Press Release
26 March 2013
For immediate use
Enough is enough: Celebrities,
MPs, Trade Unions and
campaigners pledge to end
austerity Britain
After a disastrous budget, a failing economy and a government
of millionaires intent on making the poorest in society poorer,
a new movement against austerity will be launched to challenge
the government's austerity plans.
Press conference today with:
Caroline Lucas MP - Owen Jones, journalist
Mark Steel, comedian - Katy Clark MP -
Francesca Martinez, comedian and disabled activist
Steve Turner, Unite the Union,
Kevin Courtney, National Union of Teachers,
Zita Holbourne, Black Activists Rising Against the Cuts.
11:30am, Tuesday 26 March 2013
Unite the Union, 128 Theobald's Road
London WC1X 8TN
Thousands will converge at Westminster Central Hall on
Saturday 22 June to plan a campaign that can play a key
role in ensuring that this uncaring government faces a
movement of opposition broad enough and powerful
enough to generate successful co-ordinated action,
including strike action.
Supporters for the People's Assembly include:
Len McCluskey General secretary, Unite the Union
Mark Serwotka General secretary, PCS
Christine Blower General secretary, NUT
Michelle Stanistreet General secretary, NUJ
Manuel Cortez General secretary, TSSA
Billy Hayes General secretary, CWU
Bob Crow General secretary, RMT
Mick Whelan General secretary, Aslef
Jeremy Corbyn MP
John McDonnell MP
Murad Qureshi London assembly member
Tariq Ali Author
John Pilger Journalist
Ken Loach Filmmaker
Richard Wilson Actor
Lee Hall Playwright
Roger Lloyd Pack Actor
Josie Long Comedian
Iain Banks Author
Arthur Smith Comedian
NOTE TO EDITORS
Quotes from some of the participants include:
Caroline Lucas, MP for Brighton Pavilion (Green party):
“This Tory-led Government’s failed austerity drive and its shameful
attacks on the poorest and most vulnerable are devastating the
economy and destroying our social fabric. With the worst of the
cuts to welfare and public services still to come, the People’s
Assembly Against Austerity is a once-in-a-generation opportunity
to unite against this reckless administration and expose the lie
that there is no alternative to cuts. Now is the time to take a
stand alongside the millions of anti-austerity campaigners across
Europe – and ask ourselves what kind of society we want to
create for ourselves and for our children.”
Steve Turner from Unite the Union:
“For the last three years this government has exploited the
global financial crisis to carry out an extreme ideological
attack on everything that we hold dear in this country
– our NHS, our welfare state, our public services.
The Tory-led agenda of austerity and spending cuts coupled
with further privatisation of key services has proven to be
an economic failure with borrowing up, key industries
collapsing and living standards depleted. George Osborne’s
response to his own failure is more of the same.
In the face of this onslaught we need unity and solidarity.
Whether it’s communities campaigning against the privatisation
of their local NHS services, mass marches against austerity
or industrial action against bad employers we must join together
to build a powerful campaign against this government and in
favour of an alternative. Unite backs calls for a mass movement
against the cuts and is supporting the People’s Assembly Against
Austerity. Only by providing genuine popular opposition rooted
across the country can we hope to bring to an end to this
Coalition’s reckless slash and burn policies."
Comedian Mark Steel:
"If you've ever yelled at the television while George Osborne
is on, or fumed at how the poor are made to pay for the mess
created by the bankers, sign up to the People's Assembly.
Then we can all tell and fume together, and that's how the
world gets changed."
Francesca Martinez:
"I'm backing the Peoples' Asssembly because I don't believe
either of the two main parties represent the interests of the
citizens in this country. Their policies show that they represent
the narrow agenda of the business elite which is proving to be
very dangerous for democracy. It's time for the majority to demand
a government and a system that puts people before profit, and
that protects everybody's human rights."
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