Letters

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

Renter's rant

Beth Sutcliffe is spot on when she comments on the conditions private sector tenants have to live in. (See socialistparty.org.uk, 'Cameron's 10,000 new homes won't hide the problem'.)

For the last two months of my most recent tenancy, I had to put up with the house leaking water when it rained (and there's been a lot of that recently) despite contacting the landlord on numerous occasions.

But this isn't the first time this has happened. Earlier that year we were left without a washing machine for a month and a half.

A few years ago we had no working shower for a month. Only when we threatened to withhold paying rent were these issues finally dealt with!

The private sector cannot provide quality affordable housing. It leaves private tenants dealing either with expensive and distant letting agencies, or small landlords who often don't have the expertise to maintain properties. Hence why the Socialist's demand for a mass council house building programme is so necessary.

'A private sector renter', Leeds

Cuts versus courts

Liverpool's right-wing Labour mayor Joe Anderson claims he sees no difference between a legal no-cuts budget and an illegal budget (Liverpool Echo, 19 January). So I will spell it out carefully.

An illegal budget is where a council decides deliberately to spend an amount, then fails to identify where the money is coming from.

A legal no-cuts budget, on the other hand, would entail the council identifying the amount needed to halt cuts, then using its reserves and prudential borrowing powers to bridge the gap.

For Joe, and here's the rub, it would have to be the first step in a campaign led by his council to force central government to restore the funding. If Osborne can be forced into a u-turn on his tax credit cuts by the House of Lords, he can be made to retreat on council cuts.

Apparently needing a drink after my "diatribe", he sketches the analogy of having only Ł5 to pay for a Ł10 round. But, if the mayor's inability to pay had resulted from his pocket being picked by a bloated billionaire quaffing champagne at the bar, I'm sure he would fight to get it back.

"If I don't make the cuts, government inspectors will," he laments. However, such intervention requires parliamentary approval. Corbyn could use his position to denounce such a move. This would help in boosting a community and trade union campaign of such magnitude that the Tories would be compelled to retreat.

Joe should run the idea past Jeremy - he might endorse such a move.

Tony Mulhearn, Liverpool

Muslim women

Following on from the comments in the Socialist issue 886 - from Muslim women in response to David Cameron's racist remarks (socialistparty.org.uk, 'Top tweets: #TraditionallySubmissive') - I would like to make my own observations.

I have attended the picket line for the dispute at Small Heath School in Birmingham on several occasions.

Small Heath is a predominantly Asian area of the city and the school employs a number of female Asian teachers.

To see them on the picket line, dressed in headscarves, chanting, singing and talking to parents and passers-by, they are anything but submissive. Their 'radicalisation' is in the direction of trade union action. They enthusiastically welcomed me and others to their picket line.

Clive Walder, Birmingham

Trident tripe

So we see that the arch-right wing Labour MP for Leeds West, Rachel Reeves, has come out and publicly attacked Corbyn over his opposition to Trident.

It was somewhat ironic that in her attack, she claimed the opposition is not coming from the Labour Party's grassroots. In her own constituency, a recent Kirkstall ward Labour Party meeting voted 40 to two to oppose the renewal of Trident.

Iain Dalton, Leeds

British values

Michael Wilshaw, a 21st century incarnation of Dickens's Wackford Squeers, has the answer to terrorism. It is "British values".

Well Sir Michael, consider these British values:

Not paying tax. Do you condemn the tax dodgers? Or are the British values of the royal family (tax dodgers for over 50 years) predominant?

Should Muslims embrace civilian bombing in Syria? Lying and faking evidence to start the Iraq war. British values again?

Changing the definition of words. "Satisfactory" means whatever Ofsted wants it to mean. Is that one of your values? Disingenuous mendacity?

And bullying. Is there any other simple British word to describe the behaviour of brutish Ofsted inspectors who intimidate teachers who are trying to do a tough job under difficult circumstances?

Derek McMillan, Durrington, Sussex

Right fight

Put yourself in the shoes of people fleeing conflict, people who have lost family members even children to war and famine.

Our fight should not be with people fleeing conflict (which our government supports) or people looking for a better way of living life. We all want a better life, and that's why we should fight the privileged few who inflict so much pain and misery on us in our everyday lives.

Our fight should be against the people who sell off our public assets to private corporations for profit, the people who endorse ever-increasing rents and energy prices. These are the people who turn the working class against each other.

Lee Crick, Herne Bay, Kent

Crawcrook Labour

Two days after the general election result my daughter joined the Labour Party. She subsequently voted for Corbyn.

My daughter lives in the same ex-mining village as I do. The local ward is made of three similar villages - now quite pleasant commuter villages for Gateshead and Newcastle.

Not a single visit to my daughter has been made by any local Labour rep, nor has she been invited to a single ward meeting. The only 'local' contact has been email from the Constituency Labour Party with a basic agenda for an all-members meeting in October.

The subsequent minutes show no roll-call of members, no mention of Corbyn et al and the only actions appear to be to elect a new constituency secretary.

So, in Crawcrook at least, the hope that the Corbynistas may renew Labour through Momentum appears just that for the moment.

Ron Phillips, Crawcrook, Tyne and Wear

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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.

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