Austerity - The People's Assembly March in Manchester

It's more than just a buzzword. Austerity is a snarling beast, gripping and pinching, doggedly weighing us down.

How does it manifest? How can it be stopped? The People's Assembly (Against Austerity) are leading the fight against this entity. On 23rd May I joined friends and comrades to deconstruct austerity, to protest, to sing, to shout about what it is, what it has done and what we can do to overcome it.

Manchester is a socialist city. It sits firmly within history as being the home of social uprising.
The home of co-operative politics.
The home of true Labour.
And on this day, Piccadilly gardens roared an indignant roar.

Around 2000 people listened to stories of the bedroom tax, of benefit sanctions, of ILA and PIP, of death, of suicide. At times we cried. At times we cheered. We sung protest songs not performed since the 70s, and the atmosphere felt distinctly Vintage. Every corner of society was joined in an equal chorus of celebration and anger. United.

And as the sun began to start its decent, as the crowd began to dissipate, thoughts turned to what next? We've shouted and we've sung but; What Next.

Next; we organise.
Next; we march to Parliament.
Next; we win.

Because this fight won't end tomorrow. Our petitions won't be heeded and our protests won't make headline news. We will be kettled on the streets and in the Daily Mail.




But we are growing strong.
We are growing loud. We are a growing a network of people, willing to mobilise, willing to organise, willing to sit down at the table with our leaders and calmly say 'No More'. We are making ourselves known, on councils and committees, in newspapers and boardrooms and in five years time?
We will win.
Austerity will be over.
And we can rebuild.