With the death of Pope Francis, the world loses not only a church leader but also a moral compass

WITH so much despicable legislation going through Parliament it would not be surprising if the Subsidy Control Bill hasn’t been at the forefront of people’s concerns.
It isn’t a vicious attack on civil liberties like the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, nor is it undermining basic rights to citizenship as in the Nationality and Borders Bill, but it is still an important piece of legislation.
Subsidies are an important part of how the so-called free market operates. Ralph Nader called it “corporate welfare.” Martin Luther King Jnr called it socialism for the rich and capitalism for the poor. The myth of self-sufficient businesses generating wealth and sustaining our economy is of course rubbish.

From the ‘marketisation’ of care services to the closure of cultural venues and criminalisation of youth, a new Red Paper reveals how austerity has weakened communities and disproportionately harmed the most vulnerable, write PAULINE BRYAN and VINCE MILLS


