March Against the Cuts - 5th March

All Saints Park at 12.00 and marching to Albert Square.
Rally 1.30 pm Manchester Town Hall

We will be protesting against the Coalition government’s determination to make us pay for the economic deficit The question of how local Councillors who say they are against the cuts should respond to the Coalition Government's imposed funding cuts to local authorities clearly remains a major controversial issue.

The so-called 'Dented Shield' approach previously employed by Labour controlled Councils back in the 1980's against the Thatcher Government, combined with a complete lack of involvement by Labour & other opposition party Councillors in the anti-cuts fight on the ground, is clearly a wholly insufficient anti-cuts strategy if one at all, and falls way short of the type of anti-cuts stance we should expect all elected representatives worthy of their salt to be taking in the next period.

What is urgently required from them is a policy of active resistance to the cuts at all levels, and for them to be assisting us in the building up of a mass movement of the people to break this un-mandated Coalition Government at the earliest opportunity, as this ultimately, is the only way we can stop any and all of the Government's planned cutbacks from actually happening.

If our elected representatives aren't prepared to do that, and instead continue to confine their opposition to the cuts simply to mere words rather than deeds, and a policy of basically 'reluctantly' endorsing so-called less harmful cuts year on year until the next planned General Election 2015, or until the current Coalition Government somehow miraculously implodes of its own accord before then, then it is surely only matter of time before they will lose whatever credibility they might currently have as representatives of ordinary working class people.

It will also be only a matter of time before they will inevitably swept aside by the growing solidarity alliance of unions and communities, those of us who are serious about stopping the cuts, and about bringing to power a pro-majority of the people alternative to the current Coalition SHOULD ALL IN THE MEANTIME BE COLLECTIVELY BUILDING!

We will bring together the campaign groups fighting cuts ranging from swimming pools, libraries, youth centres, Sure Start Centres, care homes, school crossings and more with students against fee increases, school students against the end of EMA, the vulnerable facing cuts in benefits and public centre workers facing redundancy.

As we write more groups are joining us.

If you would like to participate and speak at the rally at the conclusion of the march please contact me.

Yours in Solidarity
Stefan Cholewka
Secretary GMATUC
Greater Manchester Against the Cuts

Sponsors:
NWTUC, GMATUC, Greater Manchester Against the Cuts, MTUC, Manchester Coalition Against Cuts, Salford TUC, Salford Against the Cuts, RMBTUC: Black Activists Rising Against Cuts, Bolton NUT, Coalition of Resistance, Greater Manchester Education Activist Network, Greater Manchester Stop the War, Greater Manchester Unite Against Fascism, Manchester NUJ, Manchester NUT, PCS DWP West Pennine & Oldham, PCS North West, RAPAR, Right to Work Manchester, TSSA Lancs & Cumbria, UCU Manchester Metropolitan University, UCU North West Retired Members, UCU Salford University, UNISON Manchester Metropolitan University, UNISON North West Probation and CAFCASS, UNISON South Manchester Hospitals, UNISON Wigan, UNITE Greater Manchester IT, UNITE Manchester Area Activists Committee, UNITE Manchester City Council, University of Manchester Students' Union, Chorlton against cuts, Rusholme against Cuts, Gorton against cuts, Save Levenshulme Baths and Bury Action Group.