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The Green Party Will Be Marching on 20 October Against the Austerity Cuts - Will Labour?

Posted: 04/10/2012 00:00

As October begins, and the Labour Party conference is in the headlines, people across the country are preparing to unite for a march in London to stop austerity's attack on the UK.

And while the two are in the news, the obvious question is: 'Will Ed Miliband, Ed Balls and other shadow cabinet members express unequivocal support for the March for a Future That Works?'
The march, which takes place on 20 October, has been organised by the trades union movement and will see thousands of members of the public, union members, political organisations and campaign groups show their opposition to the Coalition's heartless, failed, false economies.
The government's cuts have not only failed the most vulnerable, who are forced to watch as the services on which they rely are taken from them, or even those who have lost their jobs as the government sets about trying to make the economy grow by removing money from it.

They have failed everyone. Even those of us fortunate enough not to have lost our job, or a benefit on which we relied, must face the fact that the coalition's policies have not even achieved what Osborne promised.

In June 2010, he told us that the cuts would hurt. They have. He told us that they were necessary. The Green Party disagrees, but if the chancellor lacks the imagination even to consider a 'plan B', he can perhaps be forgiven for thinking that they were.

But he also told us that his cuts would reduce the deficit. They have done the opposite. Instead of reducing the deficit by 4.6%, as the Chancellor promised, his economic illiteracy has instead forced it to grow by 22%t between April and August.

The Coalition promised 'change'. Instead, the government has given us more of the same privatisation, casualisation, and demonisation of the poor, people with disabilities, and public sector workers.

So much for the Coalition. But isn't this where we would expect the Labour Party to step in?
To take care of its traditional supporters, those who work, or want to but cannot, to build a better future for us all?

The opposition is in the middle of a 'policy review'. So far, it has taken since February 2011.
Nobody expects rebalancing the national finances to be straightforward. And nobody believes it's in Labour's interests to reveal policies which could be 'stolen' from them - even though it could be in the nation's interests to hear them.

But the problem with Labour at the moment is not what it is NOT saying: it's with what it IS.
Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls was RIGHT to warn that the coalition's austerity plans would crush any chance of a 'recovery'. But he has recently told us he would stick to public sector pay freezes, which will leave thousands of workers worse off, year on year, in the face of inflation.
And while Shadow Health Secretary Andy Burnham tells us he will 'repeal the Health and Social Care Act. Full stop,' the party's leader seems not yet to have made up his mind whether to reverse the effective privatisation of almost half of the NHS.

Perhaps he doesn't know. Maybe his Party hasn't yet made up its mind. But on 20 October, I and other members of my Party will be out on London's streets, supporting working people and making it clear that we understand you cannot put an economy back on its feet by throwing people out of work and undermining the public services that keep society ticking.

We believe that the green economy - vital in any case to avert international climate disaster - holds one key to tackling the deficit. The government's own figures show green business is the only sector bucking the recession, with 4.7% growth from 2010-11, providing an extra £5.4bn of economic activity.

We must get serious about reviving our manufacturing industries and bringing food production back to Britain. That's essential - environmentally and economically. And we need workers to be able to buy the goods and services they need. The Labour Party may not agree, although we hope it does. But whatever its view is, now is the time its traditional backers - and the country as a whole - need help.

We will be marching on 20 October. Will the Labour Party?

 
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As October begins, and the Labour Party conference is in the headlines, people across the country are preparing to unite for a march in London to stop austerity's attack on the UK. And while the two ...
As October begins, and the Labour Party conference is in the headlines, people across the country are preparing to unite for a march in London to stop austerity's attack on the UK. And while the two ...
 
 
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
mgme501
05:19 PM on 10/09/2012
How are we all to get there, Bus, Train, Car, Taxi............. Thought so.
07:18 AM on 10/07/2012
greens are a party like the LIBDUMs who do not believe they will ever be able to really achieve anything so just say things for the sake of it. the march for trade unions, a head teacher of wardend primary in birmingham sue rose exposes children to asbestos(union member no doubt), other council employees such as Sean McMulkin know from statements made that they are not complying with statutory laws and endangering childrens lives and health but it keeps him in a job (union member) whilst the tax payer is fleeced of millions, council workers in safety services try to assist the cover up of the exposure to asbestos by limiting tests or selective testing. Legal services council employee S Dhillon illegally adjusts documents for case hearings to ensure council win. all these people should remain employed by the public?? are worth the money we are paying them. The CONLIB council inspired corruption as they knew no one party could be blamed but the corruption is endemic in GOV depts the only thing wrong with the cuts is that they are to fit in CONs pals and not really to achieve a better service. labour will do nothing different and the greens will feed off the gravy train also.
01:07 PM on 10/06/2012
Great article - it's abundantly clear now that the only economic growth which is sustainable and credible in the face of the looming climate emergency is in the industries that will make a positive contribution to mitigation or adaptation. The Greens are way ahead of the grey parties here.
07:21 PM on 10/04/2012
Any chance of getting rid of the bill to cut CO2 to 1990 levels, brought in my Ed Miliband when he was energy sec? This bill is costing billions a year. Can we also get rid of wind farms while we are at it?
07:05 PM on 10/04/2012
The word "cut" implies some reduction in size. In fact government spending has continued to rise under the Coalition. Strange that sensible people are going to march in protest against something which hasn't actually happened. Maybe the Coalition is guilty of being "all mouth and no trousers". (Sorry to use a slightly crude term)
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jacksdad41
Quant Je Puis
06:19 PM on 10/04/2012
So I guess you will all be peddling down to the "protest"? We had a "green councillor" who claimed more in expenses than all the rest of the chamber. He had a job that allowed him to stay at home to work as a hack, had a couple of economic migrants living with him to "top up" his earnings, was anti almost everything and had a dumb opinion on most things with a condescending vomit inducing way of putting his purile comments across, allegedly had a "partner" but most thought it was the mail order variety that never said no - he even refused to consider procreation and wanted a civil ceremony as his views on marriage and the church were vitriolic to the extreme. He lasted one term until he was found out to be a bigger hipocrite than any elected member in the chamber. Greens are greens for a reason - abject jealousy of all things that dont conform to their druid style beliefs and trying to live in cloud cuckoo land.
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humphry
The Voynich Manuscripts.
02:13 PM on 10/04/2012
Thats rich!, the Green Party jumping on the bandwagon of all the unpopular spending cut demos...Shame they dont have any alternative spending plans of their own, except maybe increasing our subsidy of green energy by adding even more to our energy bills...
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Paul Wagland
Resistance is fertile
01:58 PM on 10/04/2012
Good, straightforward article. I don't agree that the Tories have 'failed everyone' though. They know exactly what they're doing - helping a rich and privileged elite widen the gap between 'them' and 'us'.
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jacksdad41
Quant Je Puis
10:20 AM on 10/04/2012
If you get as many "protesters" as you do comments you will be able to hold your rally in a phone box. You may as well walk backwards as that is where you are trying to take the country. Get busy rowing the boat instead of rocking it. Index linked gold plated pensions and you want the "plebs" who have to pay dearly in the private sectors to support you? Yeah - right.
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hearthammer
If left is right and right is wrong, decide!
08:46 AM on 10/04/2012
I think Labour members are holding fire to see what they're told to do.
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vividrick
I came, I saw...I had a cup of tea!
08:56 PM on 10/03/2012
Word on the street is Ed will be, if he breaks bread with the unions that is.
10:35 PM on 10/04/2012
Which Ed?
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vividrick
I came, I saw...I had a cup of tea!
02:18 AM on 10/05/2012
Nice name lol.