Protest at Lib Dem conference

Tom Creek, Birmingham Socialist Party

On Sunday 18 September around 800 protesters gathered in Birmingham to 'welcome' the Liberal Democrats for their annual conference. A vocal demonstration showed the Tories' favourite stooges that they have not been forgiven for jumping into the Con-Dem coalition at the first chance of power and abandoning their pre-election promises.

The anger of workers and youth remains, especially over the Lib Dems' u-turn over tuition fees. One Lib Dem delegate who made the mistake of asking for directions from demonstrators was simply told to 'try going left'!

Inside the conference, the party's leaders desperately tried to regain some credibility. One insisted that the 'marriage' with the Tories was only temporary, and would be over in five years. Most people would think that five days was too long!

Vince Cable spouted dishonest rhetoric about making the rich pay their taxes, despite the fact that his government is making hundreds of HMRC workers who deal with tax evasion redundant.

Of course, socialists never had any illusions in Nick Clegg and his party. The Lib Dems have always been a party of big business and capitalism, so their betrayals were only to be expected.

Socialist Party members distributed leaflets calling for people to support the public sector strike on 30 November and the National Shop Stewards Network campaign against all cuts. We also called for a socialist alternative to the crisis ridden capitalist system that the Lib Dems support.

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