Mariam Kamish, Secretary Caerphilly Trades Council (personal capacity) and Socialist Party
“The Manic Street Preachers come from Blackwood”, a woman beside me was telling a reporter. “We might not even have the Manics if not for Blackwood Miners Institute.”
Behind us, three burly teenagers led the chanting: “Save our ‘Stute! Save our ‘Stute!”
Over five hundred people marched in Caerphilly against the latest round of cuts. They were a confident crowd. For years, these same marchers had kept the council axe off our leisure centre – the issue is still in the courts.
All across England and Wales, councils have passed on millions of pounds of cuts – vital services and venues have been decimated.
Labour in power in Caerphilly have nothing to offer us but defeat. Close it. Sell it. If it’s worth anything, privatise it.
Yet this is a council with £184 million in reserves it could dip into. There’s no need to make these cuts. Councillors can use reserves and borrowing powers, link up with other anti-cuts councils and build a mass working-class movement to get back the money we need.
We tell councillors, if they fight, they’ll be local heroes. They won’t be fighting alone – they’ll have the whole area behind them.
When the Tories were in power, councillors blamed Westminster. Post-election, Labour, nationally and locally, has no place to hide.
Everyone we meet on the streets is furious that Starmer is cutting winter fuel payments. They’re disgusted by MPs taking gifts from rich supporters.
But Starmer’s New Labour sees no problem with cosying up to big business. Or watering down plans to crack down on ‘non-doms’ – people who live in Britain, but register a permanent home abroad to avoid paying taxes.
It’s essential unions lead a fightback. In Caerphilly, the trade union Unison branch has organised a march, lobbies of the council and public meetings against the planned cuts and closures. Now, councillors have been begun to bend under the pressure. They’ve agreed not to end Meals on Wheels – a massive victory – though they still want to reduce subsidies, meaning users would pay more. We need to fight this. And the fight is still on to stop the other proposed cuts and save the ‘Stute.
Imagine the impact a national trade union-led campaign against the cuts would have. And how much more powerful such a movement would be if the unions backed a mass party that would fight for the working class, not attack their living standards like Starmer’s Labour is trying to.
We say
- Build a mass campaign to defend our local venues, services and jobs
- Councils should use reserves and borrowing powers as temporary measures. And band together with other councils to demand adequate funding
- Councillors should fight for those who elected you or stand aside for genuine socialists!
- End austerity – take the wealth off the 1%
