{"id":20823,"date":"2013-12-13T12:46:26","date_gmt":"2013-12-13T12:46:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jomec.co.uk\/altcardiff\/?p=20823"},"modified":"2013-12-13T12:46:26","modified_gmt":"2013-12-13T12:46:26","slug":"in-depth-the-anti-austerity-movement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/2013\/12\/13\/in-depth-the-anti-austerity-movement\/","title":{"rendered":"In depth: The anti-austerity movement"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chants of \u2018We are the 99%\u2019 echo the streets of Cardiff as a swarm of masked Guy Fawkes descend on the Welsh capital. As part of the Occupy movement, the cartoonist impression of Guy Fawkes has become a symbol of anti-establishment. It\u2019s November 5 and the legacy of his Gunpowder plot lives on. There\u2019s a brisk wintery chill in the air as the protesters march down Queen\u2019s Street. The masked activists continue undeterred, they have a message to get across tonight.<\/p>\n

With inhabitants of Wales being hit hardest by austerity measures such as the so-called Bedroom Tax<\/a> and protests like this popping up more frequently, are we witnessing an increase in activism?<\/p>\n

THE GROUPS INVOLVED<\/strong><\/p>\n

The anti-austerity movement comprises many different groups with their own agenda. This particular protest was engineered by the Occupy Movement, whose slogan \u2018We are the 99%\u2019 first emerged on a Tumblr page in America in 2011. This reflects the current economic situation in which it’s said the majority of people are paying for the mistakes made by the top \u20181%\u2019 even though wealth and control are concentrated within that powerful minority.<\/p>\n

Another influential group within this movement is the People\u2019s Assembly. Spanning across the UK, this group\u2019s spokesman is Journalist and Campaigner Owen Jones. He has said,<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s time to tap into our country\u2019s proud tradition of protest and civil disobedience, and make loud and clear our demand for an alternative to the failure of austerity.\u201d<\/p>\n

The People\u2019s Assembly also took part in this day of protest, aptly named the \u2018Bonfire of Austerity\u2019. Activists protested<\/a> outside the British Gas building making a clear point about their disdain for plans to hike up gas prices. WalesOnline spoke to one protester, Ramon Corria, who said, \u201cPeople are having to make the decision between heating and eating, which is clearly unfair.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another issue of contention within austerity is the so-called Bedroom Tax. This is where those who are perceived to have a spare bedroom will face benefit cuts. Wales<\/a> is being hit particularly hard by this tax with 1 in 3 households being impacted and consequently many are now spiralling into debt.\u00a0<\/p>\n

BLACKLISTING SCANDAL<\/strong><\/p>\n

Taking a slightly more conventional approach to activism, further action was taken by The Wales TUC when they met on a \u2018National Day of Action\u2019 on November 20 to discuss the\u00a0blacklisting\u00a0<\/a>scandal. Meeting in the Senedd, the Wales TUC held an event to discuss the issue in which powerful construction companies allegedly held secret files on workers with information that they then used to keep them out of employment.<\/p>\n

\"Caption:

\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a disgrace that so many people have been treated so poorly.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The Wales TUC are therefore \u00a0proposing an inquiry and compensation for workers who were impacted. The scandal was claimed to be, \u201cThe biggest abuse of workers\u2019 human rights in the UK\u201d by Nick Blundell, UCATT (Union of Construction, Allied Trades and Technicians) secretary who spoke at the event.<\/p>\n

The alleged blacklist was seen as a classist attack by the powerful corporations on workers. \u201cIt is a class issue. Blacklisting and unchecked capitalism go hand in hand,\u201d says Blundell.<\/p>\n

The scandal has been further condemned by the vice president of Wales TUC Sheila Bearcroft, \u201cIt\u2019s a disgrace that so many people have been treated so poorly in the 21st<\/sup> Century.\u201d<\/p>\n

INJUSTICE<\/strong><\/p>\n

And it\u2019s this sense of injustice which seems to be driving the current movement, not only in Wales but on a national level. The simmering strength of the backlash does seem in some ways reminiscent of the riots of 2011. These riots mushroomed out of a young man being shot by the police<\/a> in London, which subsequently spread to other UK cities. It unearthed a burgeoning feeling of resentment among those who had had enough of feeling ignored. Many were left feeling blamed for something that essentially wasn\u2019t their fault.<\/p>\n

A supporter of the movement spoke of his contempt for the current political landscape. Sam Butler said, \u201cIt\u2019s easy for them to point at the usual scapegoats and blame them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Caption:

\n

\u201cBold steps were needed to rebalance the economy.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The leader of the Conservative Party for Wales has fought back, suggesting austerity measures are simply a necessary evil. Andrew Davies said, \u201cThe dire economic situation in May 2010 is well documented and bold steps were needed to rebalance the economy.\u201d<\/p>\n

In regard to strategies being class based, he stated, \u201cFar from unfairly targeting those with lower incomes, the UK Government has cut income tax by half for people on the minimum wage.\u201d<\/p>\n

Looking towards the future, he added, \u201cWelsh Conservatives believe that Wales deserves an economy that is prosperous and vibrant.\u201d<\/p>\n

Back on the streets of Cardiff and the reverberation of the chants grows softer. The crowd of masked individuals slowly fragments and disperses into the dark cavities of the Welsh capital. Their chants may be becoming less audible but their message is not. The activists won\u2019t stand for inequality any longer.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With a rise of the anti-austerity movement in Wales, does this mean an increase in social activism? <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":252,"featured_media":20888,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[3144,3604,3548,1261,1892],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-20823","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-no-logo","tag-activism","tag-austerity","tag-movement","tag-occupy","tag-protest"],"yoast_head":"\nIn depth: The anti-austerity movement - alt.cardiff<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/2013\/12\/13\/in-depth-the-anti-austerity-movement\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"In depth: The anti-austerity movement - 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