No, honestly - a four-year old could do the average Tube-driver's job

Andrew Gilligan has been sounding off about a subject dear to every Londoner’s heart in the Telegraph – namely, the ridiculous amounts of money paid to tube drivers to do a job that a chimpanzee of middling intellect could manage (and probably better).

 Apparently, last month, these 35-hour week lead-swingers were given an immediate 5% pay rise, back-dated five months, taking their salary to £45,000 a year right now. That’ll rise to £52,000 by around 2015.

For doing what?

I remember during one tube strike a stressed technology head at the BBC telling me he was seriously thinking of giving up all the pressure and worry that came with his job (and it was a real stinker) to become a tube driver on £32,000. “Just imagine,” he said, “you wouldn’t have to think at all!” If he's heard that's gone up by £13,000 since he made that remark, I imagine his application form's already gone in.

Gilligan’s post also reminded me of one of my all-time favourite YouTube videos, made by two doctors following a tube strike four or five years ago. (Warning: the languaqe is filthy – but fully justified, given the circumstances.)