News Desk

The ebullient former editor of The Sun Kelvin Mackenzie has called for the sacking of firefighters in his weekly column in The Sun, claiming that “ignorant, selfish, dim-witted uncaring firemen" are not needed.

Mackenzie is enraged at the FBU's decision to strike on bonfire night, and said:

"London will not burn down, we don't have coal in the in the grate any more.  Certainly we don't need as many of them".

Not mixing his words Mackenzie said:

"I would be delighted if we fired all 5,900 and replaced them with 2,000 folk who would walk ten miles across broken glass to make £33,000 for a three-day week".

Mackenzie compared the firefighters to the print workers at Wapping who "have been stuffed by the management".

The article ends with "you firemen are a disgrace".

The Fire Brigade Union chiefs were shown today in the Daily Telegraph to be on six figure salaries, Matt Wreck the General Secretary received £128,328 in 2009, Andy Dark the Assistant General Secretary received £121,468 in 2009 with other officers also receving over £100,000 a year in salaries.  The amounts paid to the executive of the FBU amount to three times the average salary of a normal firefighter.

photo credit: London Speakers Bureau