TUSC’s ideas got a fantastic reception at the Lewisham Pensioners’ Forum hustings for the local elections.
Paul Callanan, speaking for TUSC, ripped into the Labour mayor for cutting tens of millions of pounds from the council budget – throwing workers on the dole and devastating services in the process. He explained how TUSC would set a budget to meet the needs of the community, using council reserves and campaigning for more resources to achieve it.
That would make it possible to build 18,000 council houses for all the people on the waiting list, create jobs and raise wages. Even without additional resources a council could control the rents demanded by racketeering landlords, refuse to implement the bedroom tax and ensure a £10 an hour minimum wage for council workers and contractors.
Yet the Labour Party were mysteriously silent on all these things! Despite the havoc wreaked upon people’s lives by the onslaught of cuts, the Lib Dems said they agreed with everything Labour is doing, but just want a different style of leadership – in reality they are only interested in lining their own pockets and advancing their careers.
Paul also highlighted the hypocrisy of the Green Party, who talked Left at the hustings, but always voted for cuts when they were on the council, and have even jailed a pensioner in Brighton who was unable to pay the council tax.
Our rousing programme was enthusiastically received by Lewisham’s pensioners, who were angry at the impact of austerity on living standards and public services. Several people said that Paul was the best speaker, and there was a clamour to buy the Socialist at the end. All of this underlined the need for a new mass workers’ party, which TUSC is paving the way for. Regardless of the outcome of the election, there will be a fighting, working class voice in Lewisham to resist the bosses’ attacks.
