Campaign victory saves ten children’s centres


Tony Mulhearn and Dave Walsh, Liverpool TUSC prospective parliamentary candidates

Liverpool TUSC congratulates Save Our Sure Start Children’s Centres for rescuing ten from closure. Their magnificent victory demonstrates clearly that an effective campaign can produce results.

We note that Labour mayor Joe Anderson has used the city’s financial reserves as part of the package to keep the centres open. We give full support to a continuance of the campaign to save them permanently, and not stay reliant on this short-term solution.

We would also like to point out that those same reserves can be used to save other services lost during the butchery of the last two years.

Lament

TUSC believes that Mayor Anderson’s constant lament – that nothing can be done to stem the approaching £56 million of further cuts – is wrong. We call for the city council to spearhead a mass campaign, appealing to local authority trade unions and other Labour councils to join. Their combined weight could force this rotten, corrupt government – now revealed as the fat-cat tax dodgers’ political wing – to retreat.

Such a bold approach could restore the money unjustly stolen from our city. Liverpool’s Labour council did just this in the 1980s, when it was led by supporters of Militant, forerunner of the Socialist Party.

Councillors, including Tony Mulhearn, won £60 million back from Thatcher. But if Labour isn’t willing to fight today – TUSC is.