UK & World News
- 20 October 2012, 20:29
Mass Demonstration Against Spending Cuts
More than 100,000 people have taken part in a mass demonstration in central London against the Government's spending cuts.
Firefighters, nurses and teachers marched alongside unemployed young people, anti-war activists and other campaigners, while similar protests were held in Belfast and Glasgow.
The London march ended with a rally in Hyde Park, where Labour leader Ed Miliband was among the speakers.
Mr Miliband was booed by a small section of the crowd when he said his party would have to make "hard choices" if it was in government.
"I do not promise easy times," he said, but added: "We would make different and fairer choices, including on pay and jobs."
Mr Miliband went on: "This Government has shown us self-defeating austerity, by cutting too far and too fast, is not the answer."
He pledged that if he became Prime Minister he would tax bankers' bonuses, support the building of 100,000 houses and end the privatisation of the NHS.
He dubbed David Cameron "weak" and "clueless" and accused him of "clinging" to policies which were not working.
He said the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition was cutting taxes for millionaires and raising them for everyone else. "It is one rule for those at the top and one rule for everyone else."
Bob Crow, leader of the RMT rail union, was loudly cheered when he called for a 24-hour general strike.
He also called on Mr Miliband to oppose all spending cuts.
Grant Shapps, Conservative Party chairman, said: "You can't be serious about clearing the deficit when you attend a march that calls for an end to austerity."
Many of those marching said they were encouraged by the turnout.
Teacher Billie King, from Bracknell, in Berkshire, told Sky's Tom Parmenter: "To make massive cuts to people who have got so little and to make small adjustments to those who have got so much it is such an injustice."
Healthcare worker Sonny Nkazi said: "People don't come to work with a packed lunch like they used to because they can't afford the packed lunch.
"You go the shops, you can't afford to buy enough food for your family. I know things are difficult in the country but we're not supposed to be suffering this way."
what do you think?
stevie may
Support the protestors. . Reject austerity. Reject capitalism - the source of austerity
Paul Grice
Over paid under worked bunch of mourners how have never had it as good . The rest of us tax payers working in the private sector paying for the public sector have to prove your worth and make a profit unlike this lot who are virtually un sackable .Get it into your heads all the money has gone the last lot spent it all we are broke and times are tough for everyone not just for you
stevie may
Times tough for everyone? Not for the politicians and bankers who have caused this crisis. The type of immoral capitalists who you try and defend. . . Disgracefull
Diane Rogers
Here here.i work in retail minimum wage single time for Sunday bank holidays the only day we shut is Christmas day no sick pay. My pension from my Woolworths days is 10 POUND A YEAR.So u are lucky
Lorgar Aurelian
I even work Christmas Day. No bed for me unlike firefighters...
joanne hague
and of course the abolition of the 50p tax rate who does that help ? . were all in it together i dont think so are paramedics lazy free loaders as well ? it would frighten you to see whats happening to the emergency services under this lot
Roy E Millington
put the blame where it belongs with tony blair and gordon brown, but i do agree we should stop immigration and foreign aid
Nigel L
Surely you dont still believe that rubbish
jimmyjedi1979
Nigel there's a new name for his kind- sheeple lol
Lorgar Aurelian
He believes it because it's true.
stephen
Nigel well said only a clown would say its all labour fault . take a look were it all started under thatcher
blue side
Note the groups Public Sector, Anti War etc. Unions are desperate and never change their colours nearly ruined the country once before and set to try again. Bet the leaders of the unions will not loose out though. Sorry to say there are many here who want the pleasure but not prepared to tolerate the pain. Thank heaven this is not 1940.
Windows Live User
Pensioners have the power. There are now more of them than in any other voting sector. They paid thier dues a long long time and were robbed when the govts"borrowed" from the pot. If only they knew they had the power
jimmyjedi1979
Anti-war. That phrase always fascinates me.
tagliatellius
It is a favourite phrase of the Daily Mail reading types.
john
The pro-war idiots should think on the fact that six million Germans died in the closing stages of WW2 thanks to their pro-war government.
Roy E Millington
i thought the likes of Arthur Scargill had gone, its always those who cant really take action who have to pay.
stephen
smash this unelected government
SagePhotoWorld
They were elected a couple of years ago. There was something called a General Election.
stephen
yes but the Tories didn't win
joanne hague
And the lib dems lied lied and lied again tuition fees no vat rise i voted for them last time never again ever
Paul Grice
What they think it's bad now just wait until the Germans get their hands on the public sector after they end up running Europe .. Then they will have something to mourn about
t.bulgin
Your right Paul. Do they think the hyper effiecient Germans would allow so much waste in the public sector. The tories are actually being kind to them at the moment.
Mick Daniel
Everybody including the Labour party agrees that what we spend on the public sector is insustainable. Trade Unions destroyed the docks, ship building, the mines, the British car industry and are doing their damnest to destroy the country. Union members and the public sector need to enter the real World; the private sector will not keep paying for them for ever.
stephen
rubbish
Windows Live User
Same thing is happening in all the european countries. Confused as to what you see as the public and private sectors?
Nigel L
Divide and conquer the clasic tory ploy the sad thing is many people believe this private sector carring everyone else rubbish.
gengisken1227
Well said Mick, the unions are still living on a different planet.
Lorgar Aurelian
I have left my union after watching it forget about the private sector and give all their time and MY money to lazy public sector strikers. They're all the same.
t.bulgin
explain how the public sector makes money for the country.......... do they export firemen or nurses or pen pushers ? do we export teachers ? most of those do a good job for the country but they don't make money for it. Unfortunately, eevn you will have to admit that the banking industry makes us money. please explain what part of that you do not understand. stephen, just stating 'rubbish' or 'come on tell the truth' dosn't really add anything does it.
Andrea Hill
well tbulgin hope you never ill or trapped in a burning.building.
Alf Bibby
Absolute codswallop. grow a brain
Windows Live User
So Ed, tell Cameron to stop giving away the £10bn plus, that he is giving to overseas, including Afghanistan. as it looks a little like we might need that money at home! Oh, here is another none of you MP's may have thought about! Sort the corporation tax loops out and Britain can have it's hundreds of billions that the top companies are getting away with. Dont worry, they wont go away. Britain is to good a market for them. I owed £1-40p some years ago, and the tax dept sent me a letter to collect!!! How ff stupid. It cost us all more in postages and admin than it was worth, but I sent it all the same. Stupid people
Adrian Wagstaff
There is money and there is lots of it. Every time anyone goes to the shops or towns, there are brand new cars, brand new suits, brand new briefcases, brand new everythings! Why should any of all the millions of poor people around the World believe anything at all the wealthy people are telling them? For centuries, the poorest people on Earth have been treated as though their lives are MEANINGLESS and it doesn't matter to the rich people whether any of them live or die so long as they keep working to make them all billionaires. I can only foresee, into the future, mass, global, civil unrest far, far in excess of one tiny protest of one hundred thousand people. There is money, there is lots of it and the wealthy people don't tend to be the ones earning it. Nobody but nobody believes a word they say, anymore.
joanne hague
nice tax cuts for the will rich help. more to come from camoron and his cronies
gengisken1227
There isn't any austerity, it's only cutting back from Brown's overspend that was already in the system that the debt is still rising. Actually cutting back to a sustainable amount of public sector spend would take courage and commonsense what Canada did over 14 years ago by reducing their spending by 20%.
stephen
the banks didn't get bailed out then what rubbish you say. labour cut the debt this country had by 35% from 1997 -2007 then the banking crises
Lorgar Aurelian
Always count on Gengisken to speak sense. Well said.
stephen
two clowns together
Alf Bibby
OMG are you still blabbing on about Brown overspending. It is a well known Tory lie. The facts are that a world recession and a banking crisis caused the defict. Can you tell me though what excuse the Tories have for their massive borrowing and double dip recession
andy may
alf, why did brown take credit for our growth during a global recession then? also, he said on many occasions, that his government were creating wealth by creating more public sector workers!!! this is illogical, if an employer pays a person 20k a year the total cost to the employer (or state in browns case) is often over double this figure. so as a rate payer i pay double to get half. you don't need a gcse to see what nonsense that policy was.
t.bulgin
the tories were not in power when the reccession started alf, how can it be their double dipper ? when I stop seeing comments blaming Thatcher for peoples whoes the I for one will shut up about brown.
stephen
brown got the country out of recession . the Tories sent it back in recession. don't blame labour for this recession
t.bulgin
not only do you use the word rubbish a lot as a response, you talk it as well.
stephen
here we go again Tories not liking the truth
andy may
what recession did brown get us out of stephen? i'm a tory and i love the truth.
Stephen Richards
Notice, most of those doing the marching are in cushy jobs and assured jobs at that. Where are the shopkeepers, self-employed, private landlords, taxi drivers and the likes? They are grinning and bering it, nose to the wheel and all that. We have a national debt, it cannot be cured by demanding everything stays as it was. No one has the answer, yet everyone has the question!
Alf Bibby
Talking rubbish as usual, None of the people you named can be classed as hardworking, they might work long hours but it is not hard work. TAXI DRIVERS, HARD WORKING. you are having a laff.
t.bulgin
How insulting alf . Taxi drivers have to work long hard hours to make a living wage. My brother done it for years and worked very hard. You are not in possesion of enough facts to make a statement like that. phoenixflight, they are not demonstrating because they dont believe in it. They are getting on with it as we all should.
bjnk
phoenix, why should people not demonstrate against these cuts, most have done nothing wrong so why are we paying for it. You say national debt, thats a joke, I don't see the culprits who caused this chaos(financial sector) paying back what they lost this Country and the fatcats avoiding paying their due taxes suffering in any way shape or form.
Jo Brierley
Taxi drivers also take their lives in their hands sometimes and are assaulted for doing their cushy jobs !!! Shop work is hard work too thank you, I have a bad back now after 25 years of it and yes I am still working before you all start. I just have injections in my spine every 6 months but of course I don't work hard.
joelle cooke
I guess Now the time is up!for the last 20 Years, people are watching what goes ON in our new celebrity, society,here and abroad,that most people,don't care ,about the next generation,anymore,and now they are starting a revolution I guess,just wait and watch! It is a new Generation of young humans,not what you are use 2 ,they don`t fear Prison,they want to get their point across,like all the others,in Europa! This is wisely of them!very brave
Alf Bibby
Calamity Cameron says he stands up for hard working people, yet he condems over 100,0000 hard working people, many nurses and doctors,firemen paramedics and carers ect for demonstating against his policies So Calamity you stand up for the hard working as long as they do as they are told by an incompedent governement. Calamity you are treating the electrate as fools, they are not, and you will get their verdict at the next election.
andy may
alf, i am a public sector worker, in one of the professions you mention. i agree that cuts need to be made, we cannot keep taking when the country is in such a vulnerable position. we should all make sacrifices. we are no more deserving in the public sector than the public sector, although i do feel aggrieved that a pension i have signed up for and contributed for over twenty years is being renegged upon. however the line had to be drawn and the conservatives had the backbone to do it. all liebour did was talk about the pension deficit but do nothing.
john
There is plenty of money in the pot, look at the insanity of spending billions to buy replacement nuclear weapons from the USA that our armed forces couldn't use without the USA approving the targets, effectively buying nukes for the Yanks, crazy, our nuclear deterrent didn't scare the Argentinians a few years ago did it? they knew that the US government wouldn't hand over the launch codes to the British. Our gobsmiths think that having nukes make them look like big players on the world stage, "Yo Blair" does it. And how about making the tax dodging corporations pay up, instead of funneling their profits into convenient tax havens, kick them out of the UK if they aren't paying their share.
joelle cooke
The World is ready to change,they will kick off,they got nothing left to loose!!The game is on.people are fed up!!
james stevenson
Excuse me Stevie, without capitalism, where will the money come from, do you think that the private sector is going to fund you for ever? This country is in a mess, because we, the voters allowed it to be, why did we not hear all these protests before now? Get real you can't keep spending money like a game of chance, which allowed our bankers and leaders, to get us into this state. I have an answer to some of these problems. STOP FOREIGN AID, NOW, till we can afford it, stop wasting money on all these useless court cases, get the unemployed into a job, no excuse, I have to get up at 0400 every day, get off your backsides, create jobs, dole money means four days work a week, not sit on your backside waiting . Get unemployed families off dole , why should I pay? no work no help. i don't get any. When I am sick, I get nothing, so it is in my interest not to be.
Neil C
Well I gotta say this but I'm with Clarkson on this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
jimmyjedi1979
9:07am on 20/10/2012
This isn't a recession its a robbery! The theft of public money into private pockets. Don't be a sheeple stand up for your people!