lynch, do give me your number.”
Lynch shuts down ‘gothcha’ attempt by Sky News presenter
A Sky News presenter is caught out when Mick Lynch refuses to play ball in an attempt to catch him out and claim he was stuck in traffic.
Whether given the wrong information or just pushing for a line, the presenter started the interview asking about Lynch’s apparent ‘travel issues’.
“We were hoping to speak to you last hour, but I understand you were the victim of some travel disruption.”
A bemused Lynch replied: “No, not at all. I’ve been attending a rally here with hundreds of people, been in Derby at a vibrant picket line and there’s a mass rally here in the square, and that’s just broken off and I’ve gone off to speak to my members. We’ve had no problems today.”
“We were told you were stuck in some traffic, but clearly that’s not a fruitful line of inquiry.”
“That’s completely untrue I’m afraid,” Lynch said.
To which the journalist attempted to brush the failed attempt to catch him out saying, “We’ve all had to have a sense of humour.”
But it seemed it was Lynch who got the last laugh.
“I think it was your camera man who was stuck in the traffic,” he replied, ending that ‘line of inquiry’.
Hannah Davenport is news reporter at Left Foot Forward, focusing on trade unions and environmental issues
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