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Link to this page: https://www.socialistparty.org.uk/articles/19536
Posted on 20 October 2014 at 17:11 GMT
Kevin Maguire's mistaken comparison
A letter sent to the Mirror:
I share Kevin Maguire's revulsion at South Tyneside council's threat to lop off £5,000 of the pay of nursery nurses, particularly as the fat cats continue to pile up fabulous wealth.
However the comparison with Militant and Liverpool is misplaced. Issuing letters of intent to our workforce was designed to put pressure on the government. Unlike the councils Kinnock supported when he did the dirty work of the then Thatcher government, we did not make a single worker redundant. In fact there were more workers employed in Liverpool when we were removed by Thatcher's district auditor than when we were elected. The only thing that was 'grotesque' was Lord Kinnock's speech.
Tony Mulhearn, past President, Liverpool Labour Party
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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.
2020