On behalf of the Fire Brigades Union in Northern Ireland I would offer our wholehearted support to the campaign to get Eamonn McCann elected to the Assembly on 5 May.
We are convinced that the Assembly needs a strong, alternative left-wing voice to challenge the cuts agenda at Stormont and we know that Eamonn would make a great difference to the whole political debate, inside and outside Stormont, if he was to be elected.
The FBU, locally and nationally, reject the whole idea that working people should be made to pay the price of a bankers recession and we are prepared to defend our own service and public services by any means necessary. We know that Eamonn and the People Before Profit Alliance will do all they can to support us in that struggle, as they have always done in the past.
In particular, we know that Eamonn is strongly in favour of the abolition of Thatchers’ anti-trade union legislation, which the Executive parties at Stormont have within their power to abolish but, tellingly, have made no attempt to.
Eamonn also has a proud record of seeking to unite working class people across the sectarian divide and we strongly believe that this is a crucial foundation for the future.
I firmly believe that the left needs to unite around the issues we can agree on in order to make a stand for working people and their interests. We are very encouraged by the experience of the United Left Alliance in the Republic and we hope that we can assist a similar positive development here.
My apologies for not being able to make it to the meeting tonight but I hope to see you at some time during the next four weeks and wish you every success in the campaign.
Yours in solidarity,
Jim Barbour
National Executive member for Fire Brigade Union, Region 2, Northern Ireland
The FBU, locally and nationally, reject the whole idea that working people should be made to pay the price of a bankers recession and we are prepared to defend our own service and public services by any means necessary. We know that Eamonn and the People Before Profit Alliance will do all they can to support us in that struggle, as they have always done in the past.
In particular, we know that Eamonn is strongly in favour of the abolition of Thatchers’ anti-trade union legislation, which the Executive parties at Stormont have within their power to abolish but, tellingly, have made no attempt to.
Eamonn also has a proud record of seeking to unite working class people across the sectarian divide and we strongly believe that this is a crucial foundation for the future.
I firmly believe that the left needs to unite around the issues we can agree on in order to make a stand for working people and their interests. We are very encouraged by the experience of the United Left Alliance in the Republic and we hope that we can assist a similar positive development here.
My apologies for not being able to make it to the meeting tonight but I hope to see you at some time during the next four weeks and wish you every success in the campaign.
Yours in solidarity,
Jim Barbour
National Executive member for Fire Brigade Union, Region 2, Northern Ireland
