The Socialist 8 July 2010

Mass action can stop cuts

Mass action can stop cuts

Build united action to stop the cuts

What the Socialist Party says

Con-Dem budget cuts: Hitting those on benefits hardest

How will George Osborne's budget affect families?

Housing benefit cuts - increasing homelessness

Cuts to disability benefits will increase misery

Fight the savage cuts by Neath/Port Talbot council

Hull: Rallying against the austerity budget

'Godfather' turning in his grave

NUS anti-cuts conference

Youth Fight for Jobs Protest!

BNP forced to abandon its 'festival of hate'

South Africa: 5,000 sacked miners on strike

Kazakhstan: The fight goes on

News in brief

Organise against academies now!

Limited new 'final' offer facing BA cabin crew

PCS will fight new attack on redundancy pay

Unison by-election: fighting leadership needed

Shrewsbury Pickets march for justice

Lindsey refinery fire death: inquiry needed

Workplace news in brief

Unite general secretary election:

Interview: Ken Clarke's prison plans

Pride, prejudice, fightback and hypocrisy

A warm welcome at Summer Camp

Socialism 2010 Saturday 6 - Sunday 7 November

When the financial wizardry lost its magic

Mali's master of the ngoni

Previous issues, etc

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Con-Dem budget cuts:

Hitting those on benefits hardest

"Yes it is tough; but it is also fair". This was how Tory chancellor George Osborne described his emergency budget on 22 June 2010. In fact the plans of this government of millionaires represent an enormous threat to the living standards of millions.

Cabinet ministers have since been ordered to plan for cuts of 40% in their departmental budgets. While the Tories and Liberals have tried to argue that the pain will fall evenly, all evidence is to the contrary.

The Institute for Fiscal Policy has found that the poorest 10% will be hit five times harder than the richest by 2015.

Seumas Milne from the Guardian has exposed the "bare-faced deceit" of their lies and explained that "those on benefits will take the greatest hit of all".

Outrageously Osborne attempted to soften up public opinion for cuts in benefits by portraying vulnerable people as 'greedy, fraudulent scroungers', sucking the wealth out of the economy.

"Total welfare spending has increased from £132 billion ten years ago to £192 billion today... It's one reason why there is no money left."

In fact it is the capitalist economic crisis and the bailout of the banks that are responsible for the increase in the government deficit.

Hundreds of thousands have already lost their jobs as a result of this crisis.The government's cuts would mean many more thrown on the scrapheap - forced to survive on ever more paltry benefits.

Yet the government continues to blame claimants. Further misleading statements can be found on the website for the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

While cutbacks and privatisation in care services over decades have left people struggling to meet the additional costs of living with a disability, the DWP asserts: "While we are absolutely committed to supporting vulnerable disabled people, over the last decade the system [DLA] has become open to abuse and the numbers claiming have steadily increased."

Meanwhile private profiteering contract companies are salivating at the prospect of being handed public services to run - and destroy.

The boss of one such company, Carillion, is said to be "excited" by the prospect of spending cuts.

Here we draw out what some of these measures will really mean for ordinary people, if they are carried through.