New Labour’s sham democracy exposed

Waltham Forest:

New Labour’s sham democracy exposed

ON SATURDAY 18 June, workers and users from the Walthamstow Learning
Centre, local residents and the Walthamstow Socialist Party will be
protesting against the proposed closure of the adult education centre.

At a lively Community Council meeting on 6 June, supporters of the
campaign against closure were howled down by local councillors who later
pleaded that the decision had been taken away from them.

This whole issue highlights the sham democracy operated by Blair’s
cohorts at local level. No consultation took place into the decision not
to renew the lease on the Greenleaf building; no cabinet discussed it;
no council meeting voted for it.

Before the meeting had even started, the ex-mayor instructed us that
we wouldn’t be allowed to speak because we weren’t residents of those
particular wards. When we told him our objections to the closure of the
centre (used by all the people of the borough), he threatened to
physically remove us from the meeting.

In effect this decision was made by a quango – the Learning Skills
Council – along with council service managers, and has completely
by-passed the elected representatives.

Campaigners only heard about the closure in late April. Since then
they have tried to organise opposition to the very obvious
asset-stripping taking place in the borough, linked to the closure and
sale of other council buildings. Workers from these buildings will be
expected to ‘hot-desk’ and squeeze into smaller, more cramped buildings.

Land is at a premium in London. It is being bought by property
developers and big retail operators at an incredible pace, with the
connivance of local and national government.

The Socialist Party has raised the need to organise community defence
of community services – when the possibility of occupying the centre was
raised it gained an enthusiastic response at the meeting. Unfortunately,
it is not applicable to this campaign but asset-stripping is gathering
pace across the country and we should give people the opportunity to
physically defend their services.

There is also the distinct feeling of a witch-hunt in this campaign
with management and council adopting a real authoritarian response.
Lecturers were told not to speak to councillors or the press, individual
members involved in the campaign have been threatened with disciplinary
action and Socialist Party members have been threatened.