Social and welfare services are under increasing strain due to cuts upon cuts going back decades now. The tories have little interest in public spending unless there is a return for their greedy friends in the City and elsewhere via privatisation. Now new New Labour leader Starmer in a recent interview has confirmed what we all already knew, that he is no more than a Tory stooge - a Tory doppelgänger if you will!
The tag line from ALL the mainstream politicians is, “there isn’t any money”!
Here’s some basic figures from publicly available information.
The combined wealth of the world’s billionaires is $12.7 trillions. Worldwide military spending is at an all time high of $2.24 trillions annually. Just taking these two figures and applying some common sense socialist policies let’s see what we could have.
Firstly, a 90% tax on billionaires would yield $11.44 trillions. Secondly, a two thirds reduction in military expenditure would release $1.5 trillions as well as giving us a safer and more secure world. Neither policy is excessive, the former would still leave billionaires billionaires and remember even higher tax bands existed in this country in the 1960’s and 70’s. The latter policy has in the past been a demand of both the labour and peace movements.
Just imagine what could be done with such released resources for worldwide wellbeing?
World hunger? Estimated by authoritative bodies to be able to be eradicated by a spending of $11 - 14 billions/year over a decade. Over those ten years that would be maximum $140 billions. Providing clean drinking water to everyone worldwide? $150 billions/year over a similar timescale.
Combined these two policy initiatives would cost $290 billions in total. 2.2% of that available of the resources released via the policies above. Imagine what else could be accomplished with that capital?
Pro-rata what could be achieved in Britain with the sort of money that would be available? Imagine a government working in the interests of people rather than as a protection racket in the interests of billionaire oligarchs and the military industrial complex whose interests are intertwined, selfish and in opposition to peoples’ needs. We could make our NHS great again, invest in industry, provide jobs for our young people, provide pensions that allow our elderly to live a life free from fear. Develop agriculture, name it. To do these things require people to reject the policies of the mainstream parties. To begin to organise an alternative, that alternative is socialism.
That is what the Socialist Labour Party stands for. Take a stand, join today.
James McDaid, Leader, Socialist Labour Party. 17/7/2023