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The anti-austerity movement in the United Kingdom saw major demonstrations throughout 2011. While agreeing that the country faced a financial crisis, organisations including some UK trade unions, argued that the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government was pushing deep spending cuts rapidly and without proper consultations or consideration for the impact on the public. They believed that most of the government cuts were designed to target the working class, while big businesses, and financial businesses, in particular businesses with connections to British MPs, were going unpunished whilst avoiding paying any tax, despite their perception that the latter was the main reason for the financial crisis and the subsequent recession. Earlier demonstrations led to a major event, the ''March for the Alternative'', on 26 March 2011 coordinated by the Trades Union Congress with a crowd of 500,000 people taking to London's streets.〔(Anti-cuts March for the Alternative draws 500,000 protestors in London ). ''Time'', 26 March 2011〕〔(March for the Alternative Updates ); ''The Guardian''; 26 March 2011〕 Further smaller demonstrations led up to a second big event, ''J30'', on 30 June. This was marked by major rallies in London, Brighton, Sheffield, Birmingham and Newcastle, and significant strike actions by teachers and public sector workers. ==Background== In May 2010, the United Kingdom general election resulted in no political party achieving sufficient support to form a working majority government on their own. For this reason, the Conservative Party and Liberal Democrats entered into a coalition government together. The Conservative leader David Cameron became Prime Minister whilst Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg became Deputy Prime Minister. The government planned to put into action sharp spending cuts, stating that they were necessary to address the UK's record peacetime deficit, with the Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, saying that Britain risks suffering a debt crisis like those seen in Greece, Ireland and Portugal if it fails to reduce the budget deficit. The cuts that they planned proved to be the toughest in the United Kingdom since the Second World War.〔 〕 The new administration proposed an austerity program purportedly intended to fight the nation's debts, with the intention of virtually eliminating budget deficits by 2015. The planned spending cuts included most government departments, which involved around 300,000 public service job cuts and the pay of other civil servants being frozen. Organisers said the government's plans to eliminate the deficit in four years, and to focus on cutting spending rather than raising tax, did not have national support. They say they want to give a voice to all the people affected by the cuts, and to demonstrate to Westminster that the public rejects the argument that there is no alternative. They and many protesters argue that the cuts will threaten the country's economic recovery.〔〔〔 They suggest that since the government recently spent billions bailing out indebted banks, the government should create new taxes for banks and close loopholes that allow some companies to pay less tax. Labour MP Chuka Umuuna declared that it was "shocking" to learn that Barclay's Bank paid only 1% of its 2009 profits in taxes while the corporate tax in the UK is 28%. Max Lawson, of the Robin Hood Tax Campaign, said: "If banks paid their fair share we could avoid the worst of the cuts and help those hit hardest by the financial crisis they did nothing to cause."〔 Dave Prentis, general secretary of UNISON, remarked that "These are ordinary families and working people, many with their children to send a strong message to David Cameron to halt the damaging cuts which are leading to the loss of tens of thousands of jobs and the closure of services including libraries and care homes."〔 According to ''The Daily Telegraph'', the movement represented "the biggest public backlash against the Government's spending cuts since it came to power."〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Anti-austerity movement in the United Kingdom」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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