Campaigning against the cuts


Ex-mining village shows it can still fight

Natara Hunter, Nuneaton Socialist Party

The pit has gone but the miners’ spirit still remains in Keresley Village, an ex-mining community located within the boundaries of both Labour cut-voting councils – Coventry, and Nuneaton and Bedworth.

The library, the doctor’s surgery and the post office are all under threat.

The nursery has been shut down, the youth club closed and its dedicated staff sacked.

We have no street lighting between midnight and 6am. Not that many of us are out now.

Our local Colliery Club, probably one of the last of its kind, was smashed to the ground within days of the proposed demolition of our village pub, the Golden Eagle – infamous as a 1984-5 miners’ strike pub – being announced.

But local residents, young and old alike, have come out to show their opposition. Over 50 residents attended a public meeting organised by Nuneaton Socialist Party at short notice.

Within a day of the meeting, over 30 children organised a protest to protect their BMX track and demand better facilities for young people.

Keresley’s youngsters are taking a leaf out of their grandfathers’ book, and are already asking questions about socialism as well as looking towards TUSC as a real voting alternative in this year’s county council elections.

Newcastle council passes £100 million cuts

Newcastle’s Labour-controlled council has passed a horrific £100 million cuts budget which will be implemented over the next three years.

The cuts include closing the city pool, many libraries, all youth services and severely damaging the arts fund.

Newcastle has already seen big marches against the cuts and anger is increasing.

On Saturday 9 March, a very large lobby saw youth, pensioners, community campaigns, trade unionists and others expressing their anger against the council.

The protesters were let in to observe the cuts budget meeting, which went on for four and half hours! Nick Forbes, leader of the council, argued against protesters in the gallery who shouted “set a needs budget” and “if you’re against the cuts then don’t implement them!”

The ‘Stop the Cuts’ group of anti-cuts campaigns in and around Newcastle will continue to campaign against the cuts being implemented.

Paul Phillips

Leicester’s Streetlife won’t be silenced

Homeless action group Streetlife spent the night of 9-10 March enduring the sub-zero cold and snow to draw public attention to Leicester council’s brutal onslaught on the entire working class and on homeless service provision in particular

The council proposes slashing the homelessness budget by a third over the next two years.

The nightlong protest held on the steps of the Town Hall meant a sleepless night for many – something that the homeless are all too familiar with.

The protest showed the raw grit and determination of people to oppose the Labour council’s cowardly and totally unnecessary decision to implement the Con-Dems’ cuts.

The sleep-out bolstered Streetlife’s morale, and swelled their numbers for future actions.

Michael Barker

Kidderminster shoppers oppose tax dodgers

Worcester Socialist Party members held a stall in Kidderminster on 2 March, campaigning against corporation tax avoidance. 45 people signed the petition. £40 was donated towards the fighting fund and 23 copies of the Socialist were bought, with many good discussions reflecting people’s anger and openness to new ideas.

People were well aware of the failure of companies such as Boots, Vodafone and Starbucks to pay tax. One man said how a clothing company he had worked at moved to Switzerland to avoid tax.

A number of people gave their details to find out more about joining the Socialist Party.

Nigel Gilbert