The following letter signed by trade union leaders, MPs, campaign activists & economists which appeared in the Guardian, has called for the biggest mobilisation possible against austerity at the People’s Assembly national demonstration on Saturday 20 June:
In what we hope was his last budget, George Osborne made a series of false claims about his economic record (Editorial, 20 March). The reality is that his priority is to raise profits for the corporations, top executive salaries and bonuses, at the expense of ordinary working people. His achievement is the slowest ever “recovery” from recession, while ordinary people suffer increasing hardship during the longest continuous fall in living standards since records began. That is the real Tory record of this parliament. All those who have seen their real wages fall understand the real effects of austerity policies, along with people forced into low-paid or zero-hours contracts, families forced into using food banks and everyone suffering rising A&E waiting lists. Austerity policies have not reduced the public-sector deficit to the level its supporters claimed. The limited fall in the deficit is a result of hugely damaging cuts to government investment as well as the windfall of falling global interest rates, which are a sign of economic weakness.
Austerity policies have failed everyone but the super-rich, bankers and landlords who have benefited from the government’s tax cuts, bonuses and measures to boost house prices, but not home building. We call for an end to austerity policies. We need to invest in a future for the majority of the population. That’s why we’ll be supporting the People’s Assembly Against Austerity national demonstration and festival against austerity on Saturday 20 June.
Len McCluskey Unite
Mark Serwotka PCS
Christine Blower NUT
Mick Whelan Aslef
Sally Hunt UCU
Manuel Cortez TSSA
Billy Hayes CWU
Dave Green FBU
John Smith Musicians Union
Steve Gillan POA
Dianne Abbott MP
John McDonnell MP
Jeremy Corbyn MP
Katy Clark MP
Dave Anderson MP
Mary Glindon MP
Peter Hain MP
Grahame Morris MP
Kelvin Hopkins MP
Natalie Bennett Leader, Green party
Sam Fairbairn, Steve Turner & Romayne Phoenix The People’s Assembly
Lutfur Rahman Mayor, Tower Hamlets
Maxine Peake Actor
Mark Rylance Actor
Russell Brand Comedian
Shappi Khorsandi Comedian
Rufus Hound Comedian
Francesca Martinez Comedian
Jolyon Rubinstein The Revolution Will be Televised
Owen Jones Journalist & author
Ros Wynne-Jones Mirror journalist
John Rees Counterfire
Rob Griffiths & Liz Payne Communist party
Kate Hudson Left Unity
Prof Judith Heyer Oxford
Prof Malcolm Sawyer Leeds
Michael Burke Economist
Dr Jo Michell Bristol
Dr Diego Sanchez-Ancochea
Prof Mary Mellor Northumbria
Prof Hugo Radice Leeds
Pat Devine Hon fellow, Manchester
Prof George Irvin Soas
Prof Grazia Ietto-Gillies South Bank
Prof Victoria Chick UCL
Dr Jeff Powell Greenwich
Paul Hudson Economist
Dr Daniele Tori Greenwich
Dr Mary-Ann Stephenson Warwick
Ozlem Onaran Professor Greenwich
Frances Stewart, professor Oxford
Given that austerity was intended to bail out the banks and their super rich creditors by slashing public spending, welfare, wages and debasing the currency then it is hardly surprising that it has done what it was intended to do: benefit the rich at the expense of the poor.
Spot on and since labour have signed up to that austerity not a lot has changed or will change.
Hum its the ninty nine percent who aint rich pay back
whot the fraudsters lost the one percent who are rich
hadnt taking part in the austerity measures has the poor
paid that price shamefully jeff3
Reeves Labour is the party of working people not welfare or benefits.
Miliband labour is the party of working people and today after watching PMQ’s we are doomed and the fact is labour are so far to the right they have past the Tories.