Wednesday, June 29, 2016



Austerity violates human rights

Its official: the UK's programme of austerity (which has seen widespread cuts to government services, the bankruptcy of the NHS, and a spate of benefit-cut induced suicides) violate human rights:

The United Nations has confirmed that the UK's Austerity policies breach the UK’s international human rights obligations.

The UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights has expressed “serious concern” about the impact of regressive policies on the enjoyment of economic and social rights in a damning report on the UK.

Based on evidence it received from Just Fair and other civil society groups, the Committee concludes that austerity measures and social security reform breach the UK’s international human rights obligations.


The UN particularly criticised the UK's failure to tackle homelessness and the growing reliance on food banks, as well as its vicious regime of benefit cuts and sanctions. All of these problems exist in New Zealand (because National copies Tory policies), which makes you wonder what sort of report we will get when we're up for review in 2017.