Deep Impact: the disaster movie that East Sussex residents now live within

 

By Andrew Durling

On Monday 18th January the impact assessment documents prepared by East Sussex County Council (ESCC) officers regarding the proposed £40 million adult social care cuts were released and made available for download from the ESCC website. That evening I spent an unhappy evening doing a speed-read of those documents, and I can only say that it was like reading the script of a Hollywood disaster movie.

Along with miracle diet aids we have been sold austerity and swallowed it whole

By Lucette Davies

Despite Tory claims that we need to stick with their economic plan that they say is working.  Many people are now in a position where they have no chance of improving their circumstances.  Disadvantages can bring about more disadvantages and prevent a person from bettering their lives.  Inadequate housing is one such disadvantage, it can limit the capacity of a person to work hard, stay well, stay positive or believe in any sort of future for themselves.  And too many people live like this.  So why then is our government, that is forcing increasing numbers of people into poverty, gaining so much support?  Why is Labour falling down in the polls all the time?  I believe this is the effect of a crafty PR campaign that is encouraging many to feel that there is no money left to start alleviating hardship.

We are all refugees now…

By Andrew Durling

Last night I wombled along with a few friends to a public meeting in the People’s Republic of Brighton & Hove, where refugees from the surrounding area are welcome if they want to escape from the terrifying wilderness that is the sea of Tory blue throughout South-East England. The meeting was a rally against austerity, with a star-studded line of speakers that included Caroline Lucas, the sole Green MP, and Yanis Varoufakis, the ex-Finance Minister of Greece, ‘rock star’ of the economics world, and himself a refugee from the terrifying autocracy that is the Troika devastating Greece with an excruciating programme of austerity by fiat.

Why the Conservatives are wanting Labour to say no to austerity

By Lucette Davies

Forget all the government hype and remember that most people in Britain are feeling a squeeze on their living standards.  Many people are well aware that their future is far from secure, further governmental cuts may make their life even harder at a moments notice and there is nothing much they can do about it.  We should not be surprised that there has been a knee jerk reaction, with anti-austerity protests and public directed at the wealthy and powerful happening at regular intervals around the country.

Decisions about austerity are becoming increasingly undemocratic

By Lucette Davies

The battle between Greeks who have had enough of austerity and the people in the Eurozone who insist on austerity appears to mirror the political climate of Britain.  There is a growing number of British people who are joining political parties and campaign groups that call for an end to austerity.  The Labour Party is having its own wranglings over the question of yes or no to austerity as seen in their leadership contest.  It seems for now the argument in favour of austerity has won the battle relative to Greece, what does this tell us about our own future?

What sort of recovery are we having in the UK?

By Lucette Davies

All around me I am seeing and hearing about levels of injustice and social inequality that I find horrifying.  As we are hearing more and more about the economic recovery in the UK I thought I would look to see if I could find any signs of it myself.