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.

Legal tax avoidance Dittany. Just like when you get an ISA, fill in a gift aid form, buy stuff at airports...

What do we want? To pay more taxes? When do we want it? Now!

I think there's a taxmemoremarch hashtag as well as march26

Dittany - Quite a few I imagine, I would have thought there are a few in the Oil industry in Aberdeen as well, but that isn't really the point I was making is it?

Lots of people have. I think it's great that people can protest peacefully. I don;t believe it will happen and it will be interesting to see how many public sector pensions could have been paid with the millions of pounds of vandalism that will be caused today.

"It's bankers we can't afford. Where do you think all the public money disappeared to, which is why we're now having to cut things like police and eduction?"

Sorry, but that can't go unchallenged. For a long, long time we've been quite happy to sit back and count the revenue generated by banks (and oil companies, builders, retailers and all the rest) because it was all going very well thank you. 2008 happened and, whether we agree with it or not, about £85bn was directly spent on the bail-out - once. The decifict... the ongoing difference between revenue and spending... was £197bn last time I looked. Not just a one-off. Every single year.

It's an easy target to blame 'banks', 'capitalists' or even 'tax avoiders' without really thinking it through.

'They are not marching for no cuts. They are marching for more cuts, later'
(is this true?)

Dittany - the point is that X pays more [some tax] than Y does not mean X contributes more to the Exchequer than Y.

Difference between tax avoidance and tax evasion. One is legal one is not.

Chil is right about the banking crisis.

Dittany - regardless of how we got in this situation, we are paying £120million per day in interest repayments alone so what would you suggest we do cut, or are you suggesting tax rises?

Dittany - The issue of who caused the recession (Banks, Governments and Consumers) is totally irrelevant to the issue of what is the best way to get out of it.

For those of you concerned about taxes, I really recommend CinnabarRed's thread.

'Dittany - The issue of who caused the recession (Banks, Governments and Consumers) is totally irrelevant to the issue of what is the best way to get out of it.'

No it's not. Those responsible should be made to pay, not single parents, the young, the old and the disabled. Agree with dittany, it was the fault of the banks and the politicians who implemented 'light touch regulation' and looked the other way while the banks got on with it.

Of course they have a choice mmmwine, but they've managed to convince you they don't.

I would like to dialogue with Thereiver............I think to talk with people of different views is important. Do you want to talk? Which services would you cut and why? It's important to me that if you make a general comment that I get a sense of how you arrived at that decision.

claig - NO. Absolutely not. We want to resolve the issue in the way that does the least harm. If punishing those responsible makes things worse for those who are not then you shouldn't do it.

cracking post mmmwine. good work.

Ditatny - You asserted a fact and then drew a conclusion from that fact. All I'm doing is point out that your fact does not support your conclusion.

mmmm fallacy

mmmwine, please just have a read of this link

Now, I'll make no pretence, this is a group campaigning against the cuts, so obviously they have a particular point of view, but please read it.

When some of the top experts in the field of economics take time to speak out against the government's policies, then I think it's worth considering that there may be alternatives.