The Socialist inbox: letters to the editors, photo Suzanne Beishon

The Socialist inbox: letters to the editors, photo Suzanne Beishon   (Click to enlarge: opens in new window)

Do you have something to say?

Send your news, views and criticism in not more than 150 words to Socialist Postbox, PO Box 24697, London E11 1YD, phone 020 8988 8771 or email [email protected].

We reserve the right to shorten and edit letters. Don’t forget to give your name, address and phone number. Confidentiality will be respected if requested.

Views of letter writers do not necessarily match those of the Socialist Party.


Farage EU elections

The Merseyside Pensioners Association views with grave concern the growing popularity of Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party, which, according to polls, is polling 34% for the EU elections, with Labour next closest at 16%, and the Tories on a derisory 10%.

We believe this support for Farage reflects disaffection with the two main parties, and has created a vacuum which Farage is filling with his ‘anti-establishment’ demagogy which is the stock in trade of the populist right.

The question of austerity, equality and growing poverty, particularly among the working poor, is completely absent in these debates.

We are calling on Jeremy Corbyn and the trade union leaders to launch a mass campaign to expose the hypocrisy of Farage, ‘Tommy Robinson’ and their allies, by highlighting the ongoing attacks on working people which continue to be the policy of this government, a policy to which Farage’s Brexit Party offers no alternative, and clearly posing the socialist alternative to austerity.

Tony Mulhearn, Merseyside Pensioners Association

Saving app scam

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On social media I’m getting constant adverts for apps that can “help me save” from the likes of “Plum.” They analyse your transaction history and automatically take money out of your account and put it into savings.

Others round up when you pay for items, and put your change into savings. This alongside patronising tweets by banks about cost-cutting measures show how removed those at the top are from the lives of working-class young people.

They take 1+1 and find it equals 3. I would like to see the Plum app try and “analyse” the bank account of a Deliveroo driver or someone on a zero-hour contract. I suspect it will make the app crash.

Helen Pattison, Ilford, east London

Pensioner benefit cuts

Lord True has recommended that pensioners’ free bus travel, TV licences and winter fuel payments should be next in line for skinflint Tory cuts.

He has the audacity to scapegoat pensioners for the lack of affordable housing for young people.

As an unelected parasite, presumably he has forgotten that pensioners have votes.

Derek McMillan, Worthing