Shrewsbury march against coalition cuts
Friday 18th February 2011, 3:30PM GMT.
More than 1,000 people are expected to march through the streets of Shrewsbury tomorrow in a major demonstration against planned cuts which would affect the whole of Shropshire.
Organisers say support is building for the Shropshire Fights Back protest march, which has been organised to show the strength of feeling about the Coalition Government’s programme of cuts.
In Shropshire public sector jobs are under threat while a number of schools and services are also facing the axe in the county.
Members of campaigns to save women and children’s services at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and others opposing the proposed closure of the Wakeman School have pledged to join tomorrow’s demonstration, as well as many other people across the county concerned about planned cuts.
Unison spokesman Alan James said: “People are more and more concerned at the Coalition Government cuts agenda, saying it’s too deep and too fast.
“The public are facing service cuts that will never be restored and council staff are facing redundancy, real-terms pay cuts and poorer working conditions. Nobody voted for this at last year’s General Election and we are getting a lot of pledges of support for the march.
“As well as 1,500 jobs under threat at Shropshire Council, there are up to 2,000 jobs at risk at MoD Donnington and 560 jobs on the line at Telford & Wrekin Council. This will put a lot of Shropshire families under severe financial pressure, as well as undermining the local economy.”
Patricia Wilson, secretary of the Shropshire Unison branch, said: “We are hopeful there will be 1,000 people plus at the march as we have people from Trades’ Unions and MoD Donnington along with a lot of other groups.”
People will assemble at Shirehall from 11am and the march will begin at 11.30am after some speeches from local activists It will arrive in the Square at about 12.30pm for speeches from national and local activists, and entertainment from local musicians.
By Russell Roberts
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“Sorry, there’s no money left.”
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We are in, or possibly just coming out of, the worst recession since the war. The Coalition parties inherited an extremely difficult economic position, with massive debts, paying billions out to cover interest alone. Goverment and Local spending is between 40-70% of GDP throughout the country, which is therefore funded by business, as the only earner to pay for it. What else can be done. Local Goverment workers are moaning, as usual, about their plight, when workers in the private sector have taken pay cuts or no rises for 3 years or more.
Front line services support over 2 to 3 times the number of admin staff (which is where the cuts should come).
Just wake up and face reality, we can’t afford the alternative without even more pressure on private businesses who are struggling to stay alive.
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Wow, 1,000 people out of a population 292,000 that means that .35% feel the desire to march, likewise 99.65% can’t be bothered. That really is a major demonstration, but that the vast majority of us realise that Gorgeous Brown and his contemporary cohorts sold the family silver, gold and probably granny as well and that the time has now come for EVERYONE to pay up regardless of the pain.
It may come as a surprise to some but we do not need ciggies, booze and Sky tv to live.
A resounding message for the big-wigs at Shirehall bet they won’t sleep tonight worrying about it.
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Your statistics are wrong the poor will pay the most and thats people up to 50,000 a year not the 12 to 18 thousand pounds a year which is locally available so some are in it more then others.
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so will someone please tell me what the alternative is? Keep taxing and spending until the whole pack of cards collapses?
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STOP COUNCILER’S TAKING PAY RISES FOT ONE..
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What about getting the world’s biggest corporations to pay their way, oswestrian?
According to Nicholas Shaxson’s new book, Treasure Islands, eye-wateringly large sums of untaxed money are swirling around the international financial system, leaving packs of cards collapsing in their wake, as health, social care and education services are cut due to lack of funds.
Shaxson points out that politicians (including our own) are making it easier for tax havens to expand.
What’s the alternative?
Clamp down on corporate tax avoidance, move aggressively to close down tax havens, and introduce international taxes like the TOBIN TAX (Robin Hood Tax) on currency speculation.
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Someone asked what the alternative is – well how collecting about the £95billion pounds of unpaid tax each year. Yes, British companies like Boots, Cadbury’s, & Vodafone now channel revenue through tax havens like Switzerland & Luxembourg. This means Britain no longer has this revenue. Vodafone alone avoided £6billion pounds of tax in 2010 with the collusion of the Tory Chancellor. One insider in the Revenue called it an ‘unbelievable cave in’.
Also, wht on earth are the banks that we all bailed out stil paying themselves 100s of thousands each in bonuses – these should be taxed very heavily. After all it was these greedy, reckless idiots that caused the crash!
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Here is an example from today’s news.
Barclays Bank made a record £11.6bn of profits in 2009.
It paid just £113m in UK corporation tax.
That’s 1% of its profits.
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Your knowledge or biased slant on this story doesn’t take into account the regulations for EVERY Limited Co. in the UK.
You are allowed to incorporate losses from previous years against your liablilty for Corporation Tax hence the lower amount due from Barclays in this Tax Year stemming from their heavy losses in the previous year.
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If the heavy losses in 2008 prevented Barclays paying corporation tax to help cut the deficit, how could Barclays square that legal argument with paying out £2.8bn in bonuses in 2009?
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Closing children’s services is not an option, our health and that of our children’s is the most important thing we have.
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I wonder whether they’ll have a Sgt Mjr to holler out the instructions to the marchers?
At-ten-shun!
Marchers by the left quick march…
Left, left, left, left, left….
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“Shropshire Fights Back” – Would that, by any chance be the new name for a collection of left-wing fruitcakes such as the Socialist Workers Party, the UAF,a mob of brain washed sociology students and what remains of the Labour Party in Shropshire?
Yes, this ‘Con-Dem’ government is bad enough but Labour are just as guilty of wrecking our country.
So Cllr Moseley & Co, please climb down off your high horse.
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Well said! No one is happy with the current situation but the lefty socialist rabble continue to adopt temporary amnesia when it comes to labours legacy. What’s the betting that palestian flags and anti HM Forces posters will be waving around?!? Hardly issues close to the hearts of most decent Salopians. If any one goes to this ‘ march’ expecting a fair honest objection about Wakeman,RSH etc then prepared to be met with twisted leftist propaganda, shame on this shower for exploiting genuine objectors.
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More drivel from rusty flag can you write a sensible thread?
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Aw, toys out the pram mike, it’s hard for the left I know that some people out there do not agree with their view of life, it’s called free speech, something the psuedo fascist left knows little about.
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Sorry to disapoint you Iron Cross but there wasn’t a palestian (or even a Palestinian) flag in sight, or any anti-HM Forces posters.
There were hundreds of people from the Wakeman and pupils and parents from communities whose schools are threatened with closure, and others objecting to cuts in essential services and job losses.
It’s a shame you couldn’t have been there to point out “the shower” you accuse of exploiting genuine objectors – I’m sure you would have had a lively debate…
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Its part of this shower who fought for the decent things in life,if having a maternity and childrens ward in shrewsbury and using a bus at night or on a sunday or allowing elderly on buses before 9.30 or on the new park and ride wich travel empty alot of the time,these are things that should be available in 2011 in uk but while the banks won’t pay their fair share because they never took government money,well if the government hadn’t put money in to the system then we would be in a bigger mess as is eire.
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Or maybe it’s normal families who disagree with some of these cuts. Shrewsbury should not lose it’s children’s ward, I feel very strongly about it and have a right to protest.
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Sorry for marching to protect our jobs and schools….
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hm so much sadness in you without these fruit cakes we would have no nhs no welfare system and kids working from 10 the bankers need to contribute as if labour had not bailed banks out the mess would have been alot worse the torys sold our phone water and gas and electric last time to cut top pay earners tax which was 80 percent in the 70′s now they cry at 50 percent when labour took over they tried to make changes but as the coffers were empty they had to borrow as manufacturing in the uk was killed off by the torys what else do we need if you don’t produce and export then you will always have problems with making money
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Everyone is entitled to their opinion – and if you don’t agree with the current slash and burn policies of our Government/Council, then march with us tomorrow. It’s going to be great!
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Cllr Mosley used to prefer Cricket to horses.
Well said poster no.1 Statistics girl & poster no.4…both spot on.
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Is this the same Stephen who supports the sell-off of the national forests?
http://www.shropshirestar.com/news/2011/02/01/group-opposes-government-sale-of-shropshire-woodland/ #22 + #38
What do you think about making big corporations pay as much tax as the rest of us, Stephen?
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What a bunch of moaners you lot are, dont dis people for trying to make a difference, shame on you.
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Some very negative and insulting comments on here. I will be there tomorrow with my whole family. I feel that we need to make a stand against the plans to move children’s services from Shrewsbury.
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I think you’ll find that we had the second lowest debt in Europe before the Tory supporting bankers shafted our economy!
Yes, we need the cuts but why is it only the poor and middle classes that are paying the cost? In particular why are the Tory supporting bankers still not being held to account?
…Is it perhaps something to do with the 20 millionaires in the coalition government, many of who made their money on the stock market?
Hmm I wonder?
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You hit the nail on the head there.
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You fragile people should turn up. Come on get out of your darkened little rooms, the glare from the screen doesn’t do you much good anyway. You may, if you try hard enough find a faint pulse! Enjoy the fresh air & live a little before you can’t afford electricity anymore! How will you protest then?
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I’ll be there, bring on the protest. We shouldn’t just take these cuts if they are not fair. Closing the wards at Shrewsbury is a joke and will cost lives.
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Do not waste your time, cuts are going to be implemented end of story really. Look who will be up front when you march , the odd over over paid councillor and people of similar ilk telling you all how hard it is going to be , it is until we sort it all out so get a grip and grin and bear it.
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Mr Finch I guess the people in Egypt are glad they did not adopt your strategy ‘ We live under a US/UK supported dictatorship, end of story really, Lets stay at home’.
I hope this protest will give people a boost of confidence and kick-start a movement to stop these unjustified ConDem cuts
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Andrew
you seem to do nothing else apart from moan.
anyone would think that you are one of the over paid councillor’s trying to justify (grin and bear it). Maybe you should find out the facts why people are marching, just a quick heads up come August I for the privilage of serving the so called like of you take a pay cut of £3000 pounds. Then if the reduce the working week from 37-35hr roughly £1000 take me to under £17,000 and the pay freeze for 2 yrs no recruitment and more work load.
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Change jobs then.
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There will be many different motivations to march. It’s not just about local cuts for me, but also the bigger national and international picture.
I’m ex-RAF of 22 years. I object strongly to the cutting of trainee helicopter pilots in the middle of a war (a war I don’t agree with, but we’re there and the troops need the resources).
I’m sick of Cameron saying we’re in this together; we’re not.
I’m sick of Cameron saying he knows what we’re going through; he doesn’t.
I’m not suprised by some of the ignorsant comments on here, but it’s about opinions isn’t it?
But then Shrewsbury is a hard-core Tory Town anyway.
See you at the Shirehall.
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Spot on Nick.
Well done to the hundreds of people from all different walks of live that united today against cuts in front line services that will hurt the most vulnerable in society.
The rich and powerful are not suffering, they never do, it is always the weaker that suffer the most that it why it is important for all of us with a conscience to say ‘No’ to this ConDem destruction.
As you say, there is a bigger picture. We live in a world of plenty, where children die, needlessly, every day from hunger and preventable disease, whilst hedge funds control 75% of the futures market in Wheat, forcing the privce higher so that fatter profits can be made. A better world is possible.
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Nick you should go into polotics as you hit the nail on the head well said.
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Twiggo
Glad to hear that you are there for the “Jolly”. Others have to work hard for a living in the real world.
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1300 news on BBC Shropshire ….Hundreds have turned out for the march…..
Looks like even more couldn’t be bothered than those figures from Statistics Girl worked out.
Still the reds bosses will be paid to turn out and will probably keep the chauffeur driven cars well out of sight of the prols
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I saw them come by the Abby this morning – they were all bearded lefties and hippies, some of them i suspect of communist leanings, disgusting, i even saw a labour banner there, thats not what real people want, they held up the traffic and made a racket like a football mob, they just came across and loutish yobs looking for a fight and they should have remained Apolitical if they wanted to be taken seriously
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“they were all bearded lefties and hippies, some of them i suspect of communist leanings”
I hope you’ve reported them to the appropriate authority Becky – a few months of forced labour in a camp somewhere will no doubt help them see the error of their ways – could be a good use for some of those redundant schools – I’m sure a local craftsman could soon knock up a few nice “Arbeit Macht Frei” signs?
On the other hand – perhaps you saw the march through blue-tinted spectacles? I was on the march (55 year-old bald director of a small business….sorry but I have got a beard…) and I saw and spoke to people who were there from all over Shropshire – mainly concerned with saving local services, especially their schools. You obviously didn’t spot the large contingent of girls from the Wakeman School – not a beard amongst them!
As for “loutish yobs looking for a fight” you’re just venturing into the realms of fantasy (or lies).
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Taken seriously – just like your balanced comments I suppose?
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BazL. Are you really that small minded that you think this is a jolly? The impact of the rapid nature of these cuts will be devastating. The poor and those most in need will be hit hardest.
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So where did all those 1000+ marchers go to? According to the radio station news they numbered in the hundreds, not as much backing as you thought then Red?
Welcome to the real world where we offer value for money and also know how to take the medicine we’ve had plenty of practice unlike the ‘state’ non-industries, pity Labour didn’t realise the patient was ill long before spending zillions of pounds we hadn’t got!
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good on them
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i was with them in sprit, although i was actually in bed…. well done those who showed more effort than me, i am with you all the way
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I hear that a measly three buses have been booked to go to London, not exactly earth shattering, still I must get my name down, I’ve always promised to take ‘er indoors down shopping in London and what better way than free travel? Must get onto Google Streetview and see where Netto is in Oxford St
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What you heard is that there are free coaches going not 3, the total number booked is about 10 last time I checked
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Some of you really need to grow up..People across all groups marched to oppose the cuts to a wide range of public services..No bearded leftists, just ordinary men women (and children) trying to stand up for what they believe in..I was proud to be on that peaceful demonstration and I will be in London on 26th March trying to show this government that you can’t lie to the electorate and treat them with contempt…NO political banner waving here.. But I’ll stand up against ANY political party who’s policies are so unjust.. We have a duty in a civilised society to protect the weak and the vulnerable, we will all be one or the other someday…Put PEOPLE first.. NOT profit.
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Well said,I agree 100%.
Remember what this lot are doing at the next election,can’t wait for them to be kicked out.
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A group of doctors at the RSH has come out to say they back the move of some maternity services to the PRH, where does that leave the pack who’ve produced others to oppose it?
As per normal an expert is an expert until you don’t agree with them…….
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