TUC backs call for ‘decisive action’ at G20
Posted by smeddum on February 23, 2009
Friday 20 February 2009
Commenting on the Prime Minister’s call for world leaders attending the G20 in April to agree ‘decisive action’ to tackle the global recession, TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said:
‘Adding to the pressure on the G20 governments will be the Put People First March for Jobs, Justice and Climate on the Saturday (28 March) before the summit.
‘An extraordinary range of union, faith, development and green groups have come together for the first time to tell world leaders that they cannot go back to business as usual, but must take action – not just to fight recession but to ensure the world emerges as fairer and more sustainable from the downturn.
‘There is real anger at the damage done by the free market fundamentalism that first gave mega-bonuses for the super-rich but now destroys jobs and communities. World leaders must give us the hope that they can build a different world.’
Organisations backing the march include the TUC, Oxfam, Friends of the Earth, ActionAid, Stop Climate Chaos, Save the Children, WWF, CAFOD, Christian Aid, Salvation Army, Tearfund, War on Want, World Vision, Methodist Relief and Development Fund, Trade Justice Movement, Muslim Council of Britain, Jubilee Debt Campaign.
NOTES TO EDITORS:
– All TUC press releases can be found at www.tuc.org.uk
– Register for the TUC’s press extranet: a service exclusive to journalists wanting to access pre-embargo releases and reports from the TUC. Visitwww.tuc.org.uk/pressextranet
Contacts:
Media enquiries:
Liz Chinchen T: 020 7467 1248 M: 07778 158175 E: media@tuc.org.uk
Rob Holdsworth T: 020 7467 1372 M: 07717 531150 E:rholdsworth@tuc.org.uk
Elly Brenchley T: 020 7467 1337 M: 07900 910624 E:ebrenchley@tuc.org.uk
Press release (300 words) issued 20 Feb 2009
In These New Times 
smeddum said
This march will be the first UK wide response to the economic crisis. It does say something about the nature of the UK, and the widespread nature of anger. One cannot help but wonder about “the summer of rage” feared by the British police.
inthesenewtimes said
This looks like a pretty pathetic intiative- the depth of the crisis obviously just hasn’t sunk in and it’s the TU movement and the left who are doing “business as usual”. It really is difficult to distinguish this from past actions. And with the new “green economy” stuff I really think Gordon Brown could join this march.Time to abolish poverty again.
Notably absent are calls for the government to resign, calls for criminal investigation in high level fraud and calls to trace where the money from the bailouts has been stashed away.
This march will be supported by the entire spectrum of the left, and confirms their hopeless response to the crisis.
smeddum said
“‘There is real anger at the damage done by the free market fundamentalism that first gave mega-bonuses for the super-rich but now destroys jobs and communities. World leaders must give us the hope that they can build a different world.’”
This bit defies logic. It sounds akin to the political wisdom of Bob Geldof and Bono. We ask the leaders at the centre of the cesspit of crony capitalism/imperialism to alter their casino loving ways, in the favour of the poor. British “culture” has made a virtue out of political naivete and hiding known darker realities.
Yet the march will be worth observing and comparing it to other countries. The timidity of the march will scare many people away. Business as usual will provide new points of departure. My only hope that at least one speaker begins this process. Going by past experience it is very unlikely.
It may be that the speakers from the charities make better and less abated points than the traditional left and the trade union leadership.
inthesenewtimes said
The clown Brown has somehow insinuated himself into the role of chair of the G20. The most we can hope for is that his plans to revive the IMF are blocked. It is hopeless to expect anything of these bodies as long as they are vehicles for the Anglo-american agenda.