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GREATER MANCHESTER PRE-BUDGET RALLY HEARS CALLS TO BRING DOWN TORY GOVERNMENT
 

Star date: 21st November 2017

'ARROGANT AND CRUEL' TORY GOVERNMENT GOT TO GO SAY JULIE HESMONDHALGH, TRADE UNIONISTS AND LABOUR COUNCILLORS

Tonight, a Pre-Budget rally on the steps of GMex in Manchester heard constant calls for the 'arrogant and cruel' Tory Government to be brought down.

Speakers at the Manchester People's Assembly rally included trade unionists, Labour Party councillors, the Canon of Manchester Cathedral, plus a message from Julie Hesmondhalgh condemning the Tories' "Unspeakable acts of injustice...against the most vulnerable in our society".

Full details here...


Manchester People's Assembly Pre-Budget Rally Manchester People's Assembly Pre-Budget Rally Manchester People's Assembly Pre-Budget Rally
Manchester People's Assembly Pre-Budget Rally Manchester People's Assembly Pre-Budget Rally Manchester People's Assembly Pre-Budget Rally
Manchester People's Assembly Pre-Budget Rally Manchester People's Assembly Pre-Budget Rally Manchester People's Assembly Pre-Budget Rally
click image to enlarge

"We cannot afford to have five more years of the Conservative Party...We cannot afford five more minutes of the Conservative Party..."


Tonight the steps of GMex, or Manchester Central Convention Centre, were piled up with food collected from Salford City UNISON, Hulme Labour Party and from Christmas Market traders, in a kind of symbolic statement on the state of Tory Britain the night before the latest budget.

The bags and boxes will be distributed to foodbanks across the area but Penny Hicks, from the Manchester People's Assembly, told a pre-budget rally; "It's a disgrace that we have to bring food out a few weeks before Christmas to feed families who are working, who are unemployed, who are homeless because of our so-called benefit system...We're here to protest against austerity."

In another symbolic act at the scene of the Conservative Party Conference a few months ago, people brought glo-sticks and torches to 'shine a light on Tory failure'.

Opening speaker, Manchester Cathedral's Canon David Holgate, called upon the Government to "re-order its priorities in favour of mercy and inclusion...a welfare state believes that when a people are well cared for the nation flourishes..."

Many of the angry speeches went much further with calls to bring down the Government... Alex Davidson, President of Manchester Trades Council, talked of the "cruel and arrogant" Tory Government which "wants to put the moral responsibility onto those who get hit by the system, not those who run it...

"We as trade unionists have got to say 'No, we are not going to accept your continued attempt to grind people down to nothing, to use the benefit system to try and force and terrorise people into whatever low paid work happens to be available'" he added "We stand for a different and better society.

"We cannot afford to have five more years of the Conservative Party" he insisted "We cannot afford five more minutes of the Conservative Party...Let's bring them down..."

Davidson finished his speech by urging people to support strikes, including the ongoing bitter dispute by First Bus drivers, who have announced a further three days of industrial action from next week.

Explaining why they are on strike, Unite trade union members explained that First Bus drivers working in the south of the city are earning up to £95 less than their colleagues from the north for exactly the same work in what is a "horrendous disparity".

They added that First Bus bosses say they cannot afford to honour a pay parity agreement that dates back five years, despite the company making £339million profit last year. In the final insult, the company is bringing in well paid managers from all over the country, they said, to try and break the dispute. They called on people to boycott First Buses until further notice.

The Labour Party was well represented at the rally, with Executive Members of Manchester City Council, Bev Craig and Pat Karney speaking on the platform. Councillor Craig talked of "ideologically driven" austerity "where public services are on their knees, where people are going to bed hungry and without homes".

Meanwhile, Councillor Karney said that the Tory Government "has waged war against public services in this city" that are "at breaking point"...

"The message tonight is want all people in Manchester to join the resistance against the Tories" he added "Every day the Tories are in power is a damaging day for the people of this city. We've got to kick these Tories out and we need a radical socialist Labour Government under Jeremy Corbyn that, from day one, gets rid of Universal Credit and the cuts to the welfare state; gets rid of the cuts in council services and the NHS, and gets rid of and sorts out homelessness in this city..."

The evening started with a Ewan MacColl rebel song by musician Tom Long. And Julie Hesmondhalgh, who was unable to attend, sent a message that summed up the feelings, condemning the "Unspeakable acts of injustice being meted out against the most vulnerable in our society...

"This Government relies on us being too exhausted and beleaguered to stand up again and again, to shine a light on policies that are literally killing and starving our people" she added "But they have underestimated us, our righteous anger, our outrage, our indefatigable spirit, our empathy, our energy, our solidarity, our determination, our hope for a better and fairer society.

"This is never going to happen under this Government" she concluded "And they've got to go..."


See also previous Salford Star article – Christmas Shopper Horror as 'Theresa May' Budget to Tax Rain, Small Children and Puppies – click here

Michael James Felse wrote
at 14:11:47 on 24 November 2017
I thank the Tory Chsncellor for his budget, but clearly not aimed at reviving the North West to the necessary level of health and care support nor investment initiatives. I demand our Salford Mayor write to The Chancellor to explain the hardship, despair and stress we close to our neighbours see daily. Good start but not a fit for purpose Budget if Salford is to maximise post Brexit opportunities. Salford Council must release its £260million asset value to do the things that the Tory Chancellor fails to do. Fully explained to him in a letter by our elected Mayor, The Chancellor must then be sent a £260million reimbursement bill from Salford.
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C Hughes wrote
at 08:32:08 on 23 November 2017
Hi what about the other speakers etc that haven't been mentioned?
?
Bob wrote
at 14:15:38 on 22 November 2017
me again ,forgot to mention it.What did Salix do with that £1.3 million for the homeless? I have not forgot.
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Bob wrote
at 14:15:32 on 22 November 2017
They have all let us down. Thing is ,how can we be expected to be enthusiastic for Corbyn and his gang when we are getting a taste of it here with his best pals Dennett and his mob? This is democracy for you. I did not vote for the Tory government, but I got it.I did not vote for our Labour Clowncil, but I got it. I voted for Brexit, didn't think I would get it, but did. What we need in our country is new thinking, after the fall of communism in Poland, Lec Walensa said we shouldn't take it capitalism had won and that it was the right idea, and that what was needed was something in between, trouble is ,he never explained what. I think the problem we have today is that people do not understand the difference between monetryism and basic capitalism. There are too many financial institutions making money just from money. investment should be put into real goods and real services, for example, profiting from building and selling houses which is good, as opposed to making profits from buying ,selling and hoarding empty houses, and speculating on price rises, which is bad. Another thing is people just see the bosses of big companies make big amounts of cash and they just get jealous. People like easyjet boss Stelios, vacuum cleaner boss Dyson are good and benefit society, whereas people like goodwin and most of his gang in the financial sector were bad and do not benefit society. We need politicians who understand how free buissness can benefit all, rich and poor alike. It is not us and them,we all have to live together on this small island.
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Michael James Felse wrote
at 13:04:42 on 22 November 2017
Main political parties are all the same. Sitting on the gravy train. Look no further than Salford where we spend half a million of our pounds each year on a secretive local council. I feel their many worthless election leaflets are a waste when instead the money spent on local properganda could help feed our local food banks. I demand they stop spending on rubbish and simply donate them hundreds of pounds each spends instead as gift to Salford Food Banks. Labour, Tory, Lib-Dems, Greens and Independent should work together to kickout hunger, homelessness and all heartless policies. I honestly say I totally despise gravy train politicians.
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