Tories sharpen class war axe / Britain / Home - Morning Star
Britain

Tories sharpen class war axe

Monday 07 June 2010
by Roger Bagley in Parliament
Printable page Printable
Email Email
Prime Minister David Cameron

Prime Minister David Cameron

Millionaire Prime Minister David Cameron has launched one of the worst-ever peacetime assaults on the British people.

Using his big lie that "we are all in this together," the stinking rich Tory warned of "tough" decisions on public spending, pay, pensions and welfare benefits.

"The decisions we make will affect every single person in our country," he claimed.

The decisions would be "momentous" and the effects would "stay with us for years, perhaps decades to come."

Civil Service union PCS urged massive resistance by the trade union movement against the Tories' crippling cuts.

PCS deputy general secretary Hugh Lanning said: "The message from us is clear. We will work with other trade unions where we can to campaign in workplaces and in our communities to vigorously oppose these politically driven cuts."

TUC general secretary Brendan Barber challenged Mr Cameron over his claim that the cuts would affect every single person in the country.

"Deficit reduction through cuts alone will inevitably hit the poor, the vulnerable and the great mass of middle-income Britain who depend on public services," said Mr Barber.

"Those at the top will hardly notice."

Left Labour MP Dennis Skinner accused the Prime Minister of failing to ask for sacrifices from the Queen, who is demanding millions more from the state, or from millionaire backers of the Tory Party such as Lord Ashcroft.

"What sacrifice is Lord Ashcroft going to make?" asked Mr Skinner. "Will he pay more taxes?"

Communist Party of Britain general secretary Rob Griffiths urged the trade unions to "build a mass popular movement to defend our vital public services and make the rich and big business pay for their crisis."

Mr Griffiths declared: "It is not the millionaire bankers and speculators who will feel the impact of cuts in day care centres, personal social services, free school meals, library services and local leisure centres."

Details of horrendous cuts will be contained in the emergency Budget on June 22 and in the autumn spending review.

Chancellor George Osborne and his Lib Dem sidekick Danny Alexander will today publish an outline "framework" for the coming cuts.

In his speech at the Open University in Milton Keynes, Mr Cameron said the global financial markets now wanted to know what actions governments were taking to bring their own finances under control.

He claimed that, without drastic cuts, Britain's national debt would nearly double to £1.4 trillion within just five years.

"The legacy left by the last government is terrible," he said.

The cause of building "a fairer society" would be set back for years unless the government acted now, he said in a wild burst of spin.

"So yes, it will be tough. But we will get through this together - and Britain will come out stronger on the other side."

Left MP Michael Meacher said it was "monstrous" that the government was "shifting the burden of the financial crash wholly away from its perpetrators, the banks, and on to its victims, public services and public sector jobs."

If you have enjoyed this article then please consider donating to the Morning Star's Fighting Fund to ensure we can keep publishing your paper.

Donate to the Fighting Fund here

Bookmark and Share

Editorial

Delay rather than resistance

Party political manoeuvring between the Greek social-democratic, conservative and fascist parties has delayed acceptance of the blackmail demands presented by the troika of European Union, International Monetary Fund and the European Central Bank.

Features

An imperial adventure set to continue

by George Galloway

The growing intervention in Syrian internal affairs demonstrates the West's blatant attempt to rally reactionary Arab forces in support of its continued domination of the region, says George Galloway

All prawn and no brains...

Solomon Hughes

Jacqui Smith's bizarre call to get schmoozing with the City