A protest rally today, on the eve of the Comprehensive Spending Review, will say that the Government’s cuts programme is a political choice, not an economic necessity, and a deliberate policy that will make Britain “a more unequal and more squalid” country.

Organisers of the ‘All Together for Public Services’ rally in Central Hall, Westminster, will argue that instead the emphasis should be on fair tax and policies that promote economic growth and job creation.

TUC general scretary Brendan Barber will say:

The UK is a hard working country that can generate the tax that can fill the deficit gap, that can create the jobs that a lost generation of young people need, and that can meet the challenges that we face as a society – from moving to a low-carbon economy to eliminating child poverty

The rally – which starts at 12.30pm – brings together a broad coalition of union members, community leaders, campaign groups and users of public services, and is followed by a lobby of MPs inside Parliament from 2.30pm.

Speakers at the rally will include:
- Chief Executive of the Child Poverty Action Group, Alison Garnham, President of the Methodist Conference, Reverend Alison Tomlin and Duncan Shrubsole from Crisis will speak about how the cuts are hitting the poorest and the most vulnerable the hardest.

- Actors Benedict Cumberbatch, who hosted last week’s Have I Got News for You? and who recently played Sherlock Holmes in the BBC mini series Sherlock, and Joe Kloska, who appears as a civil servant in Made in Dagenham, will speak about cuts to arts funding and the closure of the UK Film Council.

- Patricia King from the Services, Industrial, Professional and Technical Union will recount her experience of cuts to public sector spending, pay and jobs when the Irish Government began to tackle its deficit, and Dot Gibson from the National Pensioners Convention will speak about the impact of the cuts on older people.

- Tax expert Richard Murphy will set out how a fairer tax system, including the introduction of a Robin Hood Tax on the banks, could help tackle the deficit without the need for huge spending cuts, and Friends of the Earth’s Director Andy Atkins will warn that cuts to green projects will hit attempts to build a low-carbon economy and create new jobs.

- Holly Dustin from the End Violence Against Women Campaign will talk about how Government plans to tackle the deficit will hurt women, Alison Lyddon, a physiotherapist, will speak of how the NHS helped her when she suffered a serious injury.

- Kaytie McFadden from Coventry Youth Council will warn of her fears for what the cuts mean for younger people.

- Joe Baden from the Open Book project, an access programme at Goldsmiths University for ex-offenders, will talk about social inequality and the cuts to higher education.

The rally is expected to finish around 2:30pm.

More on their website: www.tuc.org.uk/alltogether

Reader comments

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