‘Go Wisconsin. You Are fighting For All Of Us’.
So says Chicago trade unonist Clancy Segal in the Guardian today. And he is totally right.
So appalling is the onslaught of capital on labour that even the police have joined the 600 protesters occupying the State Capitol building, while outside thousands of workers brave the freezing conditions in sleeping bags.
Clancy Segal writes:
This assault is essentially an ambush of the working middle class. It is openly financed by Big Money, like the hard-right multibillionaire brothers Charles and David Koch, who also fund – courtesy of the US supreme court’s Citizens United decision – the Tea Party groups that supply anti-labour’s ideological storm troopers. … it comes as no surprise when Jeffrey Cox, Indiana’s deputy attorney general, calls Wisconsin public sector workers “thugs” against whom he advocates deadly force. “Use live ammunition,” he tweeted.
The fight is on. I’m going to my council’s budget protest in Camden tonight to demand they do what their voters and ordinary people across the world are donig at the moment: represent us and fight back. Do not do their dirty work for them.
In Hackney, six councillors have signed a letter against the cuts. They write:
Some think we should protest – and wait for the next election. Our view is that we cannot wait until the damage is done. Nobody voted to privatise the NHS or make our communities pay for the bankers’ crisis. The government has no mandate. The bankers’ greed caused the crisis – they and their rich friends should pay for it through targeted taxes and a crack down on the tax loopholes used by millionaires and big corporations. As Labour Councillors, along with supporters of the Labour Representation Committee, we support a campaign to defeat the policies of this government through public protest, opposition and defiance. … We would like to see local Councils across London leading the charge and refusing to adopt cuts budgets as a result of government enforced policies and producing a Needs Budgets to show what should be funded.
It’s not without a little pride that I read the Wisconsin movement was inspired by the UK Uncut actions. Well done, guys and gals.
Wisconsin and Hackney are drawing on the power unleashed in recent events in the Middle East and picked up by UK Uncut. Carry on, you are doing this for us and we are there with you.
Anna’s food blog here:
http://annacheneats.blogspot.com/
It really got up my nose the new labour ass holes telling us not to protest at labour cuts, as you know I'm disabled, so far my council has closed two respite Units one which I used, they have closed two nursing homes one was used for disabled people, and they have closed my community care unit where I use to go during the day.
Have you seen labour new welfare Reforms to day, no such thing as welfare.
We really are dragging the pond these days to find people who are real labour, we have been invaded by a group of right wing idiots from the Tories.
What next work camps with a nice gate reading “Work Sets You Free”
Bloody fuming we may as well put up a sign saying not New labour not labour come join the tea party