A penny for your thoughts

Former Edinburgh District Council Housing and Finance convener JIMMY BURNETT was among the hundreds who took to take part in a demonstration outside the Scottish Parliament to protest at cuts to council budgets yesterday.

He supports Labour’s case for a 1p tax rise – and argues that we must pay more to support crucial public services:

I fully support a one penny tax rise. With the proposed rebate system, those earning £20,000 or less, would pay no additional tax. Those earning £30,000 would pay around £16.00 a month. Those earning £150,000, would pay an additional £28.00 a week, £112.00 extra per month. Continue reading A penny for your thoughts

Letters: Saving our public services

Dear Editor

Local authorities are elected to operate a wide variety of services in their areas, services that keep the community functioning. The trend now is to cut back on what is thought not to be necessary, to offload some to private contractors or to get the community itself to be the provider. Continue reading Letters: Saving our public services

‘Meltdown’: Union fears 3000 council job losses

UNISON says one on six council jobs could go

Trade Union UNISON fears that over 3,000 jobs – one in every six Edinburgh council staff and three times as many jobs as first thought – will be slashed as the effects of accelerated budget cuts become clear, putting the council’s and the Scottish Government’s no compulsory redundancy pledge at risk.

The union has also re-launched its ‘Our City’s Not For Sale’ campaign as reports drawn up by officials put privatisation back on the agenda three years after councillors rejected mass privatisation plans.

“The effect of cuts on services and staff will be devastating as at least 15% of council employees could face being forced out of their jobs”, warned Amanda Kerr, UNISON Edinburgh City branch secretary. “Losing this amount of staff will decimate the services we provide and the public rely on to the point where they would be unrecognisable.

“It is now time for the politicians to stand up for the pledges they were elected on and support UNISON in the fight to save public services in Edinburgh for future generations.”

Lead Edinburgh UNISON negotiator Tom Connolly warned of the effect on services: “Every job lost is a service lost, a school closed, a care home closed, young and old put at risk. UNISON will defend these services and any compulsory redundancies will trigger our longstanding policy to ballot members on action.”

UNISON is calling for meaningful consultation and will demand that the council honours its no compulsory redundancy pledge and its ‘presumption’ against privatisation.

“If there is the political will to save Edinburgh’s services from these vicious government cuts, then councillors need to make sure that officials fully understand that”, said branch president John Stevenson, calling again on the Scottish Government to step in with emergency money to save services while they look at a fairer funding system.

“There has been a deafening silence on the massive cuts local councils have faced with 40,000 jobs lost in the last few years. The government needs to face up to the crisis and make funding available before services disappear for ever.”

UNISON will lobby the Council’s Finance and Resources Committee next Thursday (24 September).

For further information visit http://www.unison-edinburgh.org.uk/citynotforsale/

Letter: Take back our essential services

Dear Editor

For six years the Tory government has carried out sweeping cuts to the people’s income and they have decimated social services of all kinds – in the name of dealing with the financial crisis caused by the banks and financial institutions.

These financial institutions – here and overseas – are still creating havoc: buying and selling shares regardless of the effect this has one people’s lives here and overseas.

Yet despite all the evidence of greed and complete mismanagement, political action taken by the Tories is mainly against the people, not the culprits!

Why did the Tories poll 37% of the votes cast in the general election (although this was a minority of the population’s vote, it gave them enough to form a government)? Their access, support and possible control of most avenues of information, newspapers, etc. gave them a tremendous advantage, coupled with their ‘we have a plan’, repeated over and over again, convinced many people to give them another chance – a terrible mistake, and the bad effects of their policies will be increasingly felt.

The Tories always were and always will be the political representatives of the rich, who assume it is their natural right to govern.

As 90% of the population are wage earners, in other words they sell their ability to labour daily, to get the best possible wages and working conditions it is far better to have representation for your interests: the same is very true of political representatives.

To repeat, the Tories always represent the rich, the Liberals are never very sure for whom they speak and that leaves the Labour movement of unions, co-operatives, the Labour Party and SNP.

The Labour movement must now show they have a plan, a plan that works for and benefits the 90% of the population: for example free from private profit making the services that enable the 90% to function – gas, electricity, water, rail and road transport, among others.

A. Delahoy, Silverknowes Gardens

Letter: People Matter

Dear Editor

Information available through newspapers, television and radio have contributed to the disillusion beu#ing felt about politics. I believe it is confusion caused by the similarity of party programmes, in effect making people pay for the debts caused by banks and investors, also having many public services cut and cut again.

Without making changes in the system there is no guarantee this will not happen again. Confusion will lessen and a high level of unity could be had around an initial programme of taking back services from private investors: services that are absolutely essential to be run for the benefit of everyone.

The obvious ones on which we all depend include electricity, gas, water and sewerage and the rail network.

Real hope would be established that, at last, PEOPLE MATTER!

A. Delahoy, Silverknowes Gardens

Letters: Unite to save essential services

Dear Editor

The vast majority of people support the NHS because it is service there for them if required. Politicians will know the wrath of this majority if they move against this universal service: the people know there are attempts to privatise some of the NHS and those politicians will learn a lesson at the ballot box.

Other essential services needed and used by everyone must also become universally, not privately, owned. The main ones are gas, electric, water and railways. The first three are needed by everyone, otherwise modern society cannot function. The railways, although not used by everyone, are a main vein transporting goods and people.

There can be no justification for these essential industries being used for private profit by those who have money to invest: it is obscene to pay them dividends when there are other people who cannot afford to heat their homes.

Profit made should be used to maintain those industries and benefit the users: this should apply to all energy companies. To reach this situation the population will have to apply the same pressure and support it gives to the NHS. These issues are common to all, around which maximum unity is possible.

A. Delahoy, Silverknowes Gardens

Lazarowicz: keep rail on right track

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.”