All the wal bank

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YES! He's done it! A giveaway budget that gives nothing whatever to the working class, but hands f1 billion to bolster the profits of big business.

By cutting the surcharge on employers' National Insurance contributions by 1%, Geoffrey Howe knows he will make not the slightest dent in the soaring unempl oyment figures.

Indeed, Tory predictions, despite endless hints that lower inflation means an upturn just around the corner, show a 10% increase in unemployment to an official figure of nearly 3.4 million.

With industry still not yet at the bottom of the recession, and continuing to lay off workers, Howe's cut in employers' contributions will not create jobs, but simply. fill the wallets of the directors and shareholders.

In fact, Howe is raising workers' national insurance payments, and proposing to cut back benefits and pensions to deny claimants and the elderly any benefit from the fall in inflation fall in inflation.

Nor of course will it be the working class thạt benefits from the tax cuts confidently predicted for Howe's official Budget next spring.

And while the Health Service and education are slashed to ribbons by cuts. Howe finds an extra £622 million for Thatcher's arms bill - to finance the imperialist war effort in the Falk. lands/Malvinas.

It has become a cliche to say that the Tories are the party of the rich: but in these times of mounting misery and growing poverty Howe's mini-budget makes brutally clear the Thatcher cabinet's contempt for the vast majority of society, and their dedication to the inter. ests of their own class.

A Labour or TUC leader ship even half committed tc the interests of the working class would today be mobil ising mass action to chall enge Thatcher rather thar sabotaging struggles : and witch-hunting socialists.

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