UK economy only working for richest: Analyst

Press TV has interviewed Shahrar Ali, deputy leader of the Green Party, in London, to discuss the anti-Tory march held by thousands of Britons in protest at the newly-elected government’s austerity measures.

What follows is a rough transcription.

Press TV: What do you think about these situations taking place? Lots of people on the street, on the one hand, and on the other hand, we have seen that just over a month and half ago, the conservatives were re-elected in the UK, Why the paradox?

Ali: Well, it is no accident that we have such a large group of organizations and individuals marching today in central London and across the UK actually we have had people also marching in Liverpool and Glasgow.

You are right that it is only a few weeks since the election, but that is an even greater reason for us to be marching today in defiance that this government proposed increased cuts to welfare and education in health; in housing, they are privatizing like there is no tomorrow. We had a sense of this already, we had a great deal of vulnerability, people suffering through not being able to pay for housing, not being able to know where their food is coming.

We are going to get more of this unfortunately. We had overt signs of it in the government’s Queen speech. They are very proud it seems of their ideology to hurt and attack the most vulnerable in society, removing people’s working rights shall we say; that is another story through the European Union... at the moment TTIP negotiations. But there are lots of things, I think, which are affecting people very badly at the moment; people are saying enough is enough, saying loud and clear in Parliament Square today that we need to fight for decent living standards in this country at this time.

Press TV: The UK government is saying that they have no choice with the economic situation, that they have to increase austerity measures, what would you say to that?

Ali: Well, on the first hand, the economic system that we have is totally bankrupt in more ways than one. It is not just the so-called deficit; the system is not working. We need to move towards a Carbon-based system which values things according to their cost to the planet and enables people to afford a decent living standard at the same time. It is absolutely not true that the economic system is not working for some; it is working for the richest in society; it is working for those companies and multi-national companies who are still avoiding tax and there is tax evasion going on which is a more sinister form of tax avoidance.

So these companies, these people at the top, these people who are benefiting from the privatization of public assets...we are going to have more shares of those sold. These people who are causing misery and hardship to people through squandering their savings through casino-style banking; they have not been made to pay for their mistakes. Instead we have got the poorest and the most vulnerable in society, people who are being asked to pay extra when they are already on benefits, whether they are living in very cramped housing conditions and they may have an spare bedroom for a disability care-worker somehow are being asked to be required to make that extra payment and if not, then they are forcibly being evicted whether or not they have got children at school. This is a very inhumane way of governance.

There is a better way forward; the Green Party would say that you need to, even with the current economic system, you must invest in our public welfare system. Health is a basic right; housing is a basic right and education, the exit route for many people into a greater opportunity, is also a human right and people are being priced out; for those who want to go to higher education, completely priced out because they are saddled with debts of £40,000 or more; this is unprecedented misery that they are facing.

MTM/MKA

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