Most of the Socialist Party Wales and several locals marched through Tonypandy, Penygraig and Porth on Saturday July 11th to demand more jobs, better pay and better opportunities for young people in the Rhondda Valley.
This has long been a deprived area even before the recession, and the divide has never been more clearer between the poor and the generouosly overpaid MPs who are supposed to be representing the area. Private firms decline to set up or invest around there, and the politicians don't seem to bother much. The simple fact is Rhondda is written off as unprofitable. Many locals, young and old have very little hope of things changing and the main problems there are the lack of opportunities, or even paid jobs in the area, and most of the working class are put off going to university by the cost.

Even though this important protest wasn't covered in the press, and there wasn't a reporter to be seen, it was still a success as everyone in the area now knows there are people prepared to do something to improve the situation. Our demands include a minimum wage of at least £8 per hour, the abolition of tuition fees, an end to unpaid labour schemes and for some kind of job creation plan for the Rhondda.

Unlike the politicians and the MPs of the three main political parties, the Socialist Party offers real solutions and hope in sorting out the deprivation, and the next step is to learn how to support the community in organising and bringing the area and its future under their own control. There'll be a meeting between us and the locals there very soon to discuss how exactly we can put this into practice. We must turn a successful campaign into a victory.