As promised, here is a copy of the reply I have received from the Labour Party wrt to John McTernan's /Telegraph/ piece. Seems to raise a number of follow- up questions which I ( and others?) might pursue. Bob > Dear Professor Usherwood, > > Thank you for your email regarding John McTernan's article in the > Telegraph. > > We are extremely concerned that the Government is currently consulting > on whether existing statutory protection for public libraries should > be retained. > > We believe that libraries provide a valuable service for local > communities, access to books for those who cannot afford them, the > provision of business information and opportunities for self-directed > learning, education and literacy. Not to mention somewhere quiet for > homework, or access to the internet. Many libraries give children > their first introduction to the world of books and learning. > > The Labour Party is running a campaign with a petition to save our > libraries which can be found here: > http://www.campaignengineroom.org.uk/save-our-libraries. > > Kind regards > > Kerry Racher > Frontbench Communications Team > On behalf of the Labour Party > 39 Victoria Street | London | SW1A 0AA > www.labour.org.uk > > *Please do not reply to this email, you can contact us via the > website: labour.org.uk* -- Bob Usherwood PhD Emeritus Professor The University of Sheffield