Natalie Bennett on
Huffington Post
As October begins, and the Labour Party conference is in the
headlines, people across the country are preparing to unite for a march
in London to stop austerity's attack on the UK.
And while the two are in the news, the obvious question is: 'Will Ed
Miliband, Ed Balls and other shadow cabinet members express unequivocal
support for the March for a Future That Works?'
The march, which takes place on 20 October, has been organised by the
trades union movement and will see thousands of members of the public,
union members, political organisations and campaign groups show their
opposition to the Coalition's heartless, failed, false economies.
The government's cuts have not only failed the most vulnerable, who are
forced to watch as the services on which they rely are taken from them,
or even those who have lost their jobs as the government sets about
trying to make the economy grow by removing money from it.
They have failed everyone. Even those of us fortunate enough not to
have lost our job, or a benefit on which we relied, must face the fact
that the coalition's policies have not even achieved what Osborne
promised.
In June 2010, he told us that the cuts would hurt. They have. He told
us that they were necessary. The Green Party disagrees, but if the
chancellor lacks the imagination even to consider a 'plan B', he can
perhaps be forgiven for thinking that they were.
But he also told us that his cuts would reduce the deficit. They have
done the opposite. Instead of reducing the deficit by 4.6%, as the
Chancellor promised, his economic illiteracy has instead forced it to
grow by 22%t between April and August.
The Coalition promised 'change'. Instead, the government has given us
more of the same privatisation, casualisation, and demonisation of the
poor, people with disabilities, and public sector workers.
So much for the Coalition. But isn't this where we would expect the Labour Party to step in?
To take care of its traditional supporters, those who work, or want to but cannot, to build a better future for us all?
The opposition is in the middle of a 'policy review'. So far, it has taken since February 2011.
Nobody expects rebalancing the national finances to be straightforward.
And nobody believes it's in Labour's interests to reveal policies which
could be 'stolen' from them - even though it could be in the nation's
interests to hear them.
But the problem with Labour at the moment is not what it is NOT saying: it's with what it IS.
Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls was RIGHT to warn that the coalition's
austerity plans would crush any chance of a 'recovery'. But he has
recently told us he would stick to public sector pay freezes, which will
leave thousands of workers worse off, year on year, in the face of
inflation.
And while Shadow Health Secretary Andy Burnham tells us he will 'repeal
the Health and Social Care Act. Full stop,' the party's leader seems not
yet to have made up his mind whether to reverse the effective
privatisation of almost half of the NHS.
Perhaps he doesn't know. Maybe his Party hasn't yet made up its mind.
But on 20 October, I and other members of my Party will be out on
London's streets, supporting working people and making it clear that we
understand you cannot put an economy back on its feet by throwing people
out of work and undermining the public services that keep society
ticking.
We believe that the green economy - vital in any case to avert
international climate disaster - holds one key to tackling the deficit.
The government's own figures show green business is the only sector
bucking the recession, with 4.7% growth from 2010-11, providing an extra
£5.4bn of economic activity.
We must get serious about reviving our manufacturing industries and
bringing food production back to Britain. That's essential -
environmentally and economically. And we need workers to be able to buy
the goods and services they need. The Labour Party may not agree,
although we hope it does. But whatever its view is, now is the time its
traditional backers - and the country as a whole - need help.
We will be marching on 20 October. Will the Labour Party?
