Labour Party doesn’t care for working people

The People’s Story Museum is now set to reopen on December 2 following the great efforts of various stakeholders, including Jim Slaven, residents and councillors to save it, contrasting with the unnecessary delay, obfuscation and ineptitude of the Labour-led Edinburgh City Council.

The decision of council leader Cammy Day’s party was all the more bizarre when the museum was set up by the Labour Party to highlight the contribution of Edinburgh’s working-class communities to the city. It is another sign that, despite the slogans, today’s Labour Party neither represents nor cares enough for working people.

As Jim Slaven noted: “The closure of a small museum has revealed major problems in accountability, transparency and basic democracy at Edinburgh council.”

It is high time for Labour to get a grip of itself and the council and set it to work for the people of the city. Speaking about the council’s U-turn, Mr Slaven also said: “There is now a consensus that The People’s Story matters. That the stories of workers and communities in the city must be told and respected.

“To do those stories justice, to turn the museum from a neglected afterthought to a world leader, is going to take a lot of hard work. A collective effort. The reopening of the museum has created space and a positive backdrop to commence that work.”

This is absolutely true and, while the museum’s upkeep and success is the responsibility of the council, as the MSP for Edinburgh Central I will support Edinburgh’s world class cultural institutions.