US and UK Uncut: ‘Austerity’ Is Not the Solution

US and UK Uncut: ‘Austerity’ Is Not the Solution

US and UK Uncut: ‘Austerity’ Is Not the Solution

As in the UK, there are no revenue problems in the US, just corporations just stealing from their country.

Copy Link
Facebook
X (Twitter)
Bluesky
Pocket
Email

This past Saturday, March 26, nearly half a million people flooded the streets of London to protest austerity measures that will likely lead to the loss of tens of thousands of jobs and will result in huge cuts to vital public services. According to Johann Hari and Allison Kilkenny, both frequent contributors to The Nation, hundreds of those protesters were spurred to action by UK Uncut’s demonstrations against tax dodging corporations. In fact, as Hari and Kilkenny reported on Democracy Now! this morning, Saturday also saw a large-scale occupation of Fortnum & Mason, a food store which has skipped out on £14 million in taxes.

Hari says the companies’ refusal to pay taxes is part of a larger class war: for just one example, the conservative mayor of London recently said that his policies that will result in 200,000 poor people being forced out of their homes will be a kind of “social cleansing.”

For her part, Kilkenny talks about US Uncut, the group inspired by UK Uncut, which is taking on corporate tax dodging in the US. She reports that US Uncut has been able to shut down a Bank of America branch in Washington, DC and that Bank of America is just one of several corporations that engage in a tax haven scheme that costs the US government around $100 billion every year. As in the UK, Kilkenny says, there are no revenue problems in the US, just corporations stealing from their country.

—Kevin Gosztola

Support independent journalism that exposes oligarchs and profiteers


Donald Trump’s cruel and chaotic second term is just getting started. In his first month back in office, Trump and his lackey Elon Musk (or is it the other way around?) have proven that nothing is safe from sacrifice at the altar of unchecked power and riches.

Only robust independent journalism can cut through the noise and offer clear-eyed reporting and analysis based on principle and conscience. That’s what The Nation has done for 160 years and that’s what we’re doing now.

Our independent journalism doesn’t allow injustice to go unnoticed or unchallenged—nor will we abandon hope for a better world. Our writers, editors, and fact-checkers are working relentlessly to keep you informed and empowered when so much of the media fails to do so out of credulity, fear, or fealty.

The Nation has seen unprecedented times before. We draw strength and guidance from our history of principled progressive journalism in times of crisis, and we are committed to continuing this legacy today.

We’re aiming to raise $25,000 during our Spring Fundraising Campaign to ensure that we have the resources to expose the oligarchs and profiteers attempting to loot our republic. Stand for bold independent journalism and donate to support The Nation today.

Onward,

Katrina vanden Heuvel

Editorial Director and Publisher, The Nation

Ad Policy
x