On March 26 thousands of people will descend on London to protest against the government’s public spending cuts. There will be a lot of different reasons for committing to this march but we will all be united in registering our anger at the government’s current proposals. Here are my reasons.

The government is making people pay for an economic crisis who are definitely not to blame for it.

The way I see it the collapse of the global economy is the logical result of a culture of individualism, consumerism and credit fostered by the 1980s UK and US governments to boost economies and promote big business. A fatal era of excess followed in which big business flourished and this culture was propagated by the banks. Making such savage cuts to public spending now means the poor, low-income earners and people who rely on care services are paying a lot more for it than those responsible or those that benefited at the time. Government should hold those to account that made such drastic action necessary, spreading the burden of the recession fairly, protecting always the most vulnerable.

To defend public services as public services: “outsourcing” public services to private sector businesses is damaging.

THE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTOR HAVE FUNDAMENTALLY DIFFERENT VALUES

The core value of public services is to provide services to the public, based on what the public want and need and to be accountable to the public whose taxes pay for them. The core value of private sector business is to make a profit. Nothing is worth doing for a business unless it will ultimately make more money. Helping improve quality of life for people (the role of public services) doesn’t figure anywhere in the business ethos. There isn’t any money in improving public services for areas of the UK that really need it so why would a business waste its time there? Private services would cater for those that can afford them while anyone who can’t is left behind, increasing inequality in the UK.

PUBLIC SERVICES NEED TO BE ACCOUNTABLE TO THE PUBLIC WHO USE AND PAY FOR THEM

Business is accountable only to its shareholders. And the law. But mostly its shareholders. Business is certainly not accountable to the public, which means we’ll have less or no say in the services we use. Public services can and should promote equality and transparency, something private business is currently under no obligation to do.

BUSINESSES SHOULDN’T HAVE MORE INFLUENCE ON GOVERNMENT THAN THE PUBLIC DOES

Government can be held to ransom by big businesses who exploit off-shoring for tax avoidance while holding over governments’ heads the promise that if they’re not allowed to do this, they could take their business elsewhere. So as better private services are provided in areas that can afford them, quality of life becomes increasingly dependent on where you can afford to live, increasing and widening divides between the rich and poor.