* A low flat-rate system leading to a free transport system in Tyne & Wear * Expansion of all welfare services and the abolition of private practice inside and outside the NHS * A programme of public works, especially council housing, to meet social need and build the direct labour force. * No more rent rises * A national nursery school scheme * Abolition of all classes of over 30 children It was with these proposals that TYNESIDE Action Committee Against the Cuts launched its "Constructive Alternative to social spending cuts last week. The report was produced under the auspices of Newcastle and District Trades Council. which established the committee from a Trades Council conference last November on cuts and unemployment.
ing groups looking at virtually every aspect of the social services.
The Tyneside Committee's document rejects any idea of expansion of one sector of the public services at the expense of other sectors. The fight to defend the social services, coucanion, accent nousing and a tran sport service meeting the need of the working class are clearly linked.
REELING Moreover, the programme puts forward demands around which the whole of the working class can be organised, not just factory workers. The monds of old people, the sick housewives, and the unemployed are taken into account, and the section on health and the social services JAMES DRAKE looks at what local cuts committees are doing PRIVATE • MEDICINE Picketing the BMA last week in defence mittee has been formulating a programme for a successful reversal of the cuts and the extension of the are demanding are: •A halt to all cuts • The immediate restoration of all cuts involving NHS, housing and social services building programmes • The exposure of all plans for proposed cuts through the opening of the books.
ing that the Labour group on Birmingham council, whether in power or not, be forced to take a position of outright opposition to the cuts.
Opening the books of the local authorities is a vital demand in the fight back. against the cuts. It allows the extent of the planned cuts, expose the causes of the crisis, and plan the fight back. In London, for example, it is known that 90 per cent of all rents go straight back to the money-lenders in interest repayments, while 30,000 homes lie empty and thousands are homeless. Far from standing up to these parittee Against the Cuts in the NHS.
This is a step towards taking the issue into all organisations of the labour movement in Hemel, to build a mighty united campaign to force the Labour Government to implement the policy of defending the NHS passed by the Labour Party's annual conference Amongst other things this called for a sliding scale of expenditure to protect health service spending against the effects of inflation, the abolition of privale bracuce, and apornon on request BIRMINGHAM Cuts Action Comsocial services in the interests of working people. The immediate steps they Arming themselves with this information, Birmingham CAC is demandcommittees of local workers to reveal all cuts a year ago." industry and financial institutions, Labour authorities continue to pay this ransom and cut back on services for local tenants and trade unISLINGTON Campaign Against the Cuts in Social Expenditure has taken up this demand and is challenging local councillors and MPs not only to vote against the cuts, and organise support for workers struggling against them, but to organise actively with other Labour councils against the right-wing policies of the Wilson Government. Over 300 tenants packed the Council Chambers of the Town Hall last week, allegedly to hear about the Council's heroic resistance to the housing cuts.
SACROSANCT But as a statement from the International Marxist Group pointed out:
*Almost exactly a year ago the Council called a meeting like tonight's to 'explain' the cuts it was making in social services, recreation facilities, staff levels and other council services. Council leader Gerry Southgate pleaded in justification, "nothing except the continuance of the housing programme has been ruled out at this stage... whatever else happens, the housing programme is sacrosanct". Now with Housing Minister Freeson's savage cuts in Islington's Section 105' housing rehabilitation money from £26 million to £11 million, the Labour Council is reaping the bitter fruits of its failure to fight The statement went on to demand of councillors Conway, McGaskill, Veness, Hassler and Haynes (who have offered verbal opposition to the council cuts during council planned cuts inside the Council they should immediately publicly dissociate themselves from council policy and launch a campaign in the workers movement for the above policies and fight to build a London labour movement conference to fight these cuts and remove those responsible for them' With the coming White Paper on Public Expenditure due to slash a further £3,000 million off social spending, national actions are vital. The education cuts demonstration on 27 February and the national demonstration on 25 April against the cuts in the National Health Service and against private practice inside and outside the NHS will give important national focuses to all activity against the cuts. The latter in particular will give local cuts committees the opportunity to approach local NALGO branches and hospital unions for support and add some real weight to the campaigns in their areas. Speakers from the NCC can be booked through Dr Paul Stern, 55 Bridge Lane, London NW11.
If you're preparing a fight against the cuts in your area and want to know more about the Tyneside Committee's programme, you can get a copy of The Constructive Alternative' from: Colin Randall or John Darwin, c/o 85 Adelaide Terrace, Benwell, Newcastle 4. Details of the Islington Cuts Conference (delegate fee 50p) from ICACISE. c/o 15 Bayon House, New Orleans Walk, London N19 3ST.
Is there a cuts campaign in your area? If so Red Weekly would like to know what its policies are, what support its got, what its doing, and how it is mobilising for the NAGO/ NCC demo against the cuts in the NHS and private practice. Write to Red Weekly, 182 Pentonville Road, London N1