In my view…
“If it wasn’t already obvious beforehand, it is now abundantly clear after the emergency budget just who wears the trousers in the Con Dem coalition. Make no mistake: this was an unashamedly Tory budget, and a massive attack on the public sector and the people who deliver public services. As well as a public sector pay freeze for the next two years, at a time when inflation is nudging 5%, a commission has been set up to look at public sector pensions, with a view to making savings. That will potentially mean reduced benefits, increased employee contributions, closure to new entrants or a combination of all three. However, the most worrying aspect of the budget was the government’s announcement that all government departments will see budget cuts of up to 25%. To slash budgets in such an extreme way will have catastrophic results for our members and for the people who rely on our services. Such action will plunge the economy deeper into recession and we will potentially see hundreds of thousands of public servants thrown on the dole. This budget was ideologically driven by the right wing of the Tory Party in pursuit of their dream of a ‘low tax, small public sector’ economy.
And how sickening is it to see the Lib Dems providing a fig leaf of respectability for the carnage that this budget will bring? Cuts of this magnitude are simply not sustainable, and we will campaign with other unions and within our communities against this butchery.”
Tony Caffery
