Their defiance was in stark contrast to the mood at Westminster. After weeks of political infighting and chaos, a solemn fatalism took place there. The argument is that to combat unsustainable levels of government debt and the global energy crisis, the country must make tough decisions. As the finance minister said before setting out a sanctions budget last month, there was a “tough road ahead.” In these difficult times, people will have to make sacrifices for the sake of the country.
Britain has heard it before. In the aftermath of the 2008 financial crash, politicians made similar arguments to justify cutting state spending. Based on the image of a welfare scavenger, supported by a favorable media and submissive opposition party, the government convinced the public that austerity was a reasonable response. This time, the approach didn’t work. According to the National Center for Social Research, 52 percent of people now think more government support is needed, not less. More, less people now agree that benefits are too generous and prevent people from standing on their own two feet. After all, it’s hard to blame individuals for widely shared financial problems.
Instead, a different story is unfolding. In this version, the deep economic pain afflicting Britain is either unacceptable or inevitable. Union leaders describe the cost of living crisis as a class war, effectively a money-extraction opportunity for profiteering, government-facilitated companies. The government’s refusal to support raising taxes on the very wealthy – something that according to Tax Justice UK, an advocacy group, could raise 37 billion poundsor $45 billion, a year – advocating for a stealth tax hike on low- and middle-income earners is a case in point.
Abandoned by the government, people are stepping up. The Enough is enough The campaign, which was started in August by unions, community organizers and lawmakers from the left of the Labor Party, has registered 750,000 people and organized packed rallies across the country. The campaign has five key demands: raise real wages, end food poverty, cut energy bills, decent housing for all, and higher taxes on high earners. best. Organizers say they are reaching uncertain parts of the country, including Conservative strongholds, and the campaign is directing supporters into fences.
Base group Don’t Pay UK, founded in June, has gone a step further. Supported by hundreds of support groups across the country, 250,000 people have pledged to start a national coordinated payment strike on energy bills on December 1, joining about three million estimators are unable to pay their bills. Resisting criticism that non-payment will result in heavy penalties for the most vulnerable, the campaign to seek collective support for those in individual circumstances is often frightening.
