Sinn Fein and DUP lead the home grown austerity drive

The role of the Executive parties in implementing a home-grown austerity programme has been highlighted at the Workers Party’s annual conference in Dublin this weekend.

Delegates heard that the most damaging cuts in Northern Ireland have been engineered by the five Executive parties who, along with the business community, have campaigned for a reduction in Corporation Tax: something which even the Tories did not propose.

To offset the cost of lowering Corporation Tax for big business, Sinn Féin, the DUP, SDLP, Alliance Party and Ulster Unionists, are taking 20,000 jobs out of the public sector and are significantly reducing public spending on education, public transport, the community and voluntary sector and the arts.

They propose to  make up the shortfall by selling off public assets like the Belfast Harbour Estate.

These are not Tory Cuts – they are the price the people of Northern Ireland are paying for tax give aways to big companies and they are being paid for  by working people and their families and by cuts in public services and jobs.