Dear Editor
Over and over again we are told of the rich getting richer, with fantastic salaries and pay-offs and vast profit making cope with rising prices while the rest of us try to cope with rising prices, particularly of food, with wages held below inflation, it is getting more and more difficult just to ‘manage’. Continue reading Letters: The people can bring about change for good
Dear Editor
The continuing cuts in public services of all kinds are taking a dreadful toll on communities throughout the UK, undoing decades of struggle to put them in place.
The continuing fall in the value of wages, particularly now given higher prices every week, should convince the majority of the working population that private ownership of major industries are incapable of any other action.
There have been slumps in varying degrees of severity, the cost of which are passed on to the population: there can be no justification for such callousness in the pursuit of profit-making by privileged financial investors.
All of this show the urgent need for public ownership of at least the essential services: energy distribution, passenger transports of bus, rail and tram, water supply and sewerage – all of these industries should be working for the benefit of all, not a few investors.
We have to move on from the failed system of private ownership; there is no logical reason or sense in not doing so.
Tony Delahoy
Sillverknowes Gardens
Dear Editor
The continuing cuts in public services of all kinds are taking a dreadful toll on communities throughout the UK, undoing decades of struggle to put them in place.
The continuing fall in the value of wages, particularly now with higher prices every week, should convince the majority of the working population that private ownership of major industries are incapable of any other action.
There have been slumps in varying degrees of severity, the cost of which being passed on to the population; there can be no justification for such callousness in the pursuit of profit-making by privileged financial investors.
All of this show the urgent need for public ownership of at least the essential services: energy distributors, passenger transport (rail, bus and tram), water supply and sewerage – all of these industries should be working for the benefit of ALL, not a few investors.
We have to move on from the failed system of private ownership: there is no logical reason or sense in not doing so.
A. Delahoy
Silverknowes Gardens
Dear Editor
The working population has always been under pressure struggling to defend and improve their lives and the lives of those dependent on them. The pressure comes from the system of private ownership of industries that operates to maximise profits for individuals and organisations of investors.
The Labour movement, in all it’s forms, has battled against this with notable success, raising the quality of lives and expectations. These expectations should be reflected by the actions of our parliamentarians, but many are supporters of the existing system of private control and ownership and will not support major changes.
Labour Party policy must be to identify essential issues around which maximum unity of public pressure can be built, for example:
People do expect to pay a fair price for these services but extracting millions and millions of pounds from these industries is totally wrong, particularly when so many people are struggling to pay for the essentials of life.
The campaign to build maximum unity on these and other issues to progress the changes necessary must be a priority for the Labour movement, for no one else will.
It can be done.
A.Delahoy,
Silverknowes Gardens
Dear Editor
When people feel strongly about an issue and voice it very clearly, it stands a good chance of changing that issue. There have been a number of recent examples of this happening: cutting disability income, attempting to take schools away from local authorities, etc.
The main lesson learned is that issues need widespread support to necessary changes, issues that affect most people.
Potentially the most unifying issues are the electric, gas and water supply industries and the prices the utility companies charge. Everyone is dependent on these services, these supplies are absolutely essential to all, yet these industries are in private ownership whose main aim is to maximise profits.
It cannot be right that something so essential to everyone is run on that basis, when people are struggling to pay their bills. There can be no argument or reason against making these industries publicly owned and managed. They are as essential to everyone as the NHS.
This is an issue around which maximum unity can be built: righting this wrong is possible.
A. Delahoy, Silverknowes Gardens
Edinburgh North and Leith MP Mark Lazarowicz has welcomed the latest figures from publicly-owned rail operator East Coast. He stressed again the case for the line to stay in the public sector and said the issue that has been kept alive by Labour MPs in constituencies along the route – especially those in Edinburgh.
East Coast paid £225m to the government in the year to March 2014, making a total of more than £1bn since the last Labour Government took it back into the public sector. The rail operator also came top for customer satisfaction amongst long distance franchises.
The Labour MP said: “It’s a real achievement for this public sector company to pay back £225m to the taxpayer whilst also coming top amongst long distance operators for customer satisfaction – I want to see the line stay in public hands.
“The Government is determined to reprivatise East Coast and the fight for its future has been led by Labour MPs along the route – in Yorkshire, the North-East and in Scotland.
“Issues like this don’t just stop at Berwick and only Labour is committed to giving it the chance to continue running the line – separation won’t stop privatisation, only a Labour Government will ensure passengers are put first.”
“Labour Shadow Secretary of Transport Mary Creagh has made a commitment to a complete overhaul of the franchise system where operators make unrealistic bids which can only be achieved if corners are cut on services or ticket prices are hiked. East Coast’s results show there is another way.”
Dear Editor
In the main, the wealth of the nation is represented by the amount of products made by the people of the UK.
After paying wages and other costs the remainder is the owner’s profit, so it follows that the owner’s aim is to get as much produced for as little as possible; for the workers, their aim is to get better wages, working conditions and job security.
Given the fantastic profits being made by many industries, and the disgraceful salaries and bonuses being handed out to top management, it shows the distribution of wealth is very one-sided. The interests of owners and management as helped by having supporters in top political positions.
If the position was reversed, and workers had the overwhelming support of their political representatives, it would be a fair and just situation in that the interests of the majority of the population takes precedent over the very few. These interests would go beyond asking the employers for a few extra pounds in wages that – in a very short time – is swallowed up in rising prices.
Interests common to all are gas, electricity, water supplies, bus and rail transport, road transport and fuel supplies to get to and from work; also in particular the NHS and allied services, local services and amenities, green and open spaces.
These are a minimum of industries and services that should be run in the public interest, not for private profit; there are no doubt many other common interests that could be listed.
I believe a very large majority of people would support such a programme – a programme that worked for them, not the interests of the few.
A. Delahoy
Silverknowes Gardens
Dear Editor
To express thoughts in words is sometimes difficult; hopefully the following is clear enough.
There are many needs common to everyone in the UK: amongst them are the NHS, gas and electricity, water, transport, schools and employment, they are basic needs. In Scotland only the NHS, schools and water can be classed as universal services; even these are faced with attempts to privatize them.
Gas and electricity supplies are absolutely basic for life, yet these industries are in private hands, operating for private profit. There is no way individuals or groups of individuals should control such basic needs.
Most people have to use public transport; buses, railways and trams to get to and from work – again, a basic necessity that should not be run for private profit.
Loss of employment is devastating for individuals and families, long-term unemployment leads to depression and loss of dignity.
A creator of unemployment is the withdrawal of investment by groups of individuals – and banks – moving their money from one place to another, home or abroad, to maximise profit. Again, this is not right and must be changed.
The services outlined above need to be in public hands, a view on which I believe most people would agree. There are so many areas of life common to all on which a unity of thought and action can make them universal services.
Pitting one section of the population’s interests against another must be resisted at all times.
A. Delahoy
Silverknowes Gardens
