Socialist Party members recently spoke to a couple of Hastings Labour councillors who claimed they were socialists and that they were putting socialism into action in Hastings.
The new Asda supermarket in Silverhill is advertising 350 jobs; 1,600 people applied for them in a single day! Is that socialism?
Hastings Labour council has made ‘in-year’ cuts of close to £300,000 and is preparing for more cuts after the 20 October comprehensive spending review.
At least two youth centres are scrambling for funding to deal with the cuts already made, and the 43% of people in employment in Hastings who work for the public sector are holding their breath waiting for the axe to fall.
We asked the councillors why they are not making a stand against these cuts and they replied they had no choice. They both argued that if they took a stand their jobs and lifestyles would come under threat – never mind the jobs and lifestyles of ordinary people!
We made it clear that if they set a budget which reflected the local needs of people for jobs and homes, instead of the cuts the government demands, and then wage a campaign to mobilise local people behind such a budget, then they can win concessions.
