The declaration below
represents the beginning of a democratic process leading towards a second
People’s Assembly in early 2014. This declaration represents the views of all
those who initially called for the People’s Assembly. We hope it will be
endorsed by the People’s Assembly on 22nd June. It will then be open to the
local People’s Assembly’s, union bodies and campaign groups who support the
People’s Assembly to suggest amendments, additions, or deletions. These will
then all be discussed and decided upon at the recall People’s Assembly in 2014.
The plans for action are simply
the most obvious rallying points for a national anti-cuts movement for the
remainder of 2013. They are not intended to supersede local or sectional action
by existing campaigns or trade unions. They are intended to be focus national,
collective action by the whole anti-austerity movement.
The People’s Assembly, meeting in Westminster Central Hall,
declares:
We
face a choice that will shape our society for decades to come. It is a choice
faced by ordinary people in every part of the globe.
We
can defend education, health and welfare provision funded from general taxation
and available to all, or we can surrender the gains that have improved the
lives of millions of people for over more than 50 years.
We
do not accept that government’s austerity programme is necessary. The banks and
the major corporations should be taxed at a rate which can provide the
necessary resources. Austerity does not work: it is a failure in its own terms
resulting in neither deficit reduction nor growth. It is not just: the
government takes money from the pockets of those who did not cause the crisis
and rewards those who did. It is immoral: our children face a bleaker future if
our services and living standards are devastated. It is undemocratic: at the
last election a majority voted against the return of a Tory government. The
Con-Dem coalition has delivered us into the grip of the Tories’
whose political project is the destruction of a universal welfare state.
We
therefore choose to resist. We refuse to be divided against ourselves by
stories of those on ‘golden pensions’, or of ‘scroungers’, or the ‘undeserving
poor’. We do not blame our neighbours, whatever race or religion they maybe. We
are not joining the race to the bottom. We stand with the movement of
resistance across Europe.
We
are clear in our minds that our stand will require us to defend the people’s
right to protest, and so we support the right of unions and campaigns to
organise and take such action as their members democratically decide is
necessary.
We
stand with all those who have made the case against the government so far: in
the student movement, in the unions, in the many campaigns to defend services,
the NHS, and in the Coalition of Resistance, the People’s Charter, UK Uncut,
the environmental movement and the Occupy movement.
We
do not seek to replace any organisations fighting cuts. All are necessary. But
we do believe that a single united national movement is required to challenge
more effectively a nationally led government austerity programme.
We
have a plain and simple goal: to make government abandon its austerity
programme. If it will not it must be replaced with one that will.
We
will concentrate on action not words. We aim to provide the maximum solidarity
for unions and other organisations and others taking action. We support every
and all effective forms action and aim to build a united national movement of
resistance.
Our
case is clear. The government’s austerity programme does not work; it is
unjust, immoral and undemocratic. Alternatives exist. Debts can be dropped.
Privatisation can be reversed and common ownership embraced. A living wage can
begin to combat poverty. Strong trade unions can help redistribute profit. The
vast wealth held by corporations and the trillions held by the super rich in
tax havens can be tapped. Green technology, alternatives to the arms
industries, a rebuilt infrastructure including growth in manufacturing are all
desperately needed. We are fighting for an alternative future for this
generation and for those that come after us.
Proposed actions:
The People’s Assembly will support every genuine movement
and action taken against any and all of the cuts. We support all current
industrial actions by the unions. We encourage and will help to organise the
maximum solidarity action with the PCS and teaching union members taking strike
action the week after the People’s Assembly, as well as with other action by
unions planned for the autumn.
Peoples Assemblies against the cuts should be organised in
towns and cities across our nations, bringing all those fighting the cuts
together into a broad democratic alliance on a local basis.
The national and the local Assemblies, in partnership with
Trades Unions, Trades Councils, campaigning and community groups, can unite our
movement and strengthen our campaigns. Local Assemblies will help us to
organise a recalled National Assembly to review our work in the early spring of
2014.
We will work together with leading experts and campaigners
both here and abroad, and friendly think tanks, to develop rapidly key policies
and an alternative programme for a new anti-austerity government. We will
continue to welcome support from all who fight the cuts.
We will call a national day of civil disobedience and direct
action against austerity.
We will call a day of co-ordinated local demonstrations in
the early autumn.
We will work with the trade unions and others to call a
national demonstration in November.
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