Act Now Against The Cuts
Éirígí candidate for Belfast’s Lower Falls ward in the forthcoming local government elections in the Six Counties John McCusker has called on people to get onto the streets in opposition to the cuts to public services.
On Friday [March 25], a demonstration will take place at the Andersonstown Barracks site in West Belfast against the attack on community services in the Stormont budget, while, on Saturday, a rally against the spending cuts organised by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions will assemble in Belfast city centre.
McCusker said: “The cuts to pubic spending planned by the British government and its Stormont administration constitute one of the most vicious attacks to have taken place against working class communities in many, many years.
“The cuts, if they are successfully implemented, will leave working class people bereft of adequate healthcare provision, access to quality education and denied the community infrastructure and resources it took so long to build. In short, the Tory/Stormont cuts constitute an act of anti-social vandalism.
Éirígí candidate for Belfast’s Lower Falls ward John McCusker
“This is why it is so important that working people don’t take these attacks lying down. We must act and act now in defence of our communities and our right to a decent standard of living.”
McCusker added: “The establishment parties at Stormont committed much hand-wringing in their attempts to convince the public they weren’t prepared to implement Tory cuts. Now that they have drafted a budget that even Margaret Thatcher would be proud of, they are attempting to tell the rest of us that there was no alternative.
“Well, there was and is an alternative. They can refuse to implement the cuts, tell the British government to do its own dirty work, resign their executive seats and join the rest of us on the streets in meaningful opposition to the wreckers’ agenda of the British Conservatives.
“In the highly likely event that they don’t take this course of action, it falls to the rest of us to organise effective opposition to the Stormont regime in its role as local enforcer for British Tory policy and the wanton destruction of public services and community provision.
“The fightback starts now and it starts with all of us. éirígí will not be found wanting in the task of building opposition to the cutbacks.”
Friday’s demonstration against the attack on community services in the Stormont budget will take place at the Andersonstown Barracks site on the Falls Road, Belfast at 1pm.
Saturday’s rally against public spending cuts will assemble at the Arts College, York Street, Belfast at 12.30pm