North Shields: second march and rally to #SaveOurBridge

Save our bridge, photo by Elaine Brunskill (Click to enlarge)

William Jarrett, North Tyneside Socialist Party

On the afternoon of 15 June, around 25 people again marched through North Shields town centre to save a much-loved and important pedestrian bridge.

It was greeted with the same wide support which has underpinned the campaign, with the active participation of our local Socialist Party from the start.

Sadly the official campaign didn't publicise the march, on the basis its leaders felt it may not be well attended. This perplexed us as the first such event attracted 70 people.

We have explained that in order for the campaign to succeed it must be bold and political in nature, calling into question the Labour council's austerity rampage.

Unfortunately, Labour Party members in official positions on the Tyne and Wear Public Transport Users Group have tried to rely instead on personal relationships with senior council figures.

Demands

Following the rally at the bridge a resident approached our members, purchased a copy of the Socialist, and asked to place a placard in his window.

He said his kids love the bridge and that he sees people using it at all hours of the day.

Our demands are resonating with those who want infrastructure and services to remain intact and improve - as North Shields enjoys a surge in popularity among developers and speculators who appear to be closely associated with council figures.

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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.

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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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