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Vote against austerity

Dont let the racists divide us
T

his week we saw the shocking

deaths of hundreds of migrants.
They drowned as they made a
desperate attempt to escape poverty
and war. Up to 100 children were
among those who died.
But the compassion felt by ordinary
people wasnt matched by politicians
or the press. Sun columnist Katie
Hopkins described migrants as
cockroaches.
She said instead of sending rescue
boats gunships should be used
against them.
EU countries, including Britain,
refuse to fund rescue operations in the
Mediterranean.
The Tory Foreign Office minister
Lady Anelay recently described rescue
ships as an unintended pull factor for
immigrants.
In other words shed see people
drown so others would be put off from
making the journey!

UKIP

This week saw UKIP launch its

election manifesto. UKIP excels at
scapegoating migrants. They want us
to blame them for cuts and low pay.
Its manifesto listed a series of
planned attacks on migrants rights to
access NHS care, benefits and housing.
Nigel Farage claims to stand up for
British workers. But his party is just
as much a party of billionaires and
bankers as the Tories.
They want us to kick down against
the victims of the system, rather than
kick up against those responsible for it.
Its the Tories and their rich mates
who have cut funding to the health
service, squeezed working class living
standards and sold off council housing
so that ordinary people cant afford a
decent home.
Its the rich, not migrants, who are
to blame for the mess were in.

If we allow the racists to divide

us, how can we get unity against
austerity? We desperately need a united
fightback.
Years of Tory attacks have pushed
many people below the poverty
line. More than one million people,
including 400,000 children, are now
using food-banks according to the
Trussell Trust (that runs 445 of them
across Britain).
Many more rely on help from
churches and small charities.

Alternative

It would be great if on 7 May we

had a clear alternative from Labour.
But thats not on offer. Ed Miliband
is committed to sticking to Tory
spending plans. He only offers a dismal
austerity-lite that inspires noone.
demonstration

Migrant
lives
matter

Saturday 25 April, 1pm

Outside EU Commission HQ,
32 Smith Sq, London SW1P 3EU
Called by the Movement Against
Xenophobia

So no matter which of the big

parties is elected, they intend to force
through several more years of savage
cuts.
Its hardly surprising that the
parties that have shown some signs
of opposition to austerity - the SNP,
Greens and Plaid Cyumru - have seen
growing support.

Socialist

However, there is one set of candidates

thats opposed to austerity full stop,
that is prepared to stand up to the
bosses and to defend the rights of
working class people in this election
thats the Trade Unionist and
Socialist Coalition (TUSC).
Although TUSC was not allowed
onto the leaders debates it is
standing hundreds of candidates in
parliamentary and local council seats
on 7 May.
You may have seen the TUSC
political broadcast on TV. The bigger
the vote for TUSC and the left the
greater the chance we will have to
build a real alternative to austerity,
whoever takes office after 7 May.
In Greece voters elected the anti
austerity party Syriza while in Spain
the anti austerity party Podemos is
riding high in the polls. We also need
a big vote against austerity here.

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General 22/04/15