Promises-but no action

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STIRLING District C'ouncil. one of the 'front line' Scottish councils penalised along with Lothian, has agreed to make cuts of £700,000. But Tory Scottish Secretary George Younger isn't satisfied with this. He is withholding £1 million of the Rate Support Grant until the £700,000 is not onty cut, but refunded to the ratepayers.

John Wyles, chairperson of the Labour Group on Stirling District Council spoke to Rowland Sheret.

Since the Rate Support Grant will be cut anyway because of your refusal to hand back the money, would it not have been better to refuse cuts in the first place?

Our main consideration was the defence of jobs. The cuts of £1¼ million originally demanded by Younger threatened jobs. Cuts of €700.000 will only touch our planned build dn services:

We have consulted the unions involved.

Did Stirling Labour Group ever see itself in a united fight with Lothian and Dundee, hoping to pull in other Local Authorities?

The task of coordination was really for the Scottish Council of the Labour Party. The advice we got from them was that retention of jobs was the main priority.

I was disappointed with the role of the STUC and the trade unions who have promised so much but have produced very little practical action.

We have been very conscious of Lothian's position. However in the end we had to act as a Labour Group.

The Party has not had united response throughout Scotland. We have had no enquiries about our local position from either the Scottish Council of the Labour Party or the Council of Action they have set up since 27 June.

What lessons have learned from the far?

This is only Younger's first round. Next year he will be looking to cut jobs drastically.

As far as the Scottish Couriuil of the Labour Party and the STUC are concerned I can only say that as long as the labour movement continues to recognise the law as the only ultimate judge, then we only shackle ourselves.

Do we have to reach a riot situation, like Liverpool, before the labour movement reacts? These are the questions we must ask. August 27.

But an emergency resolution from Coventry South West Labour Party, calling for a boycott, was defeated by 10 votes at the District Labour Party meeting.

The defeat was helped by delegates from Coventry North East LP. who went against their own constituency decision, taken the night beFOLLOWING the recent anti-racist activity in Coventry, the national demonstration against racist attacks on May 23 and the series of precinct rallies initially organised by the North East LPYS, the right-wing Labour controlled City Council has introduced a strict system of control of all newspaper sales in Coventry precinct.

These new regulations include limits on the number councillors, MPs, delegates, etc. accountable.

And this struggle must go hand in hand with the fight to attract more members, to make the Labour Party more habitable for ordinary workers, and to sever the links with class traitors embedded at all levels in the labour movement. of sellers - only! of sellers - only four named people are permitted to use each licence - the times, and the places of sales. The police are given powers to harass and move on - and arrest for obstruction - any paper-seller without a valid permit.

Permits are being issued free until November 1, when the system will be reviewed. So far no applications have been refused, but each one is scrutinised for its 'suitabiliity' and can be withdrawn.