Birmingham Labour's 'grotesque chaos'

Ted, Birmingham Socialist Party

Birmingham city's ruling Labour Party has quickly raised the white flag to the Con-Dem government. The council organised public meetings to present its case for massive, highly damaging cuts.

In Erdington, the audience of around 150 were talked at for over an hour before we were invited to say which services were most or least important.

Labour's council leader, Sir Albert Bore, attacked me after I joined other audience members in demanding a 'needs budget'.

As the biggest local authority in Europe, Birmingham city council would be best placed to lead a rebellion against the government.

These points, and the others who argued against cuts, drew big rounds of applause, in contrast to the entire top table who received not a single clap in two hours!

In a grasping response Sir Albert recalled the 1980s Labour Party conference when then-leader Neil Kinnock denounced "grotesque chaos" at Liverpool city council.

Liverpool had indeed taken on the Tory government, and won £60 million extra funding for jobs, services and over 5,000 homes. How chaotic!

This approach, in the tradition of previous principled Labour councillors at Clay Cross and Poplar, is alien to the likes of Sir Albert who talk of the 'end of local government' and 'decommissioning entire services' in order to set a balanced budget. This is supposedly responsible!

Labour locally has concentrated on Birmingham being disproportionally hit. Sir Albert says he has written to Tory community-slasher Eric Pickles to win back £80 million. Even if Pickles concedes, this will barely make a dent in the £600 million of cuts.

Socialist Party members have also attended the other consultations, but more importantly we will be at the forefront in building resistance.

This includes building TUSC and encouraging local activists to stand as council candidates against the cuts.

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Finance appeal

The coronavirus crisis has laid bare the class character of society in numerous ways. It is making clear to many that it is the working class that keeps society running, not the CEOs of major corporations.

The results of austerity have been graphically demonstrated as public services strain to cope with the crisis.

The government has now ripped up its 'austerity' mantra and turned to policies that not long ago were denounced as socialist. But after the corona crisis, it will try to make the working class pay for it, by trying to claw back what has been given.

The Socialist Party's material is more vital than ever, so we can continue to report from workers who are fighting for better health and safety measures, against layoffs, for adequate staffing levels, etc.
When the health crisis subsides, we must be ready for the stormy events ahead and the need to arm workers' movements with a socialist programme - one which puts the health and needs of humanity before the profits of a few.