Aberdeen joins hundreds of thousands standing together to defend democracy

I was proud to speak on behalf of UNISON at today’s Defend Democracy demo in Aberdeen yesterday, 31st August 2019. Almost 500 joined the hundreds of thousands across the UK to slam Johnson’s assault on democracy for his own ends and to tell him that ordinary people will stand against him and will not allow a no deal Brexit.

Other speakers came from all the political parties standing against this outrage and from citizens groups representing those who have already suffered most from austerity, including Disabled People against Austerity, who gave powerful and moving testimony.

With thanks to Dave Prentis, UNISON General Secretary for some of my lines, and thanks to Fiona Napier, Alison Evison and John from Scottish Labour for the photos and recording. Unfortunately I can't get the video to load here.

The full content of my speech is below. Let's hope Johnson is listening to the hundreds of thousands of voices slamming his abuse of power and demanding he gets his hands off our democracy.

But this is just the start. We need to keep up the pressure. Johnson and his accolytes think they are untouchable. We need to make it absolutely clear that they are not.

Hope and love will conquer hate

I attended a very moving vigil this evening to remember the innocent victims killed in the terror atrocity in two mosques in Christchurch and to stand in solidarity with our Muslim communities.

Over 100 people came along to send our condolences to all those who lost loved ones and to pledge to fight the politics of hate with hope and love.

I was proud and privileged to speak alongside friends from the Muslim community, trade unionists and local politicians. I feel passionately about the need to call out racism and Islamophobia and to do all we can to challenge the politics of hate and the rise of extremism and the murder of innocents which result.

These are my words:
 
"The murder of innocent Muslim worshippers in Christchurch has been devastating. It was an act of hate, pure and simple, like many such acts we’ve seen over recent years.
 

Like most people I have gone through several emotional phases 

Feelings of deep sadness at the loss of life, especially the children and young people who had their whole lives in front of them

Our poverty shame in the world’s fifth richest economy

Calling for an end to child poverty
at UNISON Conference 2012

If asked what the most important political issue is in the UK today most people, I am guessing, would say Brexit.

But not me. In my view the most pressing issue – and the one that as a country and a society that we should be most ashamed of – is the extent of poverty in this, the world’s fifth richest economy.

When the Tories introduced their austerity agenda in 2010 it was with the mantra – “We are all in this together.”

Right from the start those of us on the political left and the trade unions knew that would never be the case. We knew that those who would be most affected would be the poorest and most vulnerable in our society. We knew that the rich would be fine. And very soon it became apparent that not only would the rich easily weather the storm, they would amass to themselves even greater wealth. 

Inequality in the UK has grown massively since the financial crash. Research by the Equalities Trust shows that the 1,000 richest people in the UK now have total wealth of £724bn, which is an increase of £274bn in the past five years and an increase of £66bn in the past year alone. As the trade unions predicted, the rich have done very well indeed. The poor have paid the price of the bankers’ profligacy.