The capitalist system is in a period of long-term crisis, but it is not
> collapsing and will not unless a sufficient array of social forces are
> assembled behind an alternative mode of production. That's not going to
> happen overnight, so there's no point in reaching for maximalist demands in
> the hope of the integument collapsing under the slightest pressure.
>
That's one way to look at it. Another is, if you aren't going to get the minimal acceptable demands (in this case, full employment in the public sector, etc., etc.) for the foreseeable future, why not reach for the sky? What's the argument against it? Serious question; I haven't heard one.
-- "Hige sceal þe heardra, heorte þe cenre, mod sceal þe mare, þe ure mægen lytlað."