26 March 2011:
National TUC
Tony Benn
on why we need...
MASS RESISTANCE
TO STOP THE CUTS CoR
President
Tony
Benn
says:
A programme
of austerity and
privatisation that will
take us back 80 years
The present government is mounting the
biggest attack ever made on the welfare state
created after the Second World War. Their aim
is to finish the work begun under Margaret
Thatcher in the 1980s.
When people came back from the war, they were determined
there would be no return to the 1930s. The view was that it was
the responsibility of government, representing the people as a
whole, to provide affordable homes, free medical care, top-quality
education for all, and key public services like subsidised transport,
care homes, and libraries. Equally important were decent levels
of support for people suffering hardship – the unemployed, the
disabled, the elderly, those on low wages.
All of that is now under threat. David Cameron wants to ‘transform’
Britain. The Con-Dem Coalition’s programme of austerity and
privatisation will take us back 80 years. The rich are to be protected.
But the welfare state on which ordinary people depend is to be
sacrificed to the greed and speculation represented by the City.
We are going to need a tidal wave of resistance from below to
defeat the government. The demonstration on 26 March can be
the launch-pad for this. Afterwards, every one of us needs to get
active, involve others, spread the spirit of resistance, and help build
a united mass movement to stop the cuts.
JOIN THE COALITION OF RESISTANCE
Caroline Lucas
Green MP
Caroline
Lucas
says:
Green transition, not
Tory cuts
The Tory-led government is blindly focused on eliminat-
ing the deficit at breakneck speed – and the impact of its
brutal attack on the public sector is already being felt.
Despite Osborne’s ‘we’re all in it together’ talk, the austerity
measures will hit the poorest hardest. The most deprived in
our society, who depend most on frontline public services, will
have nowhere to turn. Punitive benefit cuts will put the poor-
est at risk of losing their homes, while the VAT rise will cause
greatest harm to those with least.
Labour would have you believe that they offer a credible opposi-
tion. Having ditched their principles in government, Ed Miliband’s
party wants to reclaim them now they are out of power.
These cuts are not inevitable – they are ideological. But both this
government and the last have failed to consider the alternatives.
Fair and progressive taxation, together with a government-led pro-
gramme of public and private investment in green industries, to
take us closer to a fairer and more sustainable society.
Urgent measures to tackle the staggering injustice of tax avoidance
and tax evasion, amounting to at least £40 billion a year in the UK.
Proper regulation of the banks and challenging the bonus culture.
Scrapping the Trident replacement, worth up to £100 billion over
30 years.
Grassroots organisations, like the Coalition of Resistance, are right-
ly challenging the Tory-led agenda of cuts and privatisation – and
asking what kind of society we want to live in. Rather than deci-
mating our public sector, increasing inequality, and risking an even
greater climate and energy crisis, we need a fairer tax system and
new green jobs to get people back to work. If you, like me, want to
make a fairer and greener future, then get involved!
Demonstration
AGAINST
THE CUTS
Broadsheet March 2011
Len McCluskey
Leader of the
UNITE union
Len
McCluskey
says:
Public investment, not
financial speculation
The labour movement is at a crossroads. Either
we stand at the heart of a broad, powerful, and
militant movement against the government’s
economic agenda or we risk decline and
marginalisation.
The TUC-led demonstration shows that we are prepared to grasp
the nettle. The march is not just about opposing the mounting
devastation threatening public services the length and breadth
of the country. It is also about showing that there is a realistic
alternative – one that focuses on economic growth above all.
David Cameron is now talking about ‘growth’, which he believes can
come only from entrepreneurs and speculators freed from any form
of regulation or control – the very people and the very policies that
led to the 2008 crash and caused the public finance deficit in the
first place. That way lies economic madness.
Our agenda is different – a serious and sustainable programme of
economic renewal must depend on measures of state intervention
to fill the gaping holes left by the private sector crisis. Measures that
will force banks – particularly taxpayer-owned banks – to lend.
Measures to aggressively promote manufacturing industry, as well,
of course, as measures to maintain and develop our infrastructure
and public services – to be funded by higher taxes on the rich if
needs be. And measures to promote equality as a good in itself.
The Con-Dem Government oppose this because they are trying
to breathe fresh life into the corpse of the neoliberal ideology
which has served their kind so well. But the public know, in Monty
Python’s words, that this parrot is deceased, no more. The future
belongs to those who can best articulate the alternative.
See back page
 WHY
WE SAY: NO CUTS
The Con-Dem Coalition says we have to cut the deficit
and we are all in it together. The Con-Dem austerity programme
© Steve & Jemma Copley means the economics of the madhouse and a political attack © Tom Wills

on the working majority. We have to reject their arguments and

Millionaires’ Britain fight for the alternative.
People’s Britain £60 million
£5.7 Trillion £1.2 Billion £81 Billion Total wealth of Con-Dem 975,000
Cabinet (& rising)
Total assets of top four UK banks Amount sweatshop boss Philip Government of the rich, by Chancellor George Osborne’s levy on bank profits pay for 23 new hospitals, 60,000 new teachers, undercut Islamophobia and other forms of racism Chancellor George Osborne’s Number of young people
Green – government advisor on amounts to just £2.5 billion a year. In the 1970s, or 77,000 new nurses. Even this is dwarfed by the and prejudice. planned cuts to the national unemployed in Britain
‘efficiency savings’ – paid tax- the rich, for the rich
£1.3 Trillion free into his wife’s Monaco bank Economics is political. Who pays for the crisis is
the top rate of income tax was 83%. Today, it is proposed £70 billion Trident replacement cost. budget over five years
500,000
Total cost of UK bank bailouts (so far) only 50%. Tax avoidance by the rich is estimated And they have suddenly found the resources to Deepening the downturn
account in 2005 about who has power. Three-quarters of the
to be worth around £70 billion a year. None of launch a new war against Libya. Austerity will cut demand, deflate the economy, 13 Million Number of public sector
Con-Dem Cabinet are millionaires. Half the Tory Number of British people living workers set to lose their jobs
this wealth is being targeted by the Con-Dem
£90 Billion £70 Billion Party’s funding comes from the banks. This is
Coalition. Letting the planet burn and deepen the crisis. It was austerity that created
in poverty due to budget cuts
Anticipated total profits of British a government of the rich and the speculators. the Great Depression of the 1930s. It is austerity
Total cost of Trident replacement Con-Dem cuts will destroy any possibility of
that has shrunk the Irish economy by 20% in
banks in 2011 (estimated) That is why they are attacking working people, Screwing the poor action on the scale necessary to stop global
the last two years and forced it into another
2.9 Million 1.3 Million
public services, and the welfare state. They are The Con-Dems are targeting the poor, not the rich. warming. The ‘free market’ means unregulated Number of British children Total number of jobs likely to
£950 Million £20 Billion waging a class war on behalf of the minority they £18 billion in welfare cuts, 20% VAT, and public competition. The only conceivable solutions to
mega bailout. Cuts destroy jobs, kill growth, and living in poverty be lost due to overall effects of
Total paid out in bonuses by state- deepen debt. budget cuts
Total cost of wars in Iraq and represent. service closures will hit the most vulnerable climate change are collective. We need massive
owned RBS for last year Afghanistan (so far) hardest – the unemployed, the disabled, single public investment in renewable energy, public £18 Billion
Destroying the welfare state parents, those on housing benefit, students, transport, and low-carbon homes. Refusing to invest Total planned Con-Dem cuts in 9%
£7.7 Million £4.5 Billion Cuts are being used as a cover for counter-reforms pensioners, migrant workers, and ethnic minority Government spending can create jobs, wealth, welfare The proportion of national
Total salary and bonus package of designed to restore selection in schools, privatise communities. Women are expected to carry 75% Stoking up racism and the means to pay off debts. At the end of wealth owned by the poorer
RBS boss Stephen Hester for last year
Annual cost of war in Afghanistan
the NHS, and shred the welfare safety-net. The of the burden, and the poorest will be hit ten Cameron echoes the BNP and the EDL in stoking the Second World War, the British deficit was 120 times more 50% of British people
up Islamophobic racism. His speech attacking 180% of GDP. Today, it is 64% of GDP. If you can Amount by which average
aim is to create a society where everything has a times harder than the rich.
£70 Billion £60 Million price, profiteers make a killing, and the poor and Muslim communities was carefully calculated. have deficit-funded full employment to fight a chief executive’s pay exceeds £20 Billion
Total wealth of Con-Dem average worker’s pay Amount that a 0.05% tax on
Estimated annual value of tax CabinetTotal wealth of Con-Dem the disadvantaged are left to rot. Paying for war Each time there is a crisis, right-wing politicians war, why not deficit-funded full employment to
financial transactions could
There is always money for war. The £4.5 billion encourage poor people to blame each other house the homeless, cure the sick, educate the
avoidance by big business and
the rich
Cabinet
Protecting the rich annual cost of the war in Afghanistan amounts for what is wrong with society. Building mass young, and build a low-carbon infrastructure for
2.5 Million (& rising) raise in a year
Number of officially registered
While cutting £18 billion from welfare, Con-Dem to £190 for every person in Britain – enough to resistance to the cuts is the most effective way to the future? unemployed in Britain

Voices of Resistance ON WHY WE FROM CAIRO TO WISCONSIN:

‘Contrary to what some people have
claimed, pensioners are going to be heavily
affected by the cuts. Last year, 26,000 old people
died because of cold-related illnesses, but the government
is cutting winter fuel allowance. Similarly, councils
are closing libraries, day centres, and luncheon clubs
– institutions regularly used by pensioners. These cuts are
going to leave old people much worse off, which is why
they have to be resisted.’
Dot Gibson
Pensions campaigner
‘The £20 billion cuts combined with Mr
Lansley’s proposed ‘liberation’ of the NHS
are a toxic combination. They will lead to
thousands of job losses, accelerated privatisation and
commercialisation of the health service, and reduced
powers for doctors and patients. Once the changes have
been put in place, they will be almost impossible to
reverse – this is our last chance to save the NHS.’
‘Public sector cuts will deepen race
inequality and poverty. They will directly
target the most vulnerable in society, with an adverse
disproportionate impact on black workers, service users,
and communities. We need to send a strong clear message
that black communities do not accept these ideological
cuts at the expense of our families and futures. That is
why I and members of BARAC UK are marching with our
families.’
Zita Holbourne
Joint Chair, Black Activists Rising Against Cuts
‘Disabled people will suffer badly under the
attack on the welfare state. Instead of promoting
independence, we see the cuts producing dependency,
forcing disabled people again to rely on charity, like
they did in Victorian times. The government should be
protecting disabled people’s rights, but cuts to benefits,
services, and funding does the exact opposite.’
Bob Williams-Findlay
‘It is becoming increasingly clear that
women and children will bear the brunt
of the cuts, as benefits are slashed and public sector
jobs, where women outnumber men two to one, are
destroyed. Despite employers’ best attempts to pit women
against one another, we must unite in order to stop the
government making our lives harder and poorer.’
Nina Power
Feminist and author of One Dimensional Woman
‘A government which wages war on one of
the poorest countries in the world while at
the same time attacking its own people’s living standards
and welfare has no authority or legitimacy. The war in
Afghanistan is deadly and unjustified. We should bring
the troops home now, end the war, and use the money to
fund the welfare, health, and education we so desperately
need.’
Lindsey German
Convenor, Stop the War Coalition
‘The TUC called for one million green
jobs to tackle unemployment and the
environmental crisis. We can build a mass
movement that stops the cuts, forces them to create jobs,
and solves the environmental crisis. The first step in this
campaign is signing the petition for a million climate jobs.
Carbon cuts, not job cuts! Sign online at www.climate-
change-jobs.org’
Ken Montague
Campaign Against Climate Change Trade Union
Group
‘Scrap Trident and save over £100 billion. Just
a fraction of this money could be invested in developing
sustainable energy, providing workers in the defence
industry with alternative employment and creating tens
of thousands of new jobs. It would help meet our carbon
emission targets and be a giant step towards the TUC’s
commitment to creating one million climate jobs.’
Kate Hudson
HAVE TO FIGHT
‘The Con-Dem attack on education is a
betrayal of young people and an attempt to divide
society into those who can afford to pay and those who
can’t. When students mounted a counterattack against
fees and cuts, they became an inspiration. Now what is
needed is a movement that unites everyone under attack.
That’s why the Coalition of Resistance is vital.’
Feyzi Ismail
Student activist, SOAS
‘Libraries allow people access to a world of
books and information which enriches the
individual and their community. Libraries are
one of the last places where we can learn for free. That
is why the Con-Dems don’t care about libraries, and why
thousands of people across the country are organising to
save this much loved service.’
Louise Harrison
UNISON and Doncaster Save Our Libraries (pc)
a global wave of resistance
Across the world, over the last 25 years, neoliberal privatisation
has wrecked public services, destroyed livelihoods, and enriched
the already rich. It also created a bubble of speculation and
greed that crashed in 2008 and plunged us into economic crisis.
The result is an explosion of anger from below.
The Arab revolution this year is not just a revolt against dictatorship. It is also a revolt against unemployment,
poverty, and lack of public services. And a revolt against the corruption and cronyism of a grotesquely rich
neoliberal elite. Because of this – because of the depth of anger – the Arab revolution has only just begun.
Protests, strikes, and – in the case of Libya – all-out war continue. In some cases, the aim is to bring down
dictators and begin a process of transformation. But in Tunisia and Egypt, where the dictators are gone, the aim
is to get rid of all supporters of the old regime and to drive forwards a programme of radical social change.
In the United States, attempts to break public sector unions and tear into established terms and conditions have
provoked the biggest labour revolt since the 1970s. Across Europe, there have been massive demonstrations and
general strikes against government-imposed austerity. In Britain, at the end of last year, young people erupted
in anger against the abolition of EMA, university fee increases, and the lies and betrayal that they represented.
In every case, the underlying issue is the same: who will pay for the crisis?
Will bank profits and bonuses be ring-
fenced while working people face cuts
in wages, pensions, and benefits? Will
the rich and the corporations continue
to dodge tax as jobs and public services
are destroyed? Will billions still be spent
on war while libraries, schools, and
hospitals are closed?

Dr Jacky Davis Disabled People Against Cuts General Secretary, CND Across the world, the issues are the
same. We are part of a rising global
Keep our NHS Public movement.
What next?
Hundreds of thousands are marching today against the Con-Dem cuts and in defence of the welfare state.
Demonstrations on this scale are game-changers. They reveal the diversity and size of our movement.
They give us a sense of strength and solidarity. They show us that victory is possible. They proclaim the
essential truth that we are many and they are few.
But a single demonstration, however large, cannot win the battle against the cuts. The Con-Dem Coalition is determined to drive through its programme of austerity and
privatisation. On behalf of the class they represent, Cameron and Clegg boast of their aim to ‘transform’ Britain. To protect the wealth of the rich and the City, they are
prepared to cut jobs, wages, pensions, and benefits. They plan to privatise the universities and the NHS. They want to restore selection and privilege in education. They
envisage a society like that of the 1920s, where everything had a price, and working people lived in fear of unemployment, sickness, and old age.

We have to fight now A coalition of resistance from below

To defend ourselves and save the welfare state, we are going to have to fight all the way. Each of us
on the demonstration has to become an activist of resistance, convincing others that if we unite and
fight, we can win. We have to turn hundreds of thousands into millions.
It will not be simply a matter of petitions and elections: that will not stop the cuts. No-one voted for
what is now unrolling across Britain. Yet it is happening. It was, after all, the trashing of democratic
mandates that made the recent student protests so angry.
Nor can we afford to wait. There is no time for waiting. The cuts are happening now. The welfare
state is already under attack. We have to fight now.
Stopping the cuts is going to take a huge upsurge of resistance from below – national
demonstrations, local protests, occupations to protect services, and strikes against redundancies
and closures. No-one should have to fight alone. Anyone who fights back should immediately be
supported by the entire movement.
We need a coalition of resistance that is national and local, broad and inclusive, democratic and
effective – one that binds together all the different campaigns and struggles, and one that unites
students, workers, pensioners, benefit claimants, and equality and anti-cuts campaigners in a
single mass movement.

This demonstration is a powerful beginning, but we need to do more. The TUC has voted unanimously Let us go home determined to build a mass movement of resistance in every town and workplace
for nationally co-ordinated strikes against the cuts, and TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber has in Britain – a movement capable of bringing down the coalition of millionaires, stopping the cuts,
called for peaceful civil disobedience. Now we have to turn fighting talk into mass action. and saving the welfare state.

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