SOSiS Secretary, Paul Couchman and FBU Secretary Lee Belsten address marchers in Jubilee Square, Woking.
See the BBC Surrey live video link coverage of the demo on Facebook here:
https://www.facebook.com/BBCSurrey/videos/577143036077955/?t=2
Get Surrey's blog on the day - with photos and videos can be found here:
https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/live-updates-woking-march-austerity-15555159
On the 5th Day of Christmas… the Tories gave to us… AUSTERITY!
Just one of the verses of the carol, 12 days of Christmas, sung by protestors to the shoppers of Woking during a massive protest last Saturday 15th December. Other verses included ‘Surrey Fire Service Cuts’, ‘Less Buses Running’, ‘Special Needs Neglected' and more.
Firefighters, Nurses, Social Workers and Carers, Teachers and Teaching Assistants, Librarians and Railway Workers all stood united as public sector workers to say a resounding NO to austerity and to demand a general election.
Labour Party, Socialist Party, Greens and independents joined the 300 strong protest march around Woking Town Centre to raise the profile of Save Our Services in Surrey (SOSIS) and the fight to defend public services. Even a small group of Lib Demo councillors attended.
Kye and Nicole, parents of little Zane Gbangbola who died in the floods of 2014 were also there supporting the protest with their ’Truth About Zane’ campaign and their banner which read ‘Zane Died - Authorities Lied’.
The only party not represented on the demonstration was the Conservative Party. Not surprising as they are widely seen as the architects of austerity and responsible for the slashing of vital public services.
Paul Couchman, Secretary of SOSIS, Surrey UNISON and local Socialist Party organiser, said:
‘Someone is going to die because of these cuts. 'Austerity Kills' is the title of this protest because cuts kill. Whether it is cuts in the fire service, police or ambulance services meaning slower response times to emergencies, or cuts in the number of mental health hospital beds, or cuts in social care for vulnerable elderly or disabled people. Political decisions have consequences and austerity is a political choice'.
‘This has been a magnificent show of strength and solidarity by the Surrey trade union and labour movement. People may think Surrey is just stockbrokers and rich bankers but there are hundreds of thousands of ordinary working class people who live and work in this county - many of whom work hard to provide our essential public services with less and less resources’.
‘The next steps for SOSIS will be to encourage people to participate in the council consultations over the cuts, making sure SCC know the strength of public feeling. We will then be ready to respond to any threatened cuts to libraries, children’s centres, special educational needs services (SEND), social care or any other cuts or closures. We will also be pulling together a people’s assembly against the cuts in the new year - involving all of the local trade unions, all the opposition parties and residents and community groups - to develop a people’s manifesto and budget for Surrey, based on what is needed, not what the government allows us to spend. We will then go into the next council elections demanding all candidates adopt this budget and make a stand against the cuts’.
Another Christmas Carol which was ringing in the air on Saturday was ‘Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle All the Way- What do we Want for Christmas? The Back of Teresa May!'
See the BBC Surrey live video link coverage of the demo on Facebook here:
https://www.facebook.com/BBCSurrey/videos/577143036077955/?t=2
Get Surrey's blog on the day - with photos and videos can be found here:
https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/live-updates-woking-march-austerity-15555159
On the 5th Day of Christmas… the Tories gave to us… AUSTERITY!
Just one of the verses of the carol, 12 days of Christmas, sung by protestors to the shoppers of Woking during a massive protest last Saturday 15th December. Other verses included ‘Surrey Fire Service Cuts’, ‘Less Buses Running’, ‘Special Needs Neglected' and more.
Firefighters, Nurses, Social Workers and Carers, Teachers and Teaching Assistants, Librarians and Railway Workers all stood united as public sector workers to say a resounding NO to austerity and to demand a general election.
Labour Party, Socialist Party, Greens and independents joined the 300 strong protest march around Woking Town Centre to raise the profile of Save Our Services in Surrey (SOSIS) and the fight to defend public services. Even a small group of Lib Demo councillors attended.
Kye and Nicole, parents of little Zane Gbangbola who died in the floods of 2014 were also there supporting the protest with their ’Truth About Zane’ campaign and their banner which read ‘Zane Died - Authorities Lied’.
The only party not represented on the demonstration was the Conservative Party. Not surprising as they are widely seen as the architects of austerity and responsible for the slashing of vital public services.
Paul Couchman, Secretary of SOSIS, Surrey UNISON and local Socialist Party organiser, said:
‘Someone is going to die because of these cuts. 'Austerity Kills' is the title of this protest because cuts kill. Whether it is cuts in the fire service, police or ambulance services meaning slower response times to emergencies, or cuts in the number of mental health hospital beds, or cuts in social care for vulnerable elderly or disabled people. Political decisions have consequences and austerity is a political choice'.
‘This has been a magnificent show of strength and solidarity by the Surrey trade union and labour movement. People may think Surrey is just stockbrokers and rich bankers but there are hundreds of thousands of ordinary working class people who live and work in this county - many of whom work hard to provide our essential public services with less and less resources’.
‘The next steps for SOSIS will be to encourage people to participate in the council consultations over the cuts, making sure SCC know the strength of public feeling. We will then be ready to respond to any threatened cuts to libraries, children’s centres, special educational needs services (SEND), social care or any other cuts or closures. We will also be pulling together a people’s assembly against the cuts in the new year - involving all of the local trade unions, all the opposition parties and residents and community groups - to develop a people’s manifesto and budget for Surrey, based on what is needed, not what the government allows us to spend. We will then go into the next council elections demanding all candidates adopt this budget and make a stand against the cuts’.
Another Christmas Carol which was ringing in the air on Saturday was ‘Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle All the Way- What do we Want for Christmas? The Back of Teresa May!'
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