There can be no Freedom without Prosperity. Poverty wages, food banks, Austerity & cuts erode democracy

Our wages have been locked. In the UK workers have done what they were told : we’ve left the unions, ‘flexiblised’, been mobile, taken on skills, taken on so much debt it is eye melting. The result? An economy that, increasingly, has no place for people.

Whilst the richest 1000 people doubled their wealth, wages for the average worker shrank whilst costs have gone up. Those wealthiest have seen their net wealth shoot up to £547bn since the financial crisis, rising by more than 112%. They now own more than the poorest 40% of people in the U.K.

Our taxes are being stolen and our people are being starved. We are the 6th richest nation on earth. The wealthiest people in our country have doubled their wealth since the Tories came to power and in that time, 1.2 million people a year are using food banks, and 3.7 million people are living in poverty.

That is the legacy of Tory Austerity. It has been described by some financial analysts as:

“the greatest transfer of wealth from the POOR to the RICH in recorded history.”

So why isn’t life getting better? And why is the answer always ‘Austerity’ – which is not an economic, but is a political idea?

Inequality moves in cycles spun by famine & migration, war & disease, technological disruption, access to education, redistribution.

The recent surge of inequality in the West has been driven by the revolution in technology, just as the Industrial Revolution drove inequality centuries ago. The response to the Industrialisation then lead to the improvement of workers rights.

In this new era, we need to reassert ourselves as workers, and demand a new deal, updated for the 21st century. As automisation takes over the economy, we as citizens need to re asset our rights.

“IN GENERAL, THE DEPLOYMENT OF AUSTERITY AS ECONOMIC POLICY HAS BEEN AS EFFECTIVE IN BRINGING US PEACE, PROSPERITY, AND CRUCIALLY, A SUSTAINED REDUCTION OF DEBT, AS THE MONGOL GOLDEN HORDE WAS IN FURTHERING THE DEVELOPMENT OF OLYMPIC DRESSAGE.” – MARK BLYTH

This might be part of the problem :

1. The world’s largest taxi company (Uber) owns no taxis
2. The world’s largest accommodation provider (Airbnb) owns no real estate
3. The largest communications companies (Skype, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Viber) own no infrastructure
4. The world’s most valuable retailer (Alibaba) has no inventory
5. The most popular media platform (Facebook) creates no content
6. The fastest-growing banks actually have no money
7. The world’s largest movie house (Netflix) owns no cinemas
8. The largest software vendors don’t write the apps (Apple, Google, Facebook)

“What we are saying today is anyone earning below £80,000 you are guaranteed no increase in income tax, VAT or NI contributions. To those who earn more, we will be asking you pay a little bit more, why?

Some of our nurses are going to food banks. Our Nurses?! that cannot be right.”

John McDonnell vs Jeremy Hunt & Theresa May on the fact NHS nursing staff are being forced to foodbanks by the Conservatives.

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