THERE are six days to the end of the Summer of Heroes appeal. Back in May, we asked our readers to raise £150,000 in double-quick time to bring the paper back from the brink of closure and to enable the PPPS management committee and our new management team to invest in the paper, new technologies and our involvement in social media.

If the Morning Star is to prosper in a fast-changing environment, such investment is essential.

The response of our readers has been immediate and remarkable.

In a time of vicious austerity and declining incomes, you have in effect doubled our normal £16,000 monthly appeals.

From the pioneering cycling heroes who took the Fete de l’Humanite by storm, through countless parties, barbecues and other get togethers, via stalls and booksales, you have put us within touching distance of a successful conclusion.

I know so many individuals made serious sacrifices in order to give their daily paper a cash boost.

The Morning Star does not exist in a vacuum.

Our close links with the trade union movement at every level is reflected by the very generous gifts to Summer of Heroes by branches, regions and at national level by nearly all of the unions.

Our trade union co-ordinator Tony Burke has marshalled widespread support and the Scottish Secretary of Unison issued a call for support to all branches in Scotland to back the appeal — bringing in thousands.

Ucatt, GMB and Unite are fighting for justice on behalf of those blacklisted by corrupt construction industry bosses and our support for this campaign has also been recognised by generous support by the rank and file of those unions.

The Morning Star is portrayed in the mass media as the daily paper of the Communist Party.

However we are the daily paper of the left and we have given space to every left and progressive struggle here and abroad and rightly so.

Tribute must of course be paid to Communists who have made the success of this appeal their number one objective. Even after this appeal has ended I know comrades are busy planning further fund­raising for the only daily paper that is free of big business ownership.
The staff of the Morning Star are often described as miracle workers by our readers. I agree.

On a shoestring our circulation department was able to conclude a printing and distribution deal that restored same-day availability of the paper throughout Britain and our readers responded to this appeal from all four corners of the country.

Our journalists have forsaken well-paid hack jobs elsewhere in order to bring you the news that no-one else wants you to read and the amount of voluntary labour by contributors and supporters is enormous.

All of us know that the immediate priority is to get the coalition out of office. Unfortunately the Labour Party leadership has opted for a pink version of austerity and a nervous posturing before the noxious policies of Ukip and the Conservative Party.

We shall fight for a Labour victory — but Ed you are making it very difficult!

The Morning Star believes that extraparliamentary action on the streets waged in unity by all those in struggle is the way forward and we will back those who fight to win.

Only then can we force any Labour government to pursue the policies wanted by the masses or in the worst scenario prevent any extreme right-wing government from imposing further misery on all of us.

People before profit is our rallying call and you are the real heroes of this summer for sending us the money that enables us to carry on.

Take us over the finishing line on Friday and watch your paper grow and prosper both on paper and via the web and social media.