Having recently spent time in Spain it was impossible to ignore the news of protests in Madrid staged by Los Indignados, as they work to achieve solidarity between those in debt, people struggling with Mortgages or rents that are unaffordable.
It is a protest that is political and practical as it seeks to steer the Government away from cuts that harm the lives of the poorest and to investment in the nations future.
I am sure that the indignados would have made their voices felt in Birmingham this week, there is every justification for indignation listening to the conference speakers.
The circus in Birmingham is in full swing.
Apparently Boris came and conquered and now we have a nation of strivers, aspirant strivers at that.
Well it is I suppose better than being described as a nation of skivers!
It's probably the first word the speech writers came up with but in the delivery Mr Cameron thought better of it and in order to keep the alliteration and the rhythm of his speech, changed the k for a t.
Difficult to know but what is clear is that the Government will continue to argue the causes of the financial crisis and focus the blame onto the poor and those dependent on welfare.
Welfare budgets are to be cut again, it will be very difficult for you we are told by the Millionaires in the Cabinet, but it has to be done, otherwise Britain will no longer be competitive in the global market place.
Two themes that I have pursued in my blog over the time that I have been writing, are the themes of fairness and opportunity.
It is essential that the national cake is divided fairly and it crucial that all people have the opportunity to do well.
The danger at the present time is that the rhetoric of the Tories, often using the same words, will mask the real difference between a fair and just society and a divided and broken society.
In so many areas of policy words are used wrongly and incorrectly, so many claims are made falsely and of course the con-dems with their liberal partners can find ways of masking the toryness of their policies with a dash of liberal rhetoric.
At the heart of the speech in Birmingham Mr Cameron declared that:
Cutting state spending was the best way to create sustainable jobs?
Helping people off welfare was a route out of poverty.
Academic rigour gave children the best start in life.
At face value these words can seem OK, but dig a little deeper into the ideas that underlie them.
How does cutting state spending create sustainable jobs in areas where the single largest employer is in fact the public sector and where business has withdrawn, either to cheaper labour markets or more profitable market places.
How does cutting benefits for families and individuals, for young people and the disabled provide a route out of poverty?
When I left school at 15 I was told that I was fit only to be a bricklayer, failed by the academic system I educated myself by reading and eventually five years later enrolled at college, not everyone responds to the notion of academic rigour, not everyone would succeed at Eton.
I lived in Birmingham for six years, for three of those years I helped to spend a Million Pounds a year regenerating the East of the City in Michael Heseletine's Task Force.
I worked near Saltley Gate which in February 1972 was the focus of a fight against austerity pay deals.
It is a protest that is political and practical as it seeks to steer the Government away from cuts that harm the lives of the poorest and to investment in the nations future.
I am sure that the indignados would have made their voices felt in Birmingham this week, there is every justification for indignation listening to the conference speakers.
The circus in Birmingham is in full swing.
Apparently Boris came and conquered and now we have a nation of strivers, aspirant strivers at that.
Well it is I suppose better than being described as a nation of skivers!
It's probably the first word the speech writers came up with but in the delivery Mr Cameron thought better of it and in order to keep the alliteration and the rhythm of his speech, changed the k for a t.
Difficult to know but what is clear is that the Government will continue to argue the causes of the financial crisis and focus the blame onto the poor and those dependent on welfare.
Welfare budgets are to be cut again, it will be very difficult for you we are told by the Millionaires in the Cabinet, but it has to be done, otherwise Britain will no longer be competitive in the global market place.
Two themes that I have pursued in my blog over the time that I have been writing, are the themes of fairness and opportunity.
It is essential that the national cake is divided fairly and it crucial that all people have the opportunity to do well.
The danger at the present time is that the rhetoric of the Tories, often using the same words, will mask the real difference between a fair and just society and a divided and broken society.
In so many areas of policy words are used wrongly and incorrectly, so many claims are made falsely and of course the con-dems with their liberal partners can find ways of masking the toryness of their policies with a dash of liberal rhetoric.
At the heart of the speech in Birmingham Mr Cameron declared that:
Cutting state spending was the best way to create sustainable jobs?
Helping people off welfare was a route out of poverty.
Academic rigour gave children the best start in life.
At face value these words can seem OK, but dig a little deeper into the ideas that underlie them.
How does cutting state spending create sustainable jobs in areas where the single largest employer is in fact the public sector and where business has withdrawn, either to cheaper labour markets or more profitable market places.
How does cutting benefits for families and individuals, for young people and the disabled provide a route out of poverty?
When I left school at 15 I was told that I was fit only to be a bricklayer, failed by the academic system I educated myself by reading and eventually five years later enrolled at college, not everyone responds to the notion of academic rigour, not everyone would succeed at Eton.
I lived in Birmingham for six years, for three of those years I helped to spend a Million Pounds a year regenerating the East of the City in Michael Heseletine's Task Force.
I worked near Saltley Gate which in February 1972 was the focus of a fight against austerity pay deals.
30,000 Birmingham engineers took strike action in solidarity with striking miners.
The victory at Saltley, won through solidarity strikes, was
the turning point for the miners.
Within seven weeks the government was defeated.
Today, people face an assault on their living conditions
reminiscent of previous Tory attacks.
The Forty year anniversary of the Battle of Saltley Gate
carries powerful lessons for working people whose jobs and livelihoods are
threatened once again.
Indignation is a proper response to what has happened this
week in Birmingham.
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