By Imogen Thomas
There’s plenty of money in Britain to guarantee all of our essential needs, including Energy For All. But that wealth is being hoarded by billionaires, and our politicians are letting them get away with it.
That’s why FPA members took to the streets of London on Saturday to join the Make Them Pay national demonstration.
Our members found the march ‘joyful and hopeful’ and commended the platforming of speakers from the Global South. They joined hundreds of other protesters to call for Make Them Pay’s three demands:
1. Tax the super-rich
The NHS is crumbling, schools are underfunded, energy bills keep rising – and billionaires keep getting richer. But politicians are choosing to balance the books on the backs of the poorest people. It’s time to tax the super-rich and use this money to fund the services we all depend on.
2. Protect workers, not billionaires
The economy should work for the people who keep the country running, not corporations and billionaires. Our government must prioritise creating decent, well-paid, unionised jobs for everyone in every community, and supporting the renewable industries of the future, rather than preserving extreme wealth for a few at the top.
3. Make polluters pay
Half the world’s emissions come from a handful of fossil fuel companies. Polluting corporations across a host of sectors have known about the danger they’re putting us all in for decades. The people who have made trillions knowingly destroying nature, and putting our futures at risk, must foot the bill for cleaning up the mess they’ve created.
When it came to speeches, it was a star-studded lineup; FPA member Vicky found the speeches the highlight of the day.
Speakers included Dominique Palmer, Brian Eno, Zack Polanski, Stella Swain and Gary Stevenson. FPA member Sioux found Faiza Shaheen’s speech particularly powerful.
If you have FOMO, you can join us next week in Liverpool. We’ll be protesting MPs leaving us out in the cold at the end of Labour Conference.
Join us and raise your voice as the delegates pass in and out of the conference. Let’s demand government act on tangible solutions:
- Improve homes to slash energy bills with proper heating systems, insulation and access to free solar generation
- Stop the gas rip off by delinking the price of cheap, renewably generated electricity from the much higher cost of gas
- Distribute excess power from the wind and sun for use by people who need it
We can’t wait to see you next time!
