Letters

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.

Brum bunglers

Birmingham council's Labour leaders keep telling us that there is no alternative to the massive cuts they intend to carry out at the behest of the Tory government.

Such pleas may be a bit more acceptable if they knew what they were doing. It was revealed recently that council refuse trucks are too big to drive down some of the city's narrower streets!

Clive Walder, Birmingham

Useless Ukip

What a strange year 2015 was for the United Kingdom Independence Party (Ukip)!

They predicted a 25-seat success at the general election, and not even leader Nigel Farage was elected as an MP.

Since that time, the party has reportedly lost over a third of members, funding is drying up and there are two separate investigations into its European parliament group.

More recently, the defection of their Pontypridd candidate to Labour has provided a rich source of local embarrassment.

Ukip has been boasting about the prospect of winning nine seats at the Welsh Assembly elections in May 2016.

But judging by the penury of their past predictions I very much doubt they will manage even a third of that.

Political change is entirely necessary after 16 years of right-wing Labour rule, but Welsh voters deserve so much better than the embarrassing circus of Ukip's self-absorbed antics.

Daniel Pitt, Rhondda Cynon Taf

Job rejection rejection

Sue Powell from Gloucester imagines a job seeker replying to a rejection letter:

Dear Sir/Madam,

Many thanks for your letter. Having carefully considered your rejection of my application, I regret to inform you that I have come to the conclusion that I am unable to accept this rejection.

I have already received a large number of rejections this year, so I am not in a position to accept any further rejections for the time-being. Consequently, your rejection cannot be taken into consideration.

Unfortunately, despite the friendly tone of your standard rejection letter, it does not meet my current requirements and for this reason I must inform you that I will commence the traineeship I applied for.

I would like to wish you good luck in your future endeavours to reject job applications and sincerely hope that your next attempt is successful.

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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 click here to donate to our Fighting Fund.