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Proceeding contribution from Lord Hain (Labour) in the House of Commons on Wednesday, 30 March 2011. It occurred during Grand Committee proceedings (HC) on The Budget.


The Budget

No you did not hear it, Mr Havard. The Government promised to give people a hand up, not a handout. Instead, they are handing out P45s to the people of Wales by the bucketful. People now know for sure that the Prime Minister’s big society really means bigger holes in Welsh society. They see it for what it is—a see-through society, a threadbare society—and they do not like it. Ministers are hiding behind the label of localism as they force councils, including Welsh councils, to make savage cuts to public services. It is not localism, but vocalism that will triumph as the voices of protest are heard in the Assembly elections on 5 May. Just like in the days of the poll tax, people will deliver their verdict on Government policy in the ballot box. They will punish those responsible for inflicting such unfair, unnecessary, and painful measures with a Labour victory on 5 May.


Secondary information

Type
Proceeding contribution
Reference
WGC c28-9 
Session
2010-12
Chamber / Committee
House of Commons Grand Committees
Subjects
Business Economic policy Public expenditure Wales Taxation Enterprise zones Budget March 2011
Link
View this Proceeding contribution on www.publications.parliament.uk