Red Pepper co-Editor James O'Nions, provides a necessary antidote to media and Tory hysteria designed to whip up an authoritarian right wing response to recent civil disorder in English cities: http://www.redpepper.org.uk/riots-the-left-must-respond/
‘All over the world, the rise of neoliberalism has been accompanied by the rise of the security state. This is no accident. The victory for the capitalist class that neoliberalism represents produces howls of protest from the oppressed. Sometimes they have political direction, and sometimes they don’t. The response of the Conservatives, and of elites the world over, is to deny any real grievances and unleash further state-led violence. If we want to build an alternative based on economic justice and freedom, our first job is to ensure that ordinary people aren’t cheering them on.’
Similarly, in today's Guardian Seumas Milne points out that 'what we're now seeing across the cities of England is the reflection of a society run on greed – and a poisonous failure of politics and social solidarity':
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/aug/10/riots-reflect-society-run-greed-looting?CMP=twt_gu
It should be noted that one year ago TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber predicted that cuts in services could lead to ‘poll tax style riots’:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/cuts-could-spark-polltax-style-riots-says-tuc-union-boss-brendan-barber-2073132.html
It is important that trade unions continue to articulate publicly the drowned out viewpoint that entrenched poverty, rapidly widening inequality, rising unemployment and cuts in the welfare state are the 'volatile cocktail' Brendan presciently warned about in the lead up to last year’s Congress.
And would it not be timely for the TUC to plan another national demonstration against public service cuts in order to promote a progressive alternative to an austerity driven police state and right wing vigilantism?
See all posts in this debate here http://unisonactive.blogspot.com/search/label/Unrest%20Debate
