Labour's not the alternative - a letter from Warwickshire FBU Chair Steve Roberts (Rugby TUSC candidate) in response to claims made by a Labour candidate, as published in the Rugby Observer 05/04/12

So Rob Mcnally thinks that the Labour party is the only party opposing cuts. This seems a bit disingenuous to me. Nationally the Labour party has much the same agenda as the coalition government.

The only difference between them is the speed at which they will implement the cuts.

On so many of their policies it is hard to get a cigarette paper between them and the Con-Dems. Some of the biggest slashing of local budgets by councils across the country are by Labour councils.

Before the local elections last year the Rugby Trade Union and Socialist Coalition sent out a pledge to all candidates asking them to pledge to fight all cuts. Not one candidate, including Labour, signed it. The same pledge went out this year with the same result. That doesn't show much willingness to fight the cuts.

Public sector workers, the majority of whom are not well paid, are facing attacks on their pay and pensions and all the Labour party can do is condemn them for standing up for themselves and sometimes taking strike action. The Labour party was started by the working class movement - a fact that seems to be forgotten by the leaders at the moment.

Now there is an election looming Labour suddenly starts slamming the cuts. Where were the Labour Party when libraries were being shut, the bus service being cut, fire stations were being shut and the youth services being slashed?

Where is the backing for the public sector workers who haven't had a pay rise for 2 or 3 years? Where is their backing for them when their hard payed for pensions are being attacked?

Labour is not an opposition party anymore. As the Bradford by-election showed last week it is a party that takes its voters for granted and shows no opposition until there is an election on the horizon.

The Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) will be standing in the election in May. They have pledged to fight ALL cuts. They will use council reserves and prudential borrowing powers to set a budget based on local needs and demand that the government makes up the short fall.

In short, Mr Mcnally, the Labour party is not the party of opposition in the up coming election.

The real opposition choice is the TUSC and I urge everyone to use their vote to fight back against the complacent big three parties and have a real vote against the cuts.

Steve Roberts

TUSC candidate for Bilton