Articles
Read more: Latest Compass report published on tax reform
Everybody knows that if countries like Italy and Spain as well as Portugal and Greece cannot pay their debts then we are in for a bad time right across Europe. But the fact is that companies in the City of London set up 60% and more of Europe’s debt arrangements in the first place. On top of that, British banks are under pressure and are selling their shares at half of what they are supposed to be worth. Morgan Stanley, the biggest financial advisors in the world, say that British banks have the heaviest debts to repay over the next two years - £240 billion by the end of 2013.
Now we are facing mass unemployment, with a million young people jobless, and millions more in casual and insecure employment. We have to fight for the pensions that we paid for! Young families can’t get housing. Public services are being ripped apart. The system we have – based on the City and its banks – has brought all of us to the brink of disaster.
The Coalition government is part of the problem. They have just sold off Northern Rock to US Billionaire Wilbur Ross. Virgin was the cover. Wilbur put up £260 million to Richard Branson’s £50 million. £250 million of Northern Rock’s own savings are being used as part of the ‘payment’ too. It is another one of those special City deals. The taxpayers will still make a loss of £400 million on the sale; while Northern Rock will become again much more financially insecure. Market madness.
What should be done? What could be done?
Read more: What shall we do about the banks?
Rights of workers to get together and defend each other are fundamental to any democracy. If you face poverty or discrimination you cannot break out of the harm it causes without being able to organise together with those who face the same conditions.
There is no way out of this crisis in any progressive direction without unshackling the unions.
Tony Blair boasted to business that the anti-union laws in the UK were “the most restrictive in the western world.” Today these anti social laws are being challenged by applications to the European Court of Human Rights by RMT and other unions because they are against the human rights of British people and contrary to international law. The leading lawyer in the case will giving more details of the case on the Charter website in the next few weeks.
Hundreds of thousands of people in Britain know that our current system is rotten. The level of public support for the occupation of St Paul’s in the heart of the city of London is an expression of this. Between us we have experience and ideas of how things can be done better, which show how all of the points in the People’s Charter are possible and more.
Read more: Time for change - call for ideas!
More Articles...
How it can work - leaflet Txt
