Why March?

Last Saturday's Independent carried an article by Tim Lott which struck me as epitomising the wrong response to the current government cuts.  It argues that the cuts have to happen sooner or later and the way or the speed at which they are done doesn't really matter.  Hence don't even bother to protest.

Firstly the scale of these cuts may well increase the deficit by destroying economic growth.  Secondly, the cuts, especially to local government, have been front loaded maximising the difficulty of meeting them through greater efficiency or reorganisation.  They are part of an ideology designed to shrink the state on a permanent basis, not a repsonse to economic conditions.

Not only is this worth protesting about, but the TUC March was the right way to protest.  Of course a demonstration is just that it doesn't in itself change everything.  But the March did demonstrate that the Tory line that it is only an unrepresntative group of public sector workers that is upset was contradicted by the sheer number and variety of those involved.