Protesters rally against council budget cuts

7:50am Friday 1st March 2013 in News

Protesters in St Helen's Square make their views known ahead of City of York Council’s annual budget meeting Protesters in St Helen's Square make their views known ahead of City of York Council’s annual budget meeting

ANTI-CUTS protesters staged a rally outside Guildhall last night as councillors arrived for York’s budget meeting.

The demonstration, organised by York Socialist Students and York Stop The Cuts, was held in St Helen’s Square ahead of City of York Council’s annual budget debate.

Protesters opposed the abolition of the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) and proposed changes to the way York’s libraries are run, which could see them placed under the control of a social enterprise.

Both groups compiled a 1,167-name petition objecting to the Government’s scrapping of the EMA, which they said would leave many students without enough money to travel to college and buy books and food. The level of support for the petition, calling for an EMA-style grant to be introduced for local students, allowed it to be debated at last night’s meeting.

The groups, supported by York Trades Union Council, said they wanted to question councillors about why Government austerity measures affecting young people were being implemented “in a city which is one of the most educationally prestigious in the country”.

They also said they wanted the council to ensure vulnerable and low-paid residents in York were not “disproportionately affected” by funding cuts.

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Comments(17)

CHISSY1 says...
8:08am Fri 1 Mar 13

"Protesters,Activist
s,Campaigners,Demons
trators,must be a well paid jobs".

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Woody G Mellor says...
8:22am Fri 1 Mar 13

CHISSY1 wrote:
"Protesters,Act
ivist
s,Campaigners,Demons

trators,must be a well paid jobs".
Einstein comments again!

Report this post »

CHISSY1 says...
8:53am Fri 1 Mar 13

Woody G Mellor wrote:
CHISSY1 wrote:
"Protesters,Act

ivist
s,Campaigners,Demons


trators,must be a well paid jobs".
Einstein comments again!
"You one of them?".

Report this post »

Priapus says...
8:58am Fri 1 Mar 13

Maybe when some of the "York Socialist Students" actually get a job (miracles can happen) and start paying income tax and national insurance I might take them more seriously.

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CHISSY1 says...
9:04am Fri 1 Mar 13

Priapus wrote:
Maybe when some of the "York Socialist Students" actually get a job (miracles can happen) and start paying income tax and national insurance I might take them more seriously.
"Well said".

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far2bizzy says...
9:28am Fri 1 Mar 13

I assume it should read :

“Protesters opposed the abolition of the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) and the proposed changes to the way York’s libraries are run, which could see them placed under the control of a social enterprise.”

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Madasanibbotson says...
9:50am Fri 1 Mar 13

I can only count 14 of them, probably 1/3 of the number waiting to get into Bettys. Wonder how many pay Tax and NI ?

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Zetkin says...
10:09am Fri 1 Mar 13

These days, many students ARE taxpayers, as most have no choice but to take paid employment to make ends meet whilst they study.

Anyone who's adamant that only tax-payers are entitled to voice an opinion, should know that most of the people that were there (as opposed to the handful that posed for the Press photographer) are in fact workers. In addition to the handful of students, there were representatives of council workers (240 of whom are going to stop being tax payers as a result of the cuts the council voted for), insurance workers, rail workers, health workers, catering workers, teachers, and civil servants, as well as some retired workers. I dare say other groups were represented as well, but I didn't know or speak to everyone.

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Guy Fawkes says...
10:56am Fri 1 Mar 13

These days, many students ARE taxpayers, as most have no choice but to take paid employment to make ends meet whilst they study.


They need to be earning more than £8,105 a year before they have to pay income tax.

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Micklegate says...
11:03am Fri 1 Mar 13

Priapus wrote:
Maybe when some of the "York Socialist Students" actually get a job (miracles can happen) and start paying income tax and national insurance I might take them more seriously.
I wouldn't hold your breath, the lot there are in the main just take, take, take and get every penny they can from what they see as the bottomless pit if government money. I have plenty of respect for all shades of political views but their nonsense of oppose every cut every time is just a farce - they have absolutely no answers merely scream and shout.

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Henry_Raby says...
1:38pm Fri 1 Mar 13

By jolly and jingo, what a disgusting state of affairs where people protest against cuts to services! Why, in my day we left people to die on the streets, evicted those who couldn’t afford it, left people without the proper medical care and children to be impoverished. And if you had a disability, tough, that’s your fault isn’t it? We didn’t have libraries or well-equipped schools. It’s political correctness gone mad!
Bring back the old days! And hanging! Hang anyone we don’t like! Hang them all! I’d watch, I’d cheer, proudly. Hang hang hang.
When will these people learn George Orwell 1984 nanny state vote Thatcher blah blah blah
It’s a well known fact 110% of people on benefits are scroungers
These students should get proper jobs, studying isn’t going to help them get proper jobs! Send them all back, that’s what I say.
Oh wait, no it isn’t.
Cuts will kill, that’s what I say.

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Britan4British says...
1:46pm Fri 1 Mar 13

Henry_Raby wrote:
By jolly and jingo, what a disgusting state of affairs where people protest against cuts to services! Why, in my day we left people to die on the streets, evicted those who couldn’t afford it, left people without the proper medical care and children to be impoverished. And if you had a disability, tough, that’s your fault isn’t it? We didn’t have libraries or well-equipped schools. It’s political correctness gone mad!
Bring back the old days! And hanging! Hang anyone we don’t like! Hang them all! I’d watch, I’d cheer, proudly. Hang hang hang.
When will these people learn George Orwell 1984 nanny state vote Thatcher blah blah blah
It’s a well known fact 110% of people on benefits are scroungers
These students should get proper jobs, studying isn’t going to help them get proper jobs! Send them all back, that’s what I say.
Oh wait, no it isn’t.
Cuts will kill, that’s what I say.
I get the distinct impression that you're taking the ****. Well done, if you wanted to turn a political comment page into a joke you've succeeded. I hope you're proud of yourself.

Bloody unemployed people ruining our newspaper feeds...

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Capt. Dobie says...
2:08pm Fri 1 Mar 13

"I get the distinct impression that you're taking the ****. Well done, if you wanted to turn a political comment page into a joke you've succeeded. I hope you're proud of yourself."

...sigh...

Thanks grandad, get back on yer commode...

Report this post »

chunks says...
2:10pm Fri 1 Mar 13

Britan4British wrote:
Henry_Raby wrote: By jolly and jingo, what a disgusting state of affairs where people protest against cuts to services! Why, in my day we left people to die on the streets, evicted those who couldn’t afford it, left people without the proper medical care and children to be impoverished. And if you had a disability, tough, that’s your fault isn’t it? We didn’t have libraries or well-equipped schools. It’s political correctness gone mad! Bring back the old days! And hanging! Hang anyone we don’t like! Hang them all! I’d watch, I’d cheer, proudly. Hang hang hang. When will these people learn George Orwell 1984 nanny state vote Thatcher blah blah blah It’s a well known fact 110% of people on benefits are scroungers These students should get proper jobs, studying isn’t going to help them get proper jobs! Send them all back, that’s what I say. Oh wait, no it isn’t. Cuts will kill, that’s what I say.
I get the distinct impression that you're taking the ****. Well done, if you wanted to turn a political comment page into a joke you've succeeded. I hope you're proud of yourself. Bloody unemployed people ruining our newspaper feeds...
There are different ways of making a valid point, political or otherwise, and one of them is irony.

I thought Henry put his view across very well. Well done that man.

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Guy Fawkes says...
2:52pm Fri 1 Mar 13

By jolly and jingo...


Norman Tebbit, when asked if he supported capital punishment: 'I'm a moderate on this one. I do, but only for criminals.'

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dan-the-man says...
2:55pm Fri 1 Mar 13

Disgusting student hippies, how dare they try and educate themselves at the expense of the government! If they don't have the £15,000 a year they need to pay for their education by the age of 18, then it's their own fault! They should just work harder and get a job - what wait there's no jobs because of government cuts? They don't have a job - well they must be sponging the system, **** scum. I knew the Daily Mail was right. And then they have the cheek to try and help other disadvantaged people? Who do they think they are, **** communists.

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MrATP1982 says...
4:53pm Fri 1 Mar 13

Look at those so-called anarchist students protesting in this country. They should show more respect to hard fought for democracy like the council and this government. How dare they spend our money standing outside the guildhall with their socialist societies. And they don't work, pay VAT etc. How dare they express opioions.

And some of them even look old! Just shows that its not just the young who are sponging students now. If only Thatcher was still PM, she would make them all do National Service. Then they'd have something to complain about.

And don't get me started about this council taking away my green bin, putting up council tax. They should throw all the immigrants and poor people out of York cos they put off the tourists. My cleaner is one of those scronging students and she contributes nothing.

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