Rochdale Green Party challenge the myth of austerity

15 July 2014

On Monday 14th July, David Cameron announced that the Government had “found” an extra £1.1 billion for military spending. Is this the end of austerity?

This government has justified a great deal of suffering in the name of austerity. Its treatment of people with disabilities and its welfare reforms have seen millions of people relying on food hand-outs and a 26% increase in homelessness.

This Government says we can’t afford to look after the disadvantaged but we can afford £2-3 billion per year to renew nuclear weapons we don’t ever intend to use. It has delivered drastic cuts to our local council budgets, but has bailed out banks which have since continued to pay disgustingly large wages and bonuses to senior executives with our money. We must hold this Government to account. It is clear that the country is far from bankrupt, and that cuts to vital public services are ideological.

To be clear, I’m sure the announcement of added security against terrorism and cyber-attacks will be welcomed by many and I do not mean to undermine the importance of this. But this government has made appalling choices; justifying every cut with the mantra of reducing the deficit, whilst always finding enough money for glory projects such as HS2, Free Schools and increased military spending.

I’m sure we will hear politicians justifying their record a lot over the next year, and we must be ready to challenge the myths. If we can afford warfare, we can afford welfare.

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