Anti-Growth Coalition

I set up anti-growth-coalition.org because I was so inspired by UK Prime Minister Liz Truss's use of the phrase in her Conservative Party Conference speech on 5 October 2022, to sum up the forces opposing her outdated, discredited principle that all that is needed to make Britain prosper is "growth, growth, growth"; so inspired, that I thought I would be proud to own this phrase!

What she did not say was that the growth she craves comes at the expense of:

• the planet. She regards climate change protesters as the enemy and only otherwise mentioned climate change, in passing, once in her speech. She wants to start fracking again and employs a business secretary whose stated aim is to exploit the North Sea for every last drop of oil. Unfettered economic growth will not save the planet, though, ironically, working towards green energy and land use, and supporting biodiversity, will bring sustainable economic prosperity;

• human rights. She employs a Home Secretary who says it is her "dream" to see a front-page newspaper photograph of a plane carrying refugees to Rwanda, and who wants to suppress legitimate protest, including the right to strike;

• fairness. She wanted to give a £50,000 handout to everyone on a million-pound salary, through her Chancellor's proposed cut of the 45p tax rate. She is refusing to rule out a real-terms cut in benefits, most of which are needed by people who are already working their socks off in low-paid jobs. Trickle-down economics is completely discredited; no serious economist believes that tax cuts for the rich will help the poor.

I'm afraid that all I can think of when I recall Liz Truss's use of the word "growth" is some kind of festering tumour.

So please take note of her handy list of enemies: opposition political parties, climate change activists, "Brexit deniers", the BBC, north Londoners, etc. as an indication of where our energies should be focused. Together, we can do so much better!

Mike Knee
Alton, Hampshire, UK