Monday 22 October 2012

A Future For All

On Saturday over 150,000 people marched in London, Glasgow and Belfast to show our disgust at the policies of this current government.

All around us are examples of broken communities, cities, towns and rural areas where the Tory cuts are desperately hurting the people of this country. These policies are simply are not working, they are driving our economy deeper into recession, and they are hitting the most vulnerable hardest.

While cuts are forcing people into unemployment and uncertain futures, it seems that the super rich are still immune from the problems that they have caused. Individuals and corporations are still sitting on huge amounts of reserves, often residing in off shore tax havens. Profits are still high and boardroom salaries continue to leap even higher. Yet all the time, wages are being squeezed, jobs are lost and pensions cut. The public sector is experiencing billions of pounds of funding being hacked off it's budgets, yet at the same time billions are being lost in government income from those who can afford to evade their tax responsibilities.

This madness must end soon.

On my bit of the march, I got to hear first hand of one of the most despicable policies of this present government. I joined those walking behind a large banner made by current and former Remploy workers. Remploy allows 1000's of disabled people to work with dignity throughout the UK. Now their branches are being axed left right and centre, with 36 of their 54 factories due to close down, putting 1,500 of the most vulnerable people out of work.

I was always taught that a government should be judged on how treats its most vulnerable members. On this basis, this coalition is behaving appallingly, and it should be ashamed of itself.

But Cameron and Clegg carry on, and pretend they have the interests of all in their plans and policies. As I marched with the ex remploy workers, some in wheelchairs, some blind, some deaf, so many who have been contributing to society in the best way they can, I felt sickened by this government's lack of care and compassion.

We will continue to march, strike, organise and resist until this government is forced out of office - the sooner the better!

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