UNISONActive is an unofficial blog produced by UNISON activists for UNISON activists. Bringing news, briefings and events from a progressive left perspective.

Tuesday 25 May 2010

50,000 jobs to go……'a dreadful day for the British people'

Well the Coalition of Con Dems have fulfilled their first promise. They said they would cut, and by god they have done it. Over 6 billion cut from public spending, but Laws, who up until three weeks ago did not see the need for cuts “immediately” stood proudly beside George Osborne as the statement was made.

Over 1 billion of that is in local government. Now what was that about not hitting front line services? To spell out a basic message that they appear not to understand, local government services are people services. Local government cash pays for people to carry out services. Cut the cash and you cut the people. But don’t expect that you would have heard anything on the news about the number of jobs to be lost. Neither tweedle-dee or tweedle-dum appear to have the slightest clue as to the effect that their cuts would actually have.

Others have expressed the view that 50,000 jobs will go. That’s not just 1bn out of local economies. That’s the economic spending of 50,000 families, That 50,000 more people taking money from the public purse in the form of benefits.

The Con Dems talk of rebalancing public finances.

Think of a deepening recession, rising unemployment, and cuts in public services.

Try this for an alternative view http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/business_money/spending+cuts+aposa+dreadful+day+for+british+peopleapos/3658102