Northampton Solidarity Federation joined the small protest in Northampton town centre today against the budget cuts. The protest was centred on the uk uncut protest and focussed on the contradiction between cutting welfare and services on the one hand whilst allowing the rich, and large businesses to avoid, legally and illegally, billions in pounds of taxation.
This discrepancy lies at the very heart of our economic system and the politics which go with it. When push comes to shove we see that all works for the benefit of the rich and the workers pay the cost. Welfare is cut: are tax avoiders chased, are tax loopholes closed? Bankers crash the economy with their greed for bonuses, are they chased down and held to account? Of course not: that's not how the capitalist system work:, run by the rich for the rich.
Trade Unions let us down again!
The action today was arranged by individuals who got fed up with waiting for the group "Northampton Against the Cuts", a coalition of trades unions, to arrange anything, despite the fact they registered as the local group of action on the UK Uncut website.
Perhaps this is why:
On 4th December the local Trades Council held a public meeting: Northampton Against the Cuts. According to the words of the CWU leader who spoke at the meeting "When we talk about cuts it's not sufficient to say we should be opposing them.." Should be opposing them??? Continuing: "...I think we should go a bit deeper." Sounds encouraging? Like they might be advocating something of a fightback? Oh no, here's the end of the statement: "Our slogan should be investment not cuts." And that's it: the main quote of the day and the headline in the local paper. An idea which spectacularly manages to miss the underlying causes of the current attack on the social wage, and thus will also spectacularly fail to mount any sort of realistic fightback
Northampton Against the Cuts has set up a blog, with the mission statement "This blog, initiated by Northampton Trades Council, is an information and rallying point for all organisations who want to fight the cuts and develop alternatives." But apparently not if you actually want to do something. Despite the huge turnouts around the country, Northampton Against the Cuts called no action in Northampton this weekend.
Perhaps they hope simply to collect some signatures on a petition and hope to sway the government's mind.
Like that'll make a difference.
History shows, the only way to ever make a difference is by direct action, whether it be on the streets, or in the workplace. Posturing and words alone achieve nothing.