Demonstration against closure of day centre in Llandeilo, Wales: Users of Noddfa Teilo Day Club in Llandeilo, Carmarthenshire, protest, photo Socialist Party Wales (Click to enlarge)

Ronnie Job, Swansea

"You can only spend them once." This was Welsh Local Government Association chief executive Steve Thomas' explanation of why Welsh councils plan to cut £7-800 million after it was revealed that they hold reserves of over £700 million.

Well no shit Sherlock! I hadn't realised before that you can only spend money once!

He also claims that the majority of those reserves are 'earmarked'. But even the £163 million-plus available, according to Mr Thomas, could help buy some much-needed time for councils and more importantly, for council workers and service users.

But this would only be worth doing if Welsh councils, or more precisely, the 50% of them that are Labour-led, intended to use any such breathing space to build a campaign uniting local authority workers whose jobs are at risk with users of council services that are threatened.

Labour cuts

Unfortunately Welsh Labour councils have been no more reluctant to pass on Con-Dem cuts than their Tory counterparts in England. Neither has the Welsh Labour Government.

No wonder a study by the Children's Society and Stepchange has found that 23% of Welsh families are struggling with household debt, getting behind on bills and failing to keep up loan repayments.

Apart from byelections, Welsh people won't get a chance to elect councillors willing to fight, rather than implement Con-Dem cuts, until at least 2017. All the more reason for socialists to put forward an alternative in next year's general election.

The constituent parts of the Trades Unionist and Socialist Coalition in Wales, including the Socialist Party and the RMT union, are meeting to plan where and who to stand.

When other parties are scrapping to see which one of them gets to make the cuts they all agree on, we will offer a no cuts, socialist alternative to as many working class communities in Wales as possible.

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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.

Inevitably, during the crisis we have not been able to sell the Socialist and raise funds in the ways we normally would.

We therefore urgently appeal to all our viewers to donate to our Fighting Fund.