Nicky Wire speaks out on library closures

Nicky Wire has spoken out against the closure of public libraries.

The Manic Street Preachers bassist, who penned 'A Design For Life' lyric "Libraries gave us power", wrote a column in The Guardian explaining his position.

Wire said: "It's hard not to feel utterly despondent at the current plight of public libraries. Along with the NHS and the BBC, our libraries are some of the few truly remarkable British institutions left.

"So often absolutely ordinary in appearance, a good library should offer escape routes down the most extraordinary avenues, pathways into different worlds from the one you've left outside.

"Ridding our villages, towns and cities of libraries, which are essential in shaping a nation's consciousness, seems like a direct attack on the soul of the country."

He added: "At the moment, it really does appear that the establishment is back in control of Britain. After 30 years of semi-pluralistic governance, the establishment is pushing hard its own agenda.

"When you look at the cabinet, the millionaires' row in the front benches of parliament looks like a very public-school coup.

"One of the most amazing things about public libraries remains their utter classlessness. You don't have to have gone to Eton to make the most out of a library. They aren't inhabited by the kind of people currently damning them."