LABOUR 'S Industry spokesperson Gordon Brown might denounce British Telecom's latest huge profits. But his timid response - when he knows BT are raking in more than £100 per second just highlights the inadequacy of Labour's policies.
The scandal of BT's massive overcharging - and the three billion a year profits that result - mean that it is a prime candidate for a popular Labour campaign for nationalisation. At a time when Telecom is in the process of sacking a further 20,000 plus workers, Kinnock's dithering is a disaster.
Research shows that BT charge more for practically every service than their major competitors on an intemational level. Even the conserva tive Financial Times pointed out that the monopoly could slash its profits by a bilion and still out-perform its equivalents. Gladys Birs of the Telephone Users Group said 'Customers have been robbed left, right and centre by this monopoly and some of the vast sums of money should be ploughed back into providing a better service.
Labour's campaign around the NHS shows that one of its best hopes for winning the election les in defence of public services. A camstop the sackings and reduce charges could be a real vote winnor.
And i would provide some of the funds Labour desperatoly needs, if it is to have a hope in hell of implementing any of the (minimal) improvements in public investment that it has promised. But Kinnock's desperate rush to the right, dropping every policy deemed toony left by the tabloids, binds Labour's leader to such obrious facts.
Gordon Brown's call for an inquiry into BT's profts is al very well. But what woul really bring in the votes -and the cash Labour will need to compensate for years of under-fund. ing of the NHS and other services -would be an up-front pledge to roLabour Party members and trade unionists must demand that 8T is renationalised with compensation only in cases of proven need.
And those milions of workers paying a fortune to make phone calls shoul be told exactly what BT does with is bilions -at a time when it is making thousands redundant. Labour's new model Conference delegates, complete with Next suits Socialists for Labour say