A UK Tory government driven by ideology, power and privilege. A UK Tory government that believes itself unfettered. That’s what we have and the reality becomes clearer every day.
From the outset, we have austerity. Not only here in the UK but, as Greece will testify, imposed in Europe too. The arguments against have been well rehearsed and have shown time after time that far from being the road to economic recovery, it is the road to economic stagnation. But recent events in Europe have also shown how powerful elites will sweep aside democratic expression, ignore citizens’ views and impose their will regardless. Sitting here, even thousands of miles away, the parallel is none-the-less stark.
Austerity isn’t a one-off element of this Tory government. It is a central plank of a neoliberal political and economic strategy. Caps on household welfare support, eliminating young people from housing aid, determining that only two children per household are good enough for state help are but one plank in all of this. Alongside it comes new laws on trade unions. Laws that will see the very workers in public services who need that welfare and support to survive denied the right to organise and fight back. And the cavalier game played with democratic representation that sees attempts made to create different classes of MPs and do it by procedural sleight of hand, without proper debate or scrutiny. This Tory government is intent on fundamental change to the nature of the society we all live in and wherever they can, on removing our rights and our capacity to resist them.
Greece is the equivalent of being taken to stand outside the Borstal when you were wee and a bit naughty. A lesson in what would happen to you if you kept on being cheeky. Across our television screens we are shown night after night that Greece is being wilful and obstructive. Greece is spurning help and thumbing its nose at “reasonable” offers. So Greece has to be punished by harsher sanctions and the cold shoulder of the Troika. Most of our mainstream political commentators write and speak about the “Greek crisis” in tones that vary from frustration at Greek behaviour, to mock sadness that the Greek people have allowed it all to come to this. And all the while the message really being sent is “don’t even think about alternatives – just look what will happen to you”.
We see more and more families turning to food banks for vital help. More and more friends fearful of stepping one foot out of turn for fear of sanctions. Half a million more children condemned to grow up in poverty because of last week’s Tory budget and families in work, but on low pay, made hundreds of pounds worse off. And all the while the great mantra “there is no alternative” ringing in our ears to make sure we accept what we’re given, bow our backs and trudge on.
But here in Scotland we can take a different road. And resist. Last week a number of Scottish charities came together to speak out against that budget. This week the STUC has come out fighting against the imposition of more trade union restrictions. Church Action on Poverty published a poster “Britain Isn’t Eating” – a parody of the infamous Tory anti-Labour poster – which hits home hard. Across our communities we have growing numbers of people who found their voice during the referendum and tasted hope, perhaps the first time for many. They are being joined daily by others who share their hopes and increasingly see that this UK Government is driving back hard-won gains and riding roughshod over millions. Academics, economists, researchers producing evidence and data to back and make substantive the case for an alternative road. And, in Europe, Greece is not the only country where citizens are stepping forward to resist the ideology of the economic and political power elites.
So we are not alone. We are not crazy or deluded. But for our anger and our energy to find real strength we must come together. Forge those alliances, focus on what we share, work day in and day out to make the voices of millions heard and work even harder to make sure those without a voice are heard too. We have done this before and it is well past time for us to do so again.
Greece: Pressure eases on Syriza as ECB releases €900m in fresh funding
Zara Kitson: We should stay in the EU and protect its mission of freedom
Gordon MacIntyre-Kemp: Are we living through a key period in history?
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