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Sheffield Protests Against the Cuts

IMC Sheffield | 19.10.2010 12:45 | Public sector cuts | Sheffield

On Saturday 23rd October 2010 the Yorkshire and Humber TUC held a regional protest against the cuts outside Sheffield Town Hall. The protest was joined by a march from Sheffield University.

On Wednesday 20th October, there was a protest outside the Town Hall organised by UNISON, the day the Con/Dem government announced "spending cuts of 25 percent and more across most departments" which target people on welfare, rather than the rich. Bob Crow, general secretary of the RMT, described these cuts as "the most brutal assault on public services, jobs and living standards since the 1930's and show that the ConDem government are prepared to force working people to carry the can for an economic crisis cooked up in the boardrooms and on the trading floors. This is all-out class war with its roots firmly planted in the playing fields of Eton."

Links: Rally photos and audio | March photos



The Yorkshire and Humber TUC Expenditure Cuts Protest was rumored to be addressed by Brendan Barber and Ed Milliband, but they didn't show up.

The Right to Work campaign, which was set up by the Socialist Workers Party, organised the feeder march from Sheffield University.

At the start of September there was a Sheffield Trades Council protest against Nick Clegg, Deputy Prime Minister and Lib Dem MP for Sheffield Hallam also outside the Town Hall.

IMC Sheffield

Comments

Hide the following 8 comments

who is the rally for?

19.10.2010 16:55

But Ed Milliband has said he supports the welfare reforms/cuts, one can see this turning into a LP rally now they are in opposition, we need a grass roots broad based anti-cuts campaign, the LP membership should be involved but on the basis they are one component and need to show some humility.

hardtimes


This is all-out class war

20.10.2010 13:28

These cuts represent the most brutal assault on public services, jobs and living standards since the 1930's and show that the ConDem government are prepared to force working people to carry the can for an economic crisis cooked up in the boardrooms and on the trading floors. This is all-out class war with its roots firmly planted in the playing fields of Eton.

Bob Crow
- Homepage: http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/Spending-cuts-Unions-and-business.6591380.jp


Labour still pretending to be a friend of the underclasses:

20.10.2010 20:54

Very statist. What happened to reclaiming our land (see Marx history eh? ) and and fucking capitalism or is this being organised by the fatties such as in the NGO industry who were being paid off by Labour while the rest of us couldn’t get work (you weren’t bothered then were you? ). Face it, we don’t have a manufacturing base so who the fuck are you ‘servicing’ of not the square mile centre of global capialismo?????

Labour still pretending to be a friend of the underclasses in the UK caste system. Still we, do hate the Tories, but don’t think for one second that the Labour/The Liberal Democrats/ Green Party aren’t neo-fascists.

Of course, everyone wants something for free, but if someone is offering you something for free, you would be wise to be suspicious.

The central government is quite happy to maintain a redundant labour force to curtail wage inflation, so the unemployed are providing a valuable service to the ruling oligarchy.

The rulers are happy to provide free schooling because they get to set the curriculum, an influence the mind set of the next generation of their tax slaves.

Pensions directly support the financial service industry. Housing benefit supports the privet rental sector, which supports the financial service industry.

Whatever you think is being provided out of benevolence is designed to give a “kick back” to the ruling classes, you just have to look at it from out side of the left wing / right wing paradigm, pretty hard to do if you’ve been educated in the state system.

What are described as ‘public sector jobs’ can be seen as “government sector jobs” because the workers are accountable to the government, not the public. And the government is accountable to it’s underwriters, the financial institutions, not the public.

The financial services controls the government, and it’s the government that controls the public/government sector jobs, which in turn control us through policing, schooling, etc. Society truly functions as one single top down hierarchy. It is so designed to be in everyone’s interest to support the level above them. Of cause the public don’t like being robed, quite so directly as the “bail outs” because it confronts them with the reality of their own financial captivity.

While we are all fighting for the interests of our respective positions, we are avoiding the real issue.

If we get something for free, we lose the ability to make it for ourselves, and that includes the ability to make our own social provisions. We are losing contact with our most basic means of production and so, getting locked in to the system of exploitation, presided over by the rulers of the global financial services industry.

As 8,500 staff at Sheffield face advance notification of redundancies, we need to understand that the former Labour/Conservative Governments have attacked The Working Class. The cries of the left wing and trade union bureaucrats such as Peter Davies are nothing new, you can not reform capitalism but only work towards the abolition of the problem that is capitalism.

a little bird told me.....


parties

21.10.2010 08:06

It was hierarchical organisations and political parties that got us into this mess - SWP is not the answer. Im gobsmacked to see them getting plugged on indy,

No leaders!

antifa


But

21.10.2010 09:53

If you want to make a difference, you need to build a broad alliance of people. Otherwise the media (and general public at large) will not listen.

Alternatively, join the Judean People's Front.

Stewart Grey


Pre-meeting nfo from the TUC

21.10.2010 14:10

The TUC is having a pre meeting before the demonstration on Saturday at 11.00am at the Unison Offices Arundel Gate, Sheffield. Speakers, Union secretaries/organisers and stewards are asked to attend the meeting.

If unions have organised coaches, they will drop off at the town Hall, and park up on the Parkway. They will then pick up back at the Town hall when the rally has finished.

Fwd


Libertarian Tough Love

21.10.2010 15:41

It’s a funny old world – what with Anarchists opposing
- the shrinking of the state
- the shrinking of the police force
- the shrinking of the prison population
- the shrinking of the armed forces
- the reform of a bloated welfare system that is encouraging our class into idleness and lifelong poverty…………………

a little bird told me.....