George Osborne was presented as a Joker-faced villain while ‘city bankers’ paraded on stilts during a Manchester alternative to the chancellor’s budget last night.
‘The People’s Budget’ event was organised by The People’s Assembly, an umbrella group of trade unionists, anti-cuts groups and community campaigners.
Speakers from Manchester People’s Assembly (MPA) lambasted the government’s economic strategy at a rally in Piccadilly Gardens before marching through the city centre.
Alex Davidson, Secretary of the Manchester Trades Council, said: “We are here to give the union response to (the government’s) relentless cuts and austerity.
“Working people have still not recovered from the recession and while there was plenty for millionaires and billionaires in the budget, there was very little for the rest of us.”
Dawud Islam of MPA and Manchester Left Unity said the chancellor had ‘delivered a budget that did nothing to solve the cost of living crisis’.
He also attacked the government’s lack of investment in public transport.
“We have had the exact opposite of the ‘greenest government ever’ promised by Cameron and his cronies,” he added.
“Network Rail should be returned to public ownership and subsidised public transport should be introduced to Manchester, including a flat-fare on the Metrolink.”
#peoplesbudget #occupy #budget2014 outside MCR town hall bankenstein vs Robin Hood pic.twitter.com/cFVdDn5d9h
— Occupy Manchester (@OccupyMCR) March 19, 2014
He rounded off by urging people to vote for ‘no cuts candidates’ and to ‘say no to austerity’.
The demonstration then made four stops along the route at locations they claim have been hit by austerity measures.
These were at The Town Hall, The University of Manchester, John Rylands Library and an NHS walk-in centre.
MPA organiser Tom Evans told MM that the campaigners were putting forward a non-austerity budget that works for ordinary people.
“Corporations are sitting on hundreds of millions in cash, yet they are rewarded with further tax breaks,” he said.
“We want to see money put in people’s pockets.”
Mr Evans was also dubious about the extent of the fall in unemployment much trumpeted by the government.
“You have to take into account things like zero hour contracts, part time working and the lack of a living wage,” he said.
“The claimant count will obviously fall if more and more people are being sanctioned and barred from claiming.”
Alison Gardener of the lecturers union UCU agreed and warned of ‘obfuscation in the figures’.
“You have to be very careful about how they present the figures,” she said. “They have been reprimanded for misusing statistics in the past.”
Grace U of Manc SU speaking on austerity, students & education. #peoplesbudget #occupy #budget2014 @graceskelton pic.twitter.com/IKTB1vvJIW
— Occupy Manchester (@OccupyMCR) March 19, 2014
Laura Bannister of the Green Party said: “It is clear that cuts are not necessary, they are an economic choice.
“Wealth is being distributed in favour of rich people. Tories are never interested in providing public services.
“It’s in their interests to keep people just scared enough that they will work for very little, making money for big corporations.
“Permanent austerity will always be their first policy choice.”
Penny Hicks from MPA, who spoke to the rally in Piccadilly Gardens and introduced various speakers, said: “It makes the poor pay for the banker’s crisis – it’s a Tory budget.”
The People’s Assembly was launched by a letter to the Guardian just over a year ago.
Signatories included the late Tony Benn, film-maker Ken Loach and Stockport-raised political writer Owen Jones.
The Manchester People’s Assembly is one of 74 groups which now exist nationwide.
The movement rejects austerity and advocates a living wage, rent controls and a Robin Hood (financial transactions) tax as alternative economic measures.
First two images courtesy of Occupy Manchester @OccupyMCR, with thanks.
