'Save Suffolk Libraries' March - Ipswich, April 2nd

The sun was out on Saturday and thanks to Abby Barker and friends, Ipswich witnessed hundreds of people walking peacefully though Ipswich protesting against the Tory County Councils plan to shut a number of Suffolk Libraries. The march saw hundreds of residents both young and old from all over the county converge on Endeavour House to start the march. they were joined by Trade Unionists, authors, and over 30 members of the Suffolk Labour Party, it even attracted a number of Lib Dem councilors and activists!



Abby, the brains behind the march

A Tory Council candidate also watched the march but there was no sign of Cllr Stewart and Harsant or their Tory colleague Jan Rawlings, who are meant to be campaigning hard to save Rosehill Library?? Ben Gummer also missed the march, this may be because he had handcuffed himself to the railings at Rosehill Library like he promised.




Best bit of the march? When the hundreds of protesters, walked through Ipswich Central Library, with banners flying but to the sound of hushed whispers.

Well done to Abby Barker and also the 'Save Libraries' groups at Rosehill, Whitehouse, Stradbroke, Leiston and the many more in Suffolk villages that have been hit by these severe Tory cuts.


Tracey Grant - our Rushmere candidate - looking angy about Tory cuts!

Remember the 250,000 not the 500 - #March 26

Mr Cameron, today you may be able to thank your friends at SKY, the BBC and those in the national press for the job they did in covering the 'March for the Alternative' over the Last 24 hours - focusing on the small group that broke away and caused havoc in the Oxford Street area. But you would be stupid to ignore the fact that between 250,000 and 500,000 people descended on London to protest against the cuts your government is making.

Now I am not a deficit denier, and I know that Labour would have also made cuts- but I am certain that at National, County and Borough level, many of these cuts are being made for ideological reasons rather than the need to pay off our national debt.

Here in Suffolk we have had the scrapping of the Road Safety Patrols and the threat to close some libraries and sell off the others to an American firm. When places like Ipswich need their Council to take a lead in helping get the town back working we have a Tory/Lib Dem Council prefer to make a 1% Council tax cut rather than invest in public services.

These cuts are for ideological reasons rather than cuts being made to help cut the national debt.

Many from Ipswich went to London yesterday, and many of those were on their first ever protest. Many were not Union members or Labour Party members, these are the ones you ignore at your peril Mr Cameron, Mr Pembroke and Mrs Harsant. These people are angry and the national press may focus on ten people dressed in black (surrounded by 40 photographers) smashing a bank window, but you should focus on why young families decided to walk, many not even making the final rally till at least 5 hours after they had started marching.

Your Monday copy of the Daily Mail may not mention them, but if you want to know how the people of Suffolk feel, maybe you should join us on the 'save Libraries' march in Ipswich next Saturday, not sure even Sky or the Daily Mail will be able to cover up the fact that many in this country do not trust you with the NHS or believe in what you call 'Big Society'. like yesterday, Ipswich Labour will join the protesters, and it seems you have decided that libraries will shut- but we have told the Ipswich public, if we are voted back into control in May, we will save both the 3 Ipswich libraries under threat but also make sure that the School Crossing patrol service in Ipswich is also maintained.




We have produced a manifesto and leafleted most houses in the town, whilst the coalition parties seem to be taking an early Spring break, but we will not worry about them, we will campaign every day till May to make sure we get our message across whilst they spend their time writing their blogs attacking their fellow Conservative, Mr Pembroke - no unity in the Suffolk Tory Party, unlike yesterday where over 250,000 people were united - in protesting against these cuts.

Placard of the day?