'Rally against debt' activists call for more cuts in Westminster protest
Pro-cuts groups, including Ukip and the TaxPayers' Alliance, look to US Tea Party movement for inspiration as anger grows over EU bailouts
Tracy McVeigh and agencies
Sat 14 May 2011 11.44 EDT First published on Sat 14 May 2011 11.44 EDT
A protester calls for lower taxes during the rally against debt in Westminster. Photograph: Carl Court/AFP/Getty Images
It was never going to rally the nation, but the pro-cuts demonstration outside parliament did manage to attract about 350 people, who carried placards demanding more spending cuts and cheered the burning of an EU flag.
The Rally Against Debt was organised in response to the TUC protests in London in March, in which hundreds of thousands marched against the government's austerity measures.
Despite being the butt of derision on many social media websites, from where the idea for the rally originated, the small but determined group insisted they were speaking for the silent majority who believe that the cuts are needed.
Organisers compared the rally to the US Tea Party movement, but the turnout was far lower than had been pledged – more than 1,400 people had indicated on Facebook that they would attend – and it finished earlier than planned.
Even one of the most vocal supporters of the rally, the author Toby Young, apologised for missing it because he had a previous engagement at a pirate exhibition.
Annabelle Fuller, a former adviser to Ukip, said that it was a significant demonstration "highlighting the importance of tackling the huge public sector deficit, and the need for substantial spending cuts".
At one point, people chanted: "What do we want? Cuts! When do we want them? Now!"
Speakers at the event included Paul Staines, a rightwing political blogger who uses the pseudonym Guido Fawkes, Matthew Sinclair, director of the TaxPayers' Alliance, and Nigel Farage of Ukip.
Sinclair said that cuts to state spending were essential: "There have been lots of chances for other groups to register their protest, and we want to give a voice to people who represent quite a heavy majority who think spending cuts are right and necessary.
"But some areas aren't being cut at all while spending is rising elsewhere, with contributions to the EU and international development spending."
The organisation's debt clock, mounted on a lorry, was driven past the protest several times.
Priti Patel, Conservative MP for Witham, said: "This government is all about deficit reduction. I don't think enough people realise the extent of the debt facing this country. It is totally unsustainable.
"This is a wake-up call that debt is here to stay unless we deal with it in a serious way."
Mark Littlewood, director general of the Institute of Economic Affairs, told the rally: "We won't put up with this. We are the selfless movement. We're not asking for money, we're asking for cuts to make sure our children and grandchildren don't have to foot the bill."
One protester, James Dighton, a 24-year-old accountant from Leeds, said: "It's very important to get the message out there that not everyone in the country thinks the cuts are unnecessary – quite the opposite, in fact."
A handful of protesters opposed to cuts were also present, with one waving a sign mocking the rally that read: "Libraries suck."
The action comes amid growing interest among rightwing groups in learning from the US Tea Party movement, which has mobilised hundreds of thousands of activists to march against Barack Obama's policies. Electoral commission records show that in March, Ukip activists registered the name Tea Party as a political party. It is not yet active, but they said they could field candidates in general elections, byelections and local elections.