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Beyond Westminster

Factual: Politics

Series looking at politics beyond and outside the Westminster parliament

Beyond Westminster: 14/08/2010

14/08/2010

BBC Radio 4 - Beyond Westminster, 14/08/2010

As public spending cuts loom, how can voters influence where the axe may fall?

The coalition has asked voters for their views about how and where public spending cuts might fall, but Elinor Goodman asks if their voices will be heard beyond Westminster.

Cuts in public spending are coming and, according to a recent opinion poll, a majority of voters accept that they will have to happen if the budget deficit is to be reduced. 

But what happens when people realise that cuts may affect them personally? The coalition government has asked voters for feedback about how and where the cuts might bite. How else can voters make their voices heard beyond Westminster, short of going on strike? How will lobbyists argue their case for protecting certain elements of society from their effects? Some union leaders predict a return to the 1980s when a mass movement was mobilised against the cuts imposed by Margaret Thatcher's government. But others see a new politics about to emerge, beyond political parties and beyond ideology, a new agenda that may lead towards an unpredictable political future across the country. With Westminster in its summer recess, these are key issues for voters around the country, whatever their view of the need for cuts may be. Elinor Goodman assesses the mood of the electorate

Presenter: Elinor Goodman
Producer: Paul Vickers.

Intelligent speech, the most insightful journalism, the wittiest comedy, the most fascinating features and the most compelling drama and readings anywhere in UK radio.

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Beyond Westminster

14/08/2010

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