LAST Wednesday’s edition of the Stroud News and Journal covered your EU debate at the Subscription Rooms.

One of the photographs in the report is captioned “Brexit supporter Chris Moore of Stroud Against the Cuts argued that the EU was a ‘rich man’s club’”.

We write as the elected committee of Stroud Against the Cuts to explain that though this is the view of some of our members, the organisation has not committed to either the Leave or Remain campaign.

Other members of Stroud Against the Cuts are not supporters of Brexit, and will vote for the UK to Remain in the EU.

We do not believe a vote either way will free us from rule by a ‘rich man’s club’ – a description as true of the UK government as of the EU.

We reject the way migration is being blamed for problems in this country that are caused by government policy towards the economy and public services (funding cuts, privatisation), particularly but not exclusively by those pushing a vote to Leave.

Further, we reject the claims by both sides to have the interests of the NHS at heart.

We find it laughable that (in the same issue) Stroud’s Conservative MP Neil Carmichael claims to be interested in what is best for the NHS (‘NHS will be better off staying in the EU’).

He and his Conservative government colleagues are responsible for the current crisis in the service, which is due to billions of pounds of cuts to funding and their continued attempts to waste money on making the NHS more like the terrible American system.

On the other hand, the claims that the NHS will be saved by a vote to Leave are equally without merit – we cannot trust the leaders of the Vote Leave campaign who have in the past made clear their opposition to the principles of their NHS and their desire to privatise it.

The argument that migration is to blame for the problems in the NHS is false and xenophobic.

What is needed to reclaim our NHS is determined campaigning by health workers, patients and the public – as shown by the successful campaign to save Stroud’s Maternity services 10 years ago, and our own battle to defend local community health services from privatisation in 2011/12.

We encourage anyone in Stroud who would like to learn more about the future of healthcare in the UK or get involved in campaigns to improve health services to attend our ‘Healthcare for all’ weekend of events from Friday 17 – Sunday 19 June at the Stroud Valleys Artspace.

We'll keep campaigning for our NHS whatever the result in the EU Referendum.

Sincerely,

James Beecher, Hannah Basson, Christine Stockwell, Helen Prynne – elected committee of Stroud Against the Cuts