In defence of UK uncut

I just thought i'd throw some weight behind the Uk uncut pressure group in the UK. I feel personally the attacks and critisisms they have been getting after last saturdays protests in London on March 26th have been very unfair and blown way out of proportion.

I think what they are doing is excellent. They are leading the way when it comes to looking at alternatives to the huge savage cuts happening right now in front of our very eyes in this country. I feel that UK uncut practise civil disobedience and this should be commended. They were ahead of many anti cuts groups in teh UK out there on the streets at weekends occupying popular high street establishments highlighting the system and the tax evasion of many of the biggest capitalist business's and banks the country and world has to offer.
This is what UK uncut say about their organisation on their website i thought i'd share it here to give you more background on their actions. If you wish to visit their website and find out more it is
http://www.ukuncut.org.uk/


We are told that the only way to reduce the deficit is to cut to public services. This is certainly not the case. There are alternatives, but the government chooses to ignore them, highlighting the fact that the cuts are based on ideology, not necessity.


■One alternative is to clamp down on tax dodging by corporations and the rich, estimated to cost the state £95bn a year
■Another is to make the banks pay for a crisis they created: last year they paid out over £7bn in bonuses and just four banks made £24bn in profit

The tax avoided and evaded in a single year could pay for the £81bn, four-year cuts programme.


“We are all in this together.”

Since the banking crisis:

■average pay of FTSE 100 directors has risen 55%,
■corporation tax has been cut,
■the government have not delivered on a manifesto pledge to clamp down on tax avoidance, instead cutting staff at HMRC,
■bank profits and bonuses are back in the many billions,
■there has been no reform of the banks.
David Cameron himself has said that the cuts will change Britain's "whole way of life". Every aspect of what was fought for by generations seems under threat – from selling off the forests, privatising health provision, closing the libraries and swimming pools, to scrapping rural bus routes. What Cameron doesn't say is that the cuts will also disproportionately hit the poor and vulnerable, with cuts to housing benefit, disability living allowance, the childcare element of working tax credits, EMA, the Every Child a Reader programme, Sure Start and the Future Jobs Fund to name a few.

The facts speak for themselves; we are not all in this together, we are paying for the folly of reckless bankers whilst the rich profit.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


The government are forced to claim that there is no alternative to making drastic public sector cuts as they know that people would never accept their plan otherwise. By repeating the same lies over and over again, they hope to brainwash people into inaction.

There are alternatives to the cuts, and we are not all in this together. But unless we take action, and take the facts to our friends, our families and those around us, they will get away with it.


THis here underneath is another excellent blogpost posted on UK uncuts website earlier and focused on the march at the weekend and what a effect it had and the role of UK uncut. It also highlights how UK uncut can become more involved in the union movement something of which i agree with whole heartidly. I personally feel us in the trade union movement could do more to support these protesters who have taken it upon themselves to highlight the tax evasion. With the trade unions power and resources i feel that adding weight to UK uncut's stance would benifit both parties unions and UK uncut if they teamed up.


Here is the article posted here

This is a letter from a number of NGOs and unions in support of UK Uncut.


Protest has been a means for progressive change throughout human history - and it continues to play that role across the world today.

Through protest, people have won and defended their rights to a decent standard of living as well as control over their lives and the societies in which they live.

It should come as no surprise that in a world of vast and growing inequalities in wealth and power, protest is growing in this country as in many other parts of the world.

Protest is the legitimate right of everyone – and we believe it is right that people are protesting against some of the richest in the world failing to pay their taxes while others suffer serious and increasing levels of poverty and deprivation.

UK Uncut have played a significant part in changing the terms of debate around economic policy in the UK and have been praised by politicians and the media for doing so.

Indeed UK Uncut played a key role in ensuring that more people were at the march on Saturday than otherwise would have been. At all times they acted in a way which complemented and supported the TUC march.

However, in taking the type of peaceful action which UK Uncut routinely undertake on Saturday, targeting Fortnum and Mason on this occasion, they were treated in a political and deceptive manner by the police which sends an ominous message about the right to protest.

It would appear activists were misled by the police about not being arrested when asked to leave the Fortnum and Mason building, after which they were held for a significant length of time, their clothing was confiscated and they have been denied the right to protest in the near future.

This situation has now been seized on by the media and politicians to further threaten the right to protest. UK Uncut activists have been blamed for damage they did not cause and this story has become a substitute for discussion of the real issues raised by UK Uncut and the TUC march in general.

This does not represent a consistent approach to policing legitimate protest. Neither does it represent the sort of consistent approach to freedom of protest which the Government led us to believe they supported on entering office. We support the right to protest for a fairer and more equal world. As part of this, we condemn any politically motivated policing which provokes, intimidates or criminalises protestors. We will continue to support UK Uncut, alongside thousands of others, until tax justice is secured so the poorest do not have to pay the price of a financial crisis caused by the richest.


So all in all i realy feel UK uncut are bringing something new to the anti cuts movement i dont feel they should be put down straight away we should look at their motives and what they are saying and take what they are saying on board. Perhaps the trade union movement could learn something from these young vibrant activists too.

As far as the occupation of Fortnum and Mason goes which is the queens own marmalade shop apparently i feel their occupationa nd protest was legitimet persoanlly and the heavy handed tactics of the police to remove them by force and arrest protesters when they were clearly acting peacefully and not breaking any law as far as i know unlike the lot outside smashing windows and cash machines that i do condemn but as far as UK uncut goes i dont believe any of their activists to be violent or harmful to other members of the public that is not their aim at all.