"A POLITICAL CRUSADE BY THE TORIES AIDED AND ABETTED BY THE LIBERALS..."

County Hall,Taunton    ;- besieged by anti-cuts protestors

  Somerset County Councillors, it seems, can’t act fast enough to carry out the Government’s rape and pillage of public services. At the same time they are bullying people into believing the Con-Dem government’s lie that such cuts are inevitable and that they are behaving responsibly.

On Wednesday 10^th November, Somerset County Councillors rubber-stamped cuts which will drastically affect budgets for highways maintenance, social care, education and the arts, as well as removing funding for Police Community Support Officers. In the course of next year, at the jobs of at least 1500 County Council workers providing valuable services to our community will be axed.

Four household recycling centres  in Dulverton,  Coleford,  Middlezoy and  Crewkerne could also close – so much for the Council’s commitment to recycling!

Anti Cuts protestors gather  in Somerset

Councils are struggling to balance their books because the Government’s recent Spending Review hit local authorities with a 45% cut in capital funding. This follows years of underfunding of local government by central government, forcing the run-down of social housing and making local services more expensive by forcing up council taxes.

Meanwhile, the richest 1,000 people in Britain own £336 billion between them, and they are getting richer all the time—their wealth rose by £77 billion last year.

The government could raise money by increasing corporation tax and taxing the super-rich. Yet Osborne has promised to cut corporation tax every year that the Tories are in office.

Over £125 billion is lost every year because the rich avoid paying tax, using “creative accounting” methods.

The Tories’ new bank levy is supposed to show that “we’re all in it together”. Banks that we have already bailed out with over £1 trillion of public money will pay us back at a rate of £2.5 billion a year. It sounds reasonable, until you realise this represents just 0.07% banks’ profits. It is less than the same bankers will pay out in bonuses to themselves this year! Because of Chancellor Osborne’s cuts in corporation tax, the banks will end up with more money, not less, out of the deal.

Glen Burrows  (Bridgwater TUC) speaking at the anti cuts rally

However, these cuts are neither necessary nor inevitable. They are a political crusade by the Tories, aided and abetted by the Liberals, to return this country to the conditions suffered by working people in the 30s, and we must organise now to stop them.

The General Election showed that the majority of British people do not want a Tory government. The Tories, a minority government, would not be able to carry out their long-dreamed of plans to dismantle the Welfare State were they not being propped up by the Liberals. What tragic irony that the architect of the Welfare State, Beveridge, was himself a Liberal!

Bridgwater Trades Union Council calls upon people to get involved in protests and demonstrations at every level – in the workplace and community, by supporting workers taking action to defend their jobs, and through petitions and letters of protest.

NO CUTS!

GLEN BURROWS

PRESS OFFICER

BRIDGWATER & DISTRICT TRADES UNION COUNCIL/ 01278 450562