IT IS NOT just the Tories who attacked local government for 18 years. The Labour government has continued with this, only making cosmetic changes, like releasing some of the money from the sale of council housing.
Privatisation of services continues under another name - "Best. Value' - as does capping of Council budgets. Cuts in services have continued without respite since Labour won the general election.
The government has spelled out its plans for local government. Directly elected mayors on the model of that being put to a referendur in London - essentially unaccountable - will be simply graduaty introduced arounc the country. voting To ace so Council Labour will tas seer wiling to not change 755=75 out ather anything gene or scherwise, macre se Its mat capping reaures -me main 'selling point' tor zocur r =e London council decors s son iow they have care Fanci ax (and photos dore-sar No mention of the Sc = pre te goremment's saices are ser compliance, they ave orm sone so by making cuts.
Labour s sounc to lose seats, an ascao: Counts, in this aure si oca erections. Last time se are net Labour won a record number of seats, and while resistance to the government has not yet built up, there will hardly be a wave of enthusiasm to rush out and vote on June 7th.
Nevertheless, Socialist Outlook calls on its readers to vote Labour as a class vote. Labour, despite Blair's best efforts, still represents the aspirations of the working class for better local services and conditions.
However, simply voting Labour will not change anything. It needs to be linked to a building of anti-cuts campaigns which can halt these attacks.
Where candidates to the left of Labour are standing, and have a real base we call for a vote for them. Some are the product of serious local campaigns, some are respected Councillors who have now left the Labour Party. We do not call for a blanket vote for left-of-Labour candidates, since we consider some of them to be ill-judged and without a base, seeking merely to 'fly a flag' for a sectarian cause.
The main task for socialists remains one of building a serious, mass political opposition to Blairism within the labour movement, tapping the growing vein of working class resentment and resistance.
In the case of Italy and Belgium, despite frantic fiddling and massaging of figures, the debt figure - at 118% of GDP this / vear -s amost double the target set by the Maastricht Treaty, and far worse than the 107% notched up by Greece the only EU country ruled out of applying. These problems have not gone unnoticed, and there is growing opposition to Italy joining the new currency, especially in the Netherlands, where the government has threatened to vote against it unless there is a tough tional speakers Italy receive less than 20% There of the annual income is still time to of the richest regions. The EU sink the Euro, "poverty belt" before it drowns includes the whole of Portumore jobs and gal except Liswelfare services bon. Average per capita income in in its wake Britain (£11,400) is less than the £12,000 EU average. Any new austerity package would further widen these gaps -and with this price tag, as French Communist Party leader Robert Hue said in April, the Euro would benefit only the bankers and financiers. Far from à step towards internationalism, the Euro will intensify national rivalEWRO WRT forward with the launch of the single currency, while Gordon Brown's economic policy is already tied in to the Maastricht criteria and the demands of a future European Central Bank. He must be stopped.
This is why it is so important to build a major protest demonstration to challenge the single currency and Maastricht austerity at the EU summit in Cardiff on June 13.
Much of the British left is now committed to support this initiative, with the promise of strong support from other European countries. There is still time to sink the Euro, before it drowns more jobs and welfare services in its wake. AERDYDD, I3 MEHEFIM 108
MARCH through Cardiff June 13. ASSEMBLE 1.30pm Cooper's Field (behind Cardiff Castle). RALLY with interna- Details Euro Summit Demonstration Committee, CCTUS, 131 Crwys Rd, Cardiff CF2 4NH, Wales. or ring 01222 302324. fax 01222 302325.
EURO DEMONSTRATION CARDIFF JUNE 13 '98 DYSTIAD