Local Politicians: The Self Preservation Society

This blog is taken from a letter I've just submitted to the local papers. The video is a bit of fun.

The ConDem government’s comprehensive spending review represented a clear attack on working people of all colours and creeds. On the back of a collapse caused by the bankers, speculators and spivs of the city financial centres, working people are the only ones being forced to take the pain. Our services, our wages and our jobs are under threat. The impact on Fermanagh where the private sector is already balancing on a knife-edge is likely to be severe. These cuts could push the local economy past a critical point and wreak structural damage which will not be rebuilt easily.

At the very least, these cuts will devastate working people many of whom will have no option but to join the lengthening dole queues as the job losses mount and their benefits are slashed. In a world where we are told education is critical to building a ‘knowledge-based’ economy, young people from working class backgrounds have effectively been shut out of universities through moves to increase fees and the interest they pay on student loans.

At the same time, the Government is supportive of moves to start the printing presses rolling to ensure the profits of the banks and super-rich continue to grow. The consequence of such monetary policy will be inflation on imported foodstuffs at a time when workers’ wages are being pushed down.

From every conceivable angle working people (those who create all the wealth in society) are being squeezed to safeguard the profits of big business. There is a global race to the bottom which will continue until we put a stop to it.

Unfortunately, we cannot rely on our local politicians who even before the economic crisis implemented neo-Thatcherite 3% cuts year-on-year for the last three years - threatening care services for elderly in the county and forcing a moratorium on the recruitment of new nurses and hospital staff. They will implement the cuts despite their choreographed words of ‘anger’ but no doubt their slick PR machines will ensure that they are photographed by the local press at the front row of all the protests.

Instead, what’s needed is to build a grassroots opposition to the current wave of cuts and those will inevitably follow it. Any politician from the mainstream parties who is genuine about opposing the cuts should resign their party membership and stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the communities against them; that is the only honourable position. Building a cross-community opposition involving workers, communities and the youth is the only appropriate answer to the cuts.