Lots of local Green Party members joined other campaigners at the 5th November events in Sheffield to mark the Bonfire of Austerity.Local Green Linda Duckenfield, who has experienced mental illness herself, spoke movingly about how the policies of all three main parties impact on people with disabilities and other vulnerable people. (See photo of Linda speaking in front of the Atos rat outside the Atos offices in the city centre.)
Linda said “This attack on public services, the welfare state and the poor is what we’re all facing together. We must all support each others’ struggles, unpicking the vicious nonsense of the austerity agenda.”
“Apparently, the imaginary numbers of pure maths are beautiful. But the imaginary numbers of deregulated bank credit and gambling are very ugly because they saddle real people with real unsustainable debts. We must expose both this and the huge gap between the hyper-rich and the rest; and replace it with the common sense of us, the moral majority. I’m from the Green Party, which I’m proud to say has really good policies on social and climate justice.”
“Our strength in this assembly and elsewhere is in our alliances. Why should we all work our socks off to defend each bit of our hard-won rights, while the rich laugh all the way to the banks, proving that the 3 tired grey parties no longer have any mandate to govern? A more relaxing strategy is possible.”
There have been so many appalling stories re how Atos have treated people, not least all those told they were fit for work who died soon after. We must not forget though that Atos takes its orders from the government, they are the ones who have taken Atos on to make cuts. If Atos goes, they would only be replaced by a similar organisation. A complete change of government policy is needed, a complete change of government.
i also spoke about how non of these campaigns can be won as single issues, and how vicious the attacks on us all are now, and how important it is to join up to untopple the coalition asap. Quite right Rachel, and i made this point
Linda
Please could you get Rob unwin to post about the 4-6pm demo, at which I also spoke quite effectively. I,m on holiday so can,t do this. WWe had a presence throughout the day, some of us active all day.
Cheers Linda