Voting Labour is not enough

Today I will take a day off from picking up the pieces of cuts being made by a Labour Council in order to devote my annual leave to working for the election of Labour candidates.



Why? Tribal party loyalty plays a role - but, more importantly, I can see that the strength of the Labour vote in the local (and national) elections will be seen as the strength of opposition to Coalition cuts. Given the equivocal position adopted by the Party leadership just now - and the consequent compliance by Labour Councils with Tory cuts - a Labour vote may not be, in every situation, a straightforward "anti-cuts" vote (and some anti-cuts activists may support alternative candidates as a result),



However, with its many faults, the Labour Party is the national political alternative to the Tory Coalition. The Labour Party retains, (in spite of the efforts of many opponents of working class political representation - Tony Blair included), an organic link with te trade union movement - the only social force available to resist the Tory assault upon our welfare state.



Therefore I shall not simply vote Labour, but shall work for the election of Labour candidates.



However, that is not nearly enough. Since Labour Councils in 2012 will be no less likely to capitulate to the Tory cuts agenda than they were in 2011, those of us who care for our public services need not simply to vote Labour but - more importantly - to build and develop the anti-cuts movement that can and will put effective pressure on local politicians (and national trade union leaders) to step up opposition to the cuts.





Sent using BlackBerry® from Orange