REGARDING Torfaen Council’s plan to cut £40 million from the budget over 4 years (on top of the £30+million they have already made) and Cllr Anthony Hunt’s request for suggestions as to where the public would like these cuts to fall, may I suggest that absolutely no cuts are made, because in fact none are needed, as the Con/Dem government’s “austerity” pogrom is ideologically based and its intention is to dismantle the welfare state and public services following the dictates of neo-liberalist “free market” economics, which puts the mega profits of a rich corporate elite before the well-being of the majority.


Unemployment, low wages and the privatisation of the public sector are welcomed by big business as wages are driven down and profits up. There is absolutely no shortage of money within the economy as the banks were bailed out from the public purse to the tune of trillions of pounds and corporations (especially the ones who don’t pay their fair share of tax) are also sitting on vast amounts of profits.
So we have the misery of the bedroom tax, cuts to benefits, credits, services and increases in rent, utility bills, the weekly shop etc, all so that a rich elite can make a nice profit. We feel the pain and those that caused the recession get to gain at our expense.
Make no mistake the ruling class are waging a class war against us with no holds barred and in such a vindictive climate of oppression and hatred one would have hoped that democratically elected councillors would stand up and represent those in the borough who are being subjected to such an attack!
Instead what we have is a council who have run up a white flag over the town hall and doffed the cap of servitude to the Con/Dem government’s onslaught. It’s an absolute disgrace.
Terry Banfield
Cardigan Crescent Cwmbran