SIR: The fact that the Trustees of the Bank Street Unitarian Chapel should over-rule their own minister over the hiring of the Church Hall by the Socialist Labour Party is an affront to democracy. I am glad that you made BEN's position clear in your leader of October 26.
That the decision must be the result of political prejudice is obvious. Had there been a ban on the use of the Church Hall for any party political meeting, the minister would not have allowed it to be hired in the first place.
Moreover, it must be emphasised that the Socialist Labour Party is keeping alive an important British political tradition: the belief that the economy should not be in private hands.
For the Unitarian Church Trustees, there is, in fact, a central irony. British Socialism, while not pacifist, has always had a strong emphasis on promoting international peace. In advocating unilateral nuclear disarmament the Socialist Labour Party is continuing this emphasis. The Trustees have therefore banned a party whose position on this crucial issue is much closer to the teachings of the Prince of Peace than is Tony Blair's stated willingness to press the nuclear button.
It is vital that the SLP is given a fair hearing and its local candidate, Mr Kelly, invited to cross-party political meetings.
Mr M Pittock
St James Avenue, Breightmet
Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.
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