'We must win the fight on sell-off of public services'

by LOUISE NOUSRATPOUR in Manchester
Tuesday September 23, 2008
The Morning Star

ACTIVISTS at the Convention of the Left agreed on Tuesday that privatisation of public services was the most important issue facing the movement.

Convention organiser Norma Turner, chairing the meeting, said: "By fighting back against privatisation, we can deliver a direct attack on the capitalist system."
She stressed that the task of the British left was to convince the public of the argument for publicly owned services such as housing, education and transport.

"We must win the ideological battle that public is better, cheaper and fairer than private," she said.

"The government has cynically trashed public workers and services in order to promote privatisation and many ordinary people pay for private health care and their children's schooling because they believe they get a better service. These are the people we must try to win over," she emphasised.

Labour MP Jeremy Corbyn said that the government's piecemeal privatisation of public services through measures was "poisoning" the public sector.

Though the government has made massive investments in health and education, Mr Corbyn pointed out that much of the money has gone to subsidising private-sector involvement in public services.

"This kind of approach gives the impression that publicly owned services are inefficient, expensive and unattractive," he argued.

Mr Corbyn also slammed new Labour's housing policies and reiterated the movement's demand for "massive and unconditional" investment in council housing.

Alan Walter of Defend Council Housing called on trade unions and left groups to "step up pressure on the government for additional funding for the local authorities to renew existing council housing and to build more homes."

During a workshop on transport, activists demanded a fully integrated and publicly owned rail and bus system.

Scottish Socialist Voice editor Ken Ferguson went further, arguing that a free public transport system was the "biggest anti-poverty and pro-social inclusion policy any government can adopt."

He highlighted a recent report by the Scottish Tourist Board arguing that free transport would be an important measure in the fight against global warming.

Winding up the meeting, Mr Corbyn reminded conference that a mass campaign against water privatisation in Bolivia three years ago had led to the election of socialist President Evo Morales.

"The fight begins here!" he declared.