Unite: Lib Dem's: You've been conned!

Friday, 18 June 2010 12:00 AM

Derek Simpson, joint leader of Unite has today (18th June) called on Liberal Democrat members with a social conscience to tear up their party membership cards to save the shame of being associated with a government which will begin the most brutal, ideologically driven cuts in a generation, starting next Tuesday (Emergency Budget 22 June).
Many Liberal Democrats joined the party because they had a social conscience and believed in fairness, but Unite believes the Liberal Democrat leadership has fallen hook, line and sinker for a ruthless right-wing agenda. The Tories are using the deficit as cover and using the Lib Dems for the authority to make their plans a reality.
It is deeply disappointing that deputy prime minister Nick Clegg wants to smash public sector pensions, even though Liberal Democrats first introduced the principle of state pension provision with Lloyd George in the 1900s. No matter what Nick Clegg says about wanting the cuts to be progressive, working people will suffer the most. The majority of public sector pensioners receive a pension of less than £5,000 a year and half the women on NHS pensions receive less than £3,500 annually.
Unite joint general secretary, Derek Simpson said: "Under the ConDems working people will suffer the most no matter what Nick Clegg says about the cuts being progressive. Liberal Democrat members with a social conscience should tear up their membership cards and join Labour to save the shame of being associated with this ruthless right wing agenda.
"The public did not vote for early and deep public spending cuts, as both Labour and the Lib Dems in the general election campaign opposed severe and immediate austerity measures, warning that the consequence may be a double dip recession.
"The ConDems seem to have no plans to build only to cut. The government want to attack public sector jobs, public sector pensions and the vital public services that ordinary working families rely on.
"Osborne and Cameron's scaremongering has been unprecedented to the point where they are keen to pronounce Britain close to bankruptcy or that we could become the next Greece. They do this because they have a hardline, right wing agenda which is to cut back the state and they don't seem to care what impact this will have on the people of this country."

ENDS
Contact: Ciaran Naidoo on 07768 931 315
notes to editors
. Ireland entered the recession in September 2008. The Dublin government's response was major cuts to child and unemployment benefits, education and transport. There have been big cuts to public sector pay and pensions.The result has been a shrinking economy and rising unemployment accompanied by falling tax revenues. The deficit has not improved.
. the Canadian austerity model is being applauded as one to be followed in the UK. Canada stands out among OECD countries for reducing deficits and debts through deep and permanent cuts to social programmes and public services, albeit at great cost to working families. The burden of Canadian deficit reduction fell on the lower end of the income scale, and this was a significant factor behind the pronounced increase in Canadian income inequality throughout the 1990s. To follow the Irish and Canadian routes in the UK would result in the most vulnerable and disadvantaged in society bearing the brunt of these cuts
. Recent TUC research showed that 29% of public expenditure goes directly to the private sector; therefore, a 10% cut would mean a loss of £16.9bn to the private sector and 200,000 jobs.

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