“Today’s budget exposes a government that is blind to the scale of the crises we face. While private companies are taking home more profit than ever before, more than 4 million children live in poverty.”
Jeremy Corbyn MP
Jeremy Corbyn MP writes for Labour Outlook on #Budget24.
“Austerity is a political choice, not an economic necessity.”
This is what we said back in 2015, five years into a devastating programme of cuts and privatisation. We knew that austerity would decimate our public services, plunge millions into poverty and send our country into economic decline. It was true then – and it is true now.
Today’s budget exposes a government that is blind to the scale of the crises we face. While private companies are taking home more profit than ever before, more than 4 million children live in poverty. A quarter of a million people are homeless, while millions more languish on social housing waiting lists. Our NHS is on its knees after decades of austerity and privatisation.
Perhaps most alarmingly, we are sleepwalking toward a climate emergency. Make no mistake, the climate crisis is here, and we are running out of time to avoid total catastrophe. People in the Global South are already suffering the worst consequences – more and more people in this country will experience the devastating effects of air pollution, heatwaves and flooding.
The Tories’ economic experiment has failed – and they should not get off lightly. Parroting the language of austerity is a grave mistake, and represents a missed opportunity to bring about the transformative change this country needs. When there are more billionaires in this country than ever before, the idea that we cannot afford to build a fairer and greener society is absurd. We have the means to end poverty, pay our workers properly and save the planet. We just need the political will.
Millions of us still believe in a real alternative.
One that funds a fully-public NHS; austerity and privatisation are the causes of – not the solutions to – the healthcare crisis.
One that introduced rent controls and builds social housing; we will never tackle the housing emergency until we treat housing as a human right, and embark upon a huge council house-building programme.
One that invests in a Green New Deal to transform the economy and create thousands of green, unionised jobs.
One that scraps the 2-child benefits cap; this cruel and callous policy is a moral disgrace, and we could pay for the abolition of this policy seventeen times over with a 1-2% wealth tax on people with assets over £10 million.
One that brings energy, water, rail and mail into public ownership; privatisation has been a total disaster, and it’s time we stood up to the companies holding our country to ransom.
Our economy is not just broken. It is rigged in the interests of the few – and unless we fundamentally rewrite the rules of our economy, nothing will change. There’s nothing fiscally responsible about plunging millions of people into poverty or destroying our natural world. Why can’t we have the courage to campaign for a more joyful, equal and sustainable future?
As the MP for Islington North, I will continue to campaign alongside my community for a redistribution of wealth and power. For an economy that puts human need before corporate greed. For a society that cares for each other and cares for all.
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If only! If only the Labour Party showed the slightest sign of adopting your prescription, Jeremy, then we might not have the doubts and reservations about voting for it as a genuine alternative to the present mob of unprincipled liars, scoundrels and thieves. But sadly instead Labour seems determined, and on course, to parroting most government policies, to the point that the two are presently barely distinguishable and leave voters with a choice that is no choice at all. The best we can hope for is a massive swing to progressive socialist independents, and a hung parliament that will give them the leverage they need to achieve real change, breaking the corporate “free”-market stranglehold that is dragging us towards mass poverty and global irrelevance.
WHAT! We are in this mess entirely because Corbyn almost destroyed the Labour Party in 2019. Its taken us till now to build it back and we have a 22+ point lead that Corbyn never once achieved. Widespread predictions that Labour will win the General Election in a few months. Thats because Labour have policies totally different to the tories. Not much different to the policies adopted when your failed hero lost and lost again. The difference is the voters now feel confident that Keir Starmer will actually achieve great things for the people and they had NO such confidence with boy Jeremy.
You utterly rubbish, JC is and was most trustable Leader for LP in years, the problem was with established and corrupt media by spreading lies after lies,plus inside the LP who backstabbed him, obviously most gullible people weren’t make their own search they were following those liars. The Media and billionaires were scared of him because he wouldn’t bought off by them.
Well that’s working out isn’t it Bernard? With reform gaining seats in the local elections and Starmer’s popularity hovering around 30% after a low of 25%. Where are the victories you promised us?
Since the trashing of Jeremy Corbyn the Labour Party slide along a very steep irrelevance for ordinary people. That Labour is Conservative by another name needs explaining at every door knock, in every campaign newsletter and every public speech with ten key policies which we know the vast majority of people support.
I have been a Labour voter all my life, but I have been shaken out by the Labour Party for being a “socialist flea”, now an old socialist flea. I feel so ashamed that any person, let alone a labour leaning individual can stand by and not demand an immediate end to the war in Gaza beyond my comprehension. Please, Please before you vote Labour in desperation for change. Think again.
I will be available to help Jeremy retain his seat in Islington North when the election comes. We almost won in 2017 – sabotaged then and in 2019 by the Labour establishment that ushered in Starmer. Starmer will not do the things we need.