TUC National Demonstration Against Cuts

[OrangeBernard]

Who's going? I've just booked my train tickets. Its my first protest, any advice or tips? Bit worried about kettling.

That's a surprise.

Not to those of us who have read the FT and who have heard Lionel Barber and Gillian Tett.

Maybe that's why they interviewed Bob.

I doubt the Daily Mail would do an interview with him.

He says 30% cuts and Labour wanted 20%.

Who cares what Labour wanted? If Labour were in power, we would be fighting Labour. They aren't. The coalition of sociopaths and millionaires are in power instead.

I really don't think there's a massive difference except the Coalition will also reduce business tax and that will lead to more prosperity

Business tax is already one of the lowest in europe, and tens of billions of pounds are already lost annually due to tax evasion and even more to tax avoidance. Businesses should be paying more (that is, their fare share) in taxes, not less.

and a better ability to fund those who really can't work and need the support of a welfare state to which this Government is committed as much as any other.

It's telling the the Tories and their supporters can't even be honest about their own agenda because they know it's so objectionable to the vast majority of the public.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-12955845

Indeed, trosca. It's incredible that people are buying the shallow rhetoric about 'committed to support of welfare state' in light of issues like the link that you've just posted, the outsourcing to 'work for welfare' to Cameron's incompetent mates and the viscious capping of HB which is going to effectively push poorer people out of many areas, particularly in the south-east.

Still, as long as there are enough poor people to be shipped in to clean the houses and offices of the rich and serve their coffee, who give a shit, eh?

Housing benefit at over £20k? It's high time it were reduced. It means the poor can live in much better conditions and regions than the working middle classes can.

I remain intrigued about where your information about how the poor live comes from, Xenia.

Xenia Housing benefit at over £20k? You're right, it's wrong: It's high time private landlords and buy to letters were told where to get off, the greedy bastards!
As for the poor living near where they work, how dare they expect to be able to do that?! Don't forget that housing benefit is often claimed by those who do actually work Xenia.

Most private landlords won't let to anyone on housing benefit.

People like I am on what I earn can't afford to live in the centre of London (and I'm not that poor) but the poor can live in areas only the very very rich can afford. The rest commute in frm the country, Luton, rougher areas and the like in London. The £20,400 new upper cap for housing benefit is what is being introduced, not what now exists (for London).

Anyway we have a very long way to go. We also need to get those out of social housing who start to earn too much to live there and move people into smaller places when only they are occupying the 4 be dcouncil house on their own. We have hardly begun in trying to sort all this stuff out.

Xenia - you're so right! Why on earth are we doing, us being one of the richest countries in the world and providing people with decent housing and all? And a home to boot, not just a temporary roof over their heads? Scandalous.

Again, I'm intrigued by where your knowledge about social housing comes from.

The CPAG are doing this:

www.cpag.org.uk/press/2011/070311.htm

"The Government has failed to have due regard to the general equality duties under the Race Relations Act 1976 and the Sex Discrimination Act 1975 because ethnic minorities and lone parents will be disproportionately hit by the two cuts being challenged".

"These cuts are likely to have a dramatic effect in London in particular. The Mayor of London has said that around 9,000 London households will have to leave their homes. This could mean upwards of 20,000 children will have to move, 14,000 out of their local area".

poor kids. how can we, as mothers, support this and think it is ok?

EVEN Boris doesn't think it's on!!!

And this...
Changes to housing benefit to make a third of England unaffordable for low income households in a decade

The plan is to remove the poor from "Tory" areas.

yes, even Boris [maybe he has a heart, or at least pretends to have one, every now and then?] !

"Most private landlords won't let to anyone on housing benefit. "

how ridiculous a statement is that? If it were true the housing benefit bill would be very small!

Housing benefit was not an issue until Thatcher abolished the fair rent system. This also was a major factor in creating the current house price bubble which is causing so much misery both for people who can't afford to buy and those who have bought at inflated prices.

The way to cut the housing benefit bill is to bring back rent regulation.

Well said Paul

The way to cut the housing benefit bill is to bring back rent regulation.

And security of tenure

Quite so!

But also, wasn't housing benefit used to compensate for the conservatives selling off the council houses. tut tut tut, the tories always leave the country in a mess.

The sell off of council housing was also a major contributor to the house price bubble of the last 20 years and the awful buy-to-let situation that resulted.

I just knew it, it's all that evil old bag Thatchers fault :o

what isn't?!

joke, btw. But if it wasn't her it was Keith Joseph...

Wook, Keith Joseph was "only obeying orders" :o