A Future That Works - Demo - 20 October 2012

On Saturday 20th October the Trades Union Congress is organising a national demonstration to demand a change to the current government’s economic policies.

• They told us that there is no alternative to austerity as we have to pay off the deficit, yet the policy of cuts has resulted in the longest economic downturn since the 1930’s.
• They told us that we are all in it together, yet every day we see the leaders of big business pay themselves enormous annual bonuses which an ordinary person could live on for a lifetime.
• They told us it wasn’t down to the greed of the bankers, yet every month new scandals of fraud and corruption emerge from our financial industry.
• They led us to believe that these austerity measures were only temporary, but essential public services including the health service and policing are being handed over to unaccountable corporations.

AUSTERITY ISN’T WORKING
Our country faces long-term economic problems. But our political leaders have failed to face up to them. In our communities we see rising unemployment, closing businesses and disappearing public services every day.  Unless policies change the economy will not grow, incomes will not rise, and there will be almost no new jobs. If the government keeps on with big spending cuts and austerity we face a lost decade. Even on their own terms government policies are failing. To close the deficit we need a healthy growing economy that generates tax income. But austerity has led to a vicious circle of decline.

A FUTURE THAT WORKS FOR ALL

Instead of just letting the banks go back to business and bonuses as usual, we need policies that promote new and old industries.

We need an alternative that will

• Force companies to pay decent wages, penalise big bonuses and invest in training and new industries.
• Crack down on tax evasion by big companies and the super-rich.
• Tackle the growing inequality between the super-rich and everyone else.

Rather than deep, rapid spending cuts, we need to reverse our decline and build an economy that works for ordinary people.

Join the demonstration and demand a better future