A new campaign has been launched in the UK to fight for the rights of working people suffering due to the cost-of-living crisis. Enough is Enough is backed by leading Trade Unionists Mick Lynch (RMT) and Dave Ward (CWU), Left Labour MPs Zarah Sultana and Ian Byrne, and community groups.
The campaign has 5 main demands:
1 – A Real Pay Rise. This includes a ‘significant rise in the national living wage’, a public sector pay rise in line with inflation, and equivalent rises in pensions and benefits.
2 – Slash Energy Bills. This demand calls for the recent huge energy price rises to be halted and reversed, as well as longer term solutions such as the nationalisation of energy companies and investment in renewable energy.
3 – End Food Poverty. Demands include enshrining the right to food in law, universal free school meals and reinstating the £20-a-week Universal Credit uplift that was recently snatched away from the poorest by the Tories.
4 – Decent Homes for All. The campaign demands rent caps, 100,000+ new council houses per year and a charter for renters’ rights.
5 – Tax the Rich. Demands include a wealth tax, raising taxes on corporate profits and closing loopholes used to dodge taxes.
There is clearly an appetite for such a campaign. In the first two days since the campaign was launched, over 200,000 people have signed up. This is more than the entire membership of the Tory party who get to choose the next UK Prime Minister. With pay falling, energy bills skyrocketing, widespread use of foodbanks and the proliferation of substandard privately rented accommodation, people have had enough.
The official opposition seem paralysed in the face of this crisis. I believe that Sir Keir Starmer is currently enjoying a holiday, but who can tell? His shadow cabinet of dead-eyed Blairite drones have been careful to avoid any radical talk about scary things like nationalisation, pay rises in line with inflation or supporting workers in struggle. Given the Labour Party’s refusal to fight for working people, it is refreshing to see the beginnings of a big campaign against the rapacious Tory government.
It is no use waiting for Sir Keir to get back from his holiday, or whatever he’s doing. The crisis is happening now. People cannot afford food or energy. Corporations are raking in massive profits at our expense. There is a record number of billionaires in the UK, and a record number of foodbanks. Along with the union’s ‘hot strike summer’, new shoots of hope are growing. After the defeat of Corbynism and the retaking of the Labour Party by its Right, it’s time for the UK Left to stop licking its wounds and get back to the fight. Enough is Enough.
