250,000 March Against Austerity in London

Last Saturday's People's Assembly demonstration calling on the government to end austerity policies now was a massive success. Around a quarter of a million people took to the streets of the capital to make their demands on the government clear.
Four coachloads from Derby were filled with people outraged by the continued attacks on vital public services and the most vulnerable people in society. The protesters came from all walks of life and while most were cheerful even in the rain, there was a real sense of the anger that austerity policies have provoked in many people.

The demonstration was so big, that our NUT delegation couldn't even find the education bloc, so we missed most of the other NUT groups (although there are some great pictures up on the NUT website - click here to see them!) - although there were one or two colleagues even in the part of the march we were in:

One protester told me that he had watched the march enter Parliament Square for over an hour, and had still not seen the tail end!

Although Charlotte Church's impassioned speech has (deservedly) got the headlines,

Many leaders from the trades unions addressed the marchers in Parliament Square - not least of whom was our very own Christine Blower (seen here getting the attention of some marchers on their way into the square)!

 The case against austerity is so clear that young children can understand it,

but we need to do more than march if we are to change the government's mind, and stop the devastating cuts that are on the way for vital services that provide for all of us (including the 12% cut to education over the next parliament which the Tories were promising before the election). So get active in your union and your community and put the pressure on the Tories!