TUC: There is an alternative

Brendan Barber, TUC general secretary, said ahead of the march:

“The TUC is not a deficit denier. We know that borrowing one pound in every four we spend is unsustainable, and we agree that spending more on servicing debt interest than on educating our children is just plain wrong. What we need is a plan B.

“My concern is that the government’s answer – to slash public spending with reckless speed – is based not on a sound reading of the evidence, but on an ideological zeal to shrink the size of the state. The so-called reforms in the NHS and education threaten the fundamental character of our public realm.

“There is a different way forward. A more sustainable, more gradual, more robust deficit reduction plan based on jobs, growth and tax justice. The TUC will be taking this message to the people of Britain as we stage our national demonstration against the cuts: what we have dubbed the march for the alternative.”