“When I read the Council Leader announce that on top of the £170m of cuts already pushed through so far in Manchester, that further cuts of ‘£55-£70m next year and £55-£70m the year after,’ are now being planned, I decided that enough is enough, I had to stand.”
Over the last year we have seen people campaign against cuts, march against cuts, and strike against cuts.
We need to be able to also vote against cuts.
Election Launch Video
Mark Krantz stands for resistance and opposition to cuts and austerity. We need Councillors who support the fight back – not undermine the struggle.
The Tories, the Lib Dems, and now Labour, all support cuts. They say we have to accept austerity because that is what the ‘markets’ demand. While the richest 1% have increased their share of wealth – the 99% are having to pay the price for an economic catastrophe that was started by bankers. They say cuts to pensions and services and job losses, must all continue for years and years. It does not have to happen when tax avoidance is widespread and money is there for nuclear weapons.
Campaigning forced the Council to back down and keep Sure Start open and funded. Levensulme baths was saved by campaigners. There is mass opposition to the Tories plan to chop up and privatise our NHS. Protest against compulsory workfare forced the biggest multinational companies, like Tescos, to start paying young people for stacking shelves.
Millions have joined marches and strikes in the last year. More strikes are planned. Teachers, lecturers, civil servants, firefighters, are all right to strike in defence of their pensions. Why should they ‘pay more, work longer and get less’ so that the Tories can raise £ millions to bail out bankers?
Remember that only a fraction of the cuts have been implemented so far. Greece shows how far our rulers will go inflicting mass austerity. We have seen mass resistance in Greece. In Egypt the people brought down a dictator.
Over the last year we have seen people campaign against cuts, march against cuts, and strike against cuts. We need to be able to also vote against cuts.
That is why Mark is the prospective candidate for the Trades Unionist and Socialist Coalition standing in the ward where he lives in Chorlton.
He has been centrally involved in campaigns and struggles across the City for over thirty years. We need a voice of resistance in the Council chamber.