Fight for a better way forward

BY JENNIFER McCANN MLA

Sinn Féin supporting the October 23rd ICTU rally against cuts at Belfast City Hall

AS tens of thousands of people attend rallies and campaign events against the Westminster Government’s sweeping cuts of public and social services, health, education and income supports, the Conservative Party and Liberal Democrats would have us believe that the cuts are based on ‘economic necessity’. They are not. They are part of an ideologically-driven campaign by the Tories to dismantle the welfare state - to transfer more wealth from the poor to the rich.
This is a Tory-dominated Cabinet of millionaires making decisions that will destroy people’s lives and ravage communities. They have no mandate for this.
And when we say these decisions are coming from a “Tory Cabinet of millionaires” we’re not exaggerating - of the 29 ministers in the cabinet, 23 of them are worth between £1million and £10million.
The public sector didn’t create this crisis. The bankers and developers did. Why should the poorest and most vulnerable pay for their crisis?

INVESTMENT, NOT CUTS
We need to send a united message to the British Government that the people of the North oppose cuts to public services and the block grant and we will resist them.
The lesson from around the world is that stimulus measures (investment) have had some success in bringing about economic recovery - austerity measures have had NO such success.
Many leading economists are warning the British Government that the cuts may cause the economy to plunge back into recession and will result in mass unemployment.

SINN FÉIN’S PROPOSALS
Sinn Féin has launched a document - ‘There is a Better Way’ - which reflects Sinn Féin’s immediate priorities:-

• To defend jobs and frontline services;
• To protect the disadvantaged and vulnerable;
• To promote sustainable economic growth; and
• For the Assembly and Executive to have control over economic decisions.

The proposals are realistic and have the potential to achieve broad consensus among other parties and in wider society.
The document that we have put forward points a clear way forward for minimising the negative impact of the cuts to the block grant on our society.
Of course, our long-term vision is much broader than that outlined in the document - we are for an independent and integrated all-Ireland economy, a social economy built on equality and sustainability that works to serve the needs of all citizens.
Nor do the proposals detract in any way from our commitment to building an alliance with the trade union movement to organise public resistance to these and future cuts.
What the paper represents is a valuable contribution to the attempt to find immediate and viable solutions to the major problems being forced upon the Executive by the British Government’s cuts.
It is crucial that we deliver frontline public services in health, education and transport; invest in capital infrastructure projects; ensure adequate housing for all; and end poverty and disadvantage.
Our document points to alternative sources of revenue - including innovative taxes and tapping into the European Union funding available - as well as outlining ways to minimise wastage of public money in government.

BETTER PUBLIC SERVICE
Sinn Féin is firmly opposed to cutting public sector jobs and we believe the Executive needs to work with the trade unions to safeguard jobs and services. The salaries, perks and bonuses of MLAs and the top layer of civil servants should be reduced.
We want to build a better public service - one that is more efficient and accountable. This is why we call for the implementation of the Review of Public Administration (which would save £400million over 25 years) and the Education and Skills Authority (which would save £80million over the next four years). The DUP’s fear of change is wasting hundreds of millions of pounds.
There are other ways to reduce waste of public money, including reducing the use of external consultants and reducing the number of unnecessary quangos.

GREEN ECONOMY
The majority of our proposals are focused on investment to create sustainable growth - in indigenous SMEs, social enterprises, green technology and tourism. The Executive should set up a special investment fund to support these sectors and utilise more EU funding available.
We need to rise to the global challenge of climate change and the development of the green economy should be at the heart of our recovery strategy. Investing in the development of renewable energy, green infrastructure and energy efficiency - such as insulating houses - could create thousands of jobs, reduce our carbon emissions and reduce the level of fuel poverty in our communities.
An environmental levy on plastic bags is a simple and effective way to reduce waste and to generate revenue for green investment.

SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
We are also in favour of the banks living up to their social responsibilities and playing their role in the recovery. Sinn Féin is proposing that the four major banks in the North should contribute to a development bond of £400million over the next four years. The credit union movement should also contribute to a social fund.
The Housing Executive should be given the power to borrow money to fund social housing needs.
Our paper also outlines the need for economic levers to be devolved to the North and charts the way forward for ending the costly duplication of services across the island.

POWERS
The Executive and Assembly’s lack of fiscal powers severely restricts our ability to tackle the crisis. We need the necessary economic levers - for example, the power to vary the tax rate so as to raise revenue and stimulate investment; the power to borrow; and the power to set the minimum wage.
The devolution of these powers would give the Assembly the ability to set our own economic agenda and spending priorities, to target disadvantage and stimulate sustainable growth.
So when we’re protesting against the cuts, we also need to call for these powers to be devolved to local, democratically-accountable institutions.