Placard designs to help tackle and question the dominance of the pollsters

The placard designs below were inspired by a recent Kwug Blog post,(1) and further contemplation done for Kwug's leaflet that will be unveiled outside Kilburn Jobcentre on Monday 8 May from 11am till 12 Noon, in a limited edition batch of 100.

They have also been influenced by Kitty S Jones' blog post Political polls and propaganda: the writing on the wall.(2)

Don't let the pollsters grind you down!

Mercenary pollsters manipulate mindsets

Mercenary pollsters play mind games

A: "Five more years." Q: Who pays pollsters?

A: "Five more years." Q: Who does your thinking?

Does closing face-to-face-outlets-improve-service?

See also the Crippen the Disabled Cartoonist cartoon Welfare Warfare Series Number 12: Opinion.

By Dude Swheatie of Kwug

Link addresses

1. http://kilburnunemployed.blogspot.co.uk/2017/04/revisiting-kwug-blogs-2015-uk-general-election-posting-pollsters-vision-excludes-those-offline.html
2. https://kittysjones.wordpress.com/2017/04/29/political-polls-and-propaganda-the-writing-on-the-wall/
3. http://www.crippencartoons.co.uk/wp-content/archive/cartoons/welfarewarfare/welfarewarfare12.shtml 

Progressive Alliance vs tribalism as an aid to democracy?

By Dude Swheatie of Kwug, expressing a personal viewpoint

Reading the Wembley Matters and London Green Left blogs and observing the output of Green Party leadership hustings, it seems to me that the idea of Green Party participation in a 'Progressive Alliance' arouses a lot of tribalism within the Green Party's eco-socialist tendency Green Left and Green Party activists in general. (1) (2) (3)

Kilburn Unemployed Workers Group is not party-politically aligned, containing members of various political parties and none, and we come together over the common concern of supporting vulnerable people while most of us are vulnerable ourselves as individuals.

Sure, there should have been more conferring with party members by the Green Party leadership before they made any pronouncements about a 'Progressive Alliance'.(4) Yet rather than condemning the other political parties, I believe that Greens including Green Left members could use the concept of a Progressive Alliance as a means of bringing those other political parties to change their ways.

Those other political parties would have to make great strides toward getting Greens to stand down. In a previous council election, Brent Green Party stood down one candidate in a three-seat ward to allow space for a candidate from pressure group Keep Willesden Green.(5)

Meanwhile, one of the greatest challenges for democracy is where a political party becomes so dominant for so long that its elected representatives lose any sense of connection with poor people who are so disenchanted as to become non-voters while that party uses 'regeneration' as a pathway to social exclusion. As Revd Paul Nicolson observes, while those in political power can become very detached we should not write them all off.(6)

Ultimately, a political party is a coalition. So too is a non-party-political grouping such as Kilburn Unemployed Workers Group. Co-operation as in the forming of a progressive alliance or even moving toward the formation of a progressive alliance can be a challenge. Kwug has had at least one Lib Dem activist among its members and we have not written them off for what Lib Dem MPs colluded with in a Con-Dem coalition. The standards required in forming and moving toward a progressive alliance can be a bridge whereas excessive tribalism can be a wall that shuts us out of exerting any influence. Mahatma Gandhi observed that no enemy can be thoroughly disarmed until they have become befriended.

Link addresses

1. http://wembleymatters.blogspot.co.uk/search?q="progressive+alliance"
2. http://londongreenleft.blogspot.co.uk/search?q="progressive+alliance"
3. https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=green+party+leadership+hustings+2016
4. https://www.greenparty.org.uk/news/2016/06/29/green-party-calls-for-progressive-electoral-alliance-talks/
5. http://wembleymatters.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/greens-back-independent-grassroots.html
6. Around 35 minutes to 36 minutes mark at https://soundcloud.com/oldvictheatre/how-to-change-the-world 

Dude Swheatie of Kwug, a Green Party and Green Left member expressing a personal viewpoint.

Kilburn Unemployed members sing the praises of Tony Cox and welfare advocates everywhere

We sang:

Tony! Tony Cox!Tony! Tony rocks!'Ficialdom [officialdom] quakes in its bootsWhen you have supports!

We were determined to follow through on our show of solidarity for Tony Cox — on trial on trumped up charges in Dundee — after weather and travel related problems scuppered our outdoor demonstration at Kilburn Jobcentre today.

So one of us brought along his baritone ukulele and own composition song 'A Song for Tony Cox' and taught it to others at the end of our weekly business meeting in which we helped vulnerable people with their casework. (Like our early morning demo, our afternoon meeting attendance was severely hit by the weather and other disruptions. One member's home was flooded, too!)

Officialdom has put Tony up on the trumped up charge of 'grooming a vulnerable person'. The reality is that the Department for Work and Pensions and its privatised subcontractors would rather keep such people in the dark about their rights, and so it is best for welfare advocacy organisations to be proactive. The motto or golden rule of the Kilburn Unemployed Workers Group is, "Never attend anywhere official alone."

The act of accompanying someone at such meetings might be described as a 'pre-emptive first strike' against some of the dirty tricks that the DWP and its cronies including G4S security guards get up to.

Kilburn Unemployed blog posts referring to Tony Cox (1)

Link address

http://kilburnunemployed.blogspot.co.uk/search?q="Tony+Cox"

Thurs 23 June Kilburn Jcp demo for Tony Cox and welfare advocacy rained off

The blog administrator gives belated apologies for cancellation of today's much publicised Kilburn demo in support of Tony Cox and welfare advocates everywhere.

This was the sequence of events for the morning from the blog administrator's point of view:

1. Breakfasted and toileted from about 08:00. While still recovering from recent bout of debilitating illness, felt just about okay for attending while the weather seemed extremely dodgy
2. Turned mobile on about 08:30 to check for any incoming SMS [text messages]. (Mobile turned off most of the time when not in use to save very weak battery power of supplied battery for Doro EasyPhone.) No messages received by departure time
3. Departed 09:05, forgetting to pick up mobile and encountered two train cancellations plus further 10 minute delay
4. Arrived Kilburn Jcp about 10:00, seeing no Kwuggies present but weather settled into easing off from raining, and remained a further 15 minutes with no sign of anyone else turning up for demo
5. Arrived home much later to discover SMS on mobile stating: "Due to rain and thunder, leafleting called off. Don't know if you could mention it on blog?"

Well, it is now mentioned, albeit very belatedly with the blog administrator's apologies.

And another Kwuggie had emailed Scottish Unemployed Workers Network:

Dear SUWN,
Regrettably, the stormy wet weather has forced us to cancel our support for Tony Cox. We shall not be outside Kilburn JCP this morning but we are certainly thinking of him.
We wish Tony and SUWN very good luck!

Conclusion

Global warming creates more storms and upsets; yet one of its worst aspects is its precarity, making weather forecasting much more unreliable.

It would seem therefore to this blog administrator that activist groups need to consider investing in weather gear and weather-resistant leaflets.

KUWG Diary April 2015

From Argotina, Ivy, and CJ

Updates including hustings dates and Mary Laver's 9 April birthday celebration for Iain Duncan Smith uploaded Tuesday 7 April.

4^th April WaveOfActionUK ANTI FASCIST Protest - Celebrating A Year Of Action! 13.00, Trafalgar Square. Starts with a 100 guitar event, and coincides with world Pillow Fight day also in Trafalgar Square at 3pm. This is happening the same day as German neo Nazi group Pegida to target London on the 4th April Easter weekend and we will join any counter march at 4 http://edlnews.co.uk/…/german-neo-nazi-group-pegida-to-tar…/

Latest news on this: http://edlnews.co.uk/2015/03/25/all-london-anti-fascist-bloc-announce-anti-pegida-demo-on-the-4th-april/

7^th April – Nygell Ferminger commemoration, at Kilburn Jobcentre, Cambridge Ave, NW6 5AH (map location) 9.45 - 10.30 am, then to 32a Cambridge Ave (where he used to live)

just to confirm this Tuesday 7th April is Nigel Firminger remembrance with still protesting about Elisabet who has had JSA stopped and has been confirmed that her Housing Benefit has stopped and her rent due to be paid to private landlord won't be paid this Monday!!

Tue 7^th April 6pm, Unite Campaign meeting, at Union Regional Office, 33 - 37 Moreland St EC1 V8BB (against sanctions, Maximus Work Capability Assessments & other welfare attacks).
 

Tue 7^th April 7.30pm – Sweets Way Resists: Public meeting, 76 Oakleigh Road North, N20 9EZ (Northern line: Totteridge & Whetstone) http://occupylondon.org.uk/sweets-way-campaigners-plan-weekend-of-fun-and-resistance-in-new-occupation/

.

Thu 9 April: Independent Living Fund campaigner Mary Laver celebrates 61st birthday of  'quietly determined man' Iain Duncan Smith. See Mary Laver's Birthday Bash for IDS, April 9th House of Commons to Chingford — DPAC.

Thu 9 April 7.30pm for 8pm start - Hustings for Hampstead & Kilburn parliamentary seat: Queen's Park Area Residents Association (QPARA) - St Anne's Church, 125 Salusbury Rd, NW6 6RG. Further details at QPRARA website. 

Fri 10 April 8pm - Hampstead & Kilburn Hustings: St Andrew's church hustings, Finchley Road, NW3 7DY - 8pm. Location map 
Mon 13 April 7.30pm - Hustings: Brent Stop the War hustings - Pakistan Community Centre,  Station Parade NW2 4PU. Location map
  
Wed 15 April at 6 pm March for the Homeless  Whitehall SW1

Wed 15 April 7pm - Hustings: Hampstead & Kilburn constituency. West Hampstead Synagogue at Dennington Park Lane NW6 1AX. Location map

Wed 15 April 7 - 9pm, Hustings: Brent Central Constituency, Tavistock Community Centre (back of Harlesden Methodist Church), Harlesden High Street, NW10 4NB. Location map

Fri 17 April 8pm - Hustings for Brent Central constituency: Church of the Transfiguration, 1 Wrentham Avenue, NW10 3HT. Location map  

Sun 19 April - Hampstead & Kilburn Hustings: Brondesbury Park Synagogue, 143/145 Brondesbury Park, London, NW2 5JL. Location map
Tue 21 April 7pm - Hampstead & Kilburn Hustings: Camden Federation of Private Tenants - Swiss Cottage Library, 88 Avenue Road, NW3 3HA. Location map

Wed 22 April 8pm - Hampstead & Kilburn Hustings: Ham & High hustings at JW3, Finchley Road, NW3 6ET. Location map

Saturday 25^th April - 2^nd May – Week of Action Against Workfare and Sanctions

1^st May, 10am-11am: KUWG at Kilburn Jcp, Cambridge Ave, NW6 5AH (map location)   as part of Week of Action against Workfare,and to allow people to get to mayday march which normally assembles noon.

30^th May Boycott Workfare National welfare action gathering, London Welsh Centre, Grays Inn Rd 10.30Aam to 5.30pm. Register your interest at : info@boycottworkfare.org

 
20^th June 12. noon 'End Austerity Now' national demo at the Bank of England organised by the Peoples Assembly Against Austerity

30th June: Abolition of Independent Living Fund set to come in. Conservative plans are for already cuts-ridden councils to take over, creating ever-greater 'divide and rule' tensions in the name of 'protecting the most vulnerable': i.e. setting up breadcrumb battles as to who is the most vulnerable. What will KUWG do about the matter? Here — with more details of what ILF has helped the most severely disabled do already — is what Save ILF campaigner Mary Laver is already aiming to do for 9 April 2015 — the 61st birthday of Iain Duncan Smith whose DWP decided to scrap the ILF: Mary Laver's Birthday Bash for IDS, April 9th House of Commons to Chingford — DPAC.

Kwug xmas carol 5

To the tune of 'Santa Claus is Coming to Town' - original version can be heard here:

Universal Credit's hit town

to the tune of Santa Claus is coming to Town

You better watch out
You better not cry
You better not pout
I'm telling you why
Universal Credit's hit town
Universal Credit's hit town
Universal Credit's hit town

They're making a list,
Checking it twice;
Gonna find out who's naughty or nice.
Universal Credit's hit town
Universal Credit's hit town
Universal Credit's hit town

They see you when you're sleeping
They know when you're awake
They're waiting with their sanctions
So be good for goodness sake

If you are alone, and not on the sick,
Not doing a course? Then they're making it stick.
Universal Credit's hit town
Universal Credit's hit town
Universal Credit's hit town

They see you when you're sleeping
They know when you're awake
They're waiting with their sanctions,
So be good for goodness sake

You better watch out
You better not cry
You better not pout
I'm telling you why
Universal Credit's hit town
Universal Credit's hit town
Universal Credit's hit town

Kwug xmas carol 4

to the tune of 'All I want for Xmas is You ' - for original Mariah Carey song see here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWEfszb9h8Q. Only the first part of the song as the bridge is just too hard to sing!

 

ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS FOOD.

I don't want a lot for Christmas
There is just one thing I need
I don't care about the presents
Underneath the Christmas tree

I don't want a lot for Christmas
Just a roof above my head
If I was paid a living wage
All of this need not be said

I just want enough to eat
And to fund a little heat
Make my wish come true
All I want for Christmas is FOOD,
FOOD, baby

I don't need to hang my stocking
There upon the fireplace
Santa Claus won't make me happy
With a toy on Christmas Day
 

Oh, I don't want a lot for Christmas
This is all I'm asking for
I just want to feed my baby,
Not use food banks any more

Oh, I just want fair work, fair pay
Earn enough to make my way
Make my wish come true
Baby, all I want for Christmas is FOOD,

FOOD baby

All I want for Christmas is food, baby
All I want for Christmas is food, baby
All I want for Christmas is food, baby
All I want for Christmas is food, baby

Kwug xmas carol 3

Hark, the Herald Angels...

Hark, the Herald Angels hiss

Who is this Iain Duncan Smith?

Peace on Earth, Goodwill to men?

Foodbank use gone up again,

Charging them for extra bedrooms,

Council tax and little headroom

Spreading hunger, debt and woe

Duncan Smith has got to go.

Spreading hunger, debt and woe

Duncan Smith has got to go.

Hark, the herald angels moan

Who is David Cameron?

Peace on earth, goodwill to men,

If they're from the establishment

If they're rich then he will help them

If they're poor then he will belt them

Spreading hunger, debt and woe

David Cameron has got to go.

Spreading hunger, debt and woe

David Cameron has got to go

Hark, the herald angels weep,

What is this austerity?

Peace on earth, goodwill to men,

But treat them with severity

It's just the poor that pay the price

Bankers doing very nice

Spreading hunger, debt and woe

Austerity has got to go,

 Spreading hunger, debt and woe

Austerity has got to go.

KUWG: Give poor folk breaks, not summonses

Campaigning to give poor families breaks, not summonses

KUWG members joined members of Brent Fightback and Unite Community, Ealing Housing Co-op, and Zacchaeus 2000 — Justice for vulnerable debtors in demonstrating outside Willesden Magistrates Court this morning in the face of Brent Council's summonses of people for Council Tax debt. (Marc Francis of Zacchaeus 2000 was there to make initial contact with people needing help, rather than as a demonstrator. Z2K is an Information, Advice and Guidance charity, and due to the short notice had not time to position advocates on the scene for today.)

The demo was called at such short notice that the KUWG placard input, 'Give poor folk breaks, not summonses' had to be handwritten and digitally enhanced so that that message could stand out better in the photo. (KUWG placards are usually photocopy enlarged at Kingsgate Community Centre or the library, but there was not time for that today._

Sarah Cox of Brent Fightback established a rapport with one of the people summonsed, and was clearly knowledgeable about how the person summonsed could best help themselves. So Swheatie of the KUWG drew on the KUWG motto — NEVER ATTEND ANYWHERE OFFICIAL ALONE — in suggesting to the person summonsed that anti-Poll Tax veteran Sarah accompany her into the Court. Result: the person summonsed will be making an application for Housing Benefit that she was not aware she was entitled to as a person with an employment agency. The helped person also received advice about KUWG meetings and was very interested in the prospect of attending the 27 August KUWG meeting on housing.

The photo below was taken by Martin Francis of Brent Fightback and Brent Green Party. More detail about the demonstration can be found on the Wembley Matters blogpost: 

Solidarity as more Brent residents are summonsed by Brent Council for non-payment of Council Tax

Anti-Bedroom Tax Demo, 5 April 2014: Swheatie's snaps

Mainly outside One Hyde Park

Love community, loathe obscene inequality!

Our Nora picks up mail from new doormat

Our Abby with a vampire on her back

Dashing knight and damsel in Knighsbridge

Our Lexie knows which side of pavement to stand!

In search of spare bedrooms 1

Crowd amasses slowly

Where are the police? We are the new police!

Is this building a 'carbuncle'?

Our Clarence is not camera-shy!

CJ deserves a medal for what he's been through

Hi, ho! Hi, ho! It's on the march we go

'Welfare reform' spells doom & gloom clouds

When Bad Things Happen to Good People

Kate Belgrave helps give a taste of claimants'/customers' views of Marylebone Jobcentre in Lisson Grove off Marylebone Road. She writes the Kilburn Unemployed:

Have put up a post about Lisson Grove here:
http://www.katebelgrave.com/2014/03/im-62-and-they-threaten-me-with-sanctions-more-stories-from-the-jobcentre/

Swheatie of the Kilburn Unemployed Workers Group says:

"In their isolation, it's tempting but not productive for people who are harassed on benefits to ask: 'Why is it always me?'

"There are more effective questions to ask and more effective ways to ask them. The KUWG now has an answer to Osbourne's 'austerity' budget box and demonisiation of people who did not cause the banks' collapse. We're more angry than frightened; and we also have a 'bull horn' that helps wake people up. We also occasionally have Kate Belgrave to come along with us, ask questions, and listen.

"And when we have done that, people have come up to us and asked questions like: 'How can I donate money to your group? I think it's really important what you are doing.'

"How about talking to someone about what you have read here? How can you help make 'Magic Monday' material out of what Kate blogs about?"

KUWG members more angry than frightened, loud and proud in Lisson Grove

Kilburn Unemployed Workers Group members leafleting at Marylebone Jobcentre, Lisson Grove on Wednesday 26 March

We leafleted accompanied by Kate Belgrave who took the original of the photo below.

KUWG members "more angry than frightened" at Marylebone Jobcentre

One new claimant told Kate that he had been instructed to apply for 25 jobs per week, Clarence and the KUWG 'bull horn' helped inform passers by why we were there, "more angry than frightened" as the KUWG Placard Flower's answer to the Chancellor of the Exchequer's 'Budget Box' proclaimed, and one immaculately dressed lady asked: "How can I make a donation to your group? I think that what you are doing is very important."

KUWG setting up at Lisson Grove 1

KUW setting up at Lisson Grove 2

Expressionists with an Old Master

Follow-up to leafleting Kilburn Jobcentre on Monday 10 February with support from Kate Belgrave

See Kate's blog piece about this: Four people talk about sanctions and the pointlessness of jobcentre.

Support Tube Revenue Strike, Friday 7 February, 6:30pm at Willesden Green Station

Kilburn Unemployed supporting tube staff

Hi everyone

There's an action that tube workers are taking today as part of  their dispute, a "revenue Strike" an attempt to try out strategies that hurt management and bring the public onside. I've got a load of the RMT leaflets and "Cut Fares not Jobs" postcards and will go hand them out at 6.30pm tonight at Willesden Green tube. The more the merrier,

http://metro.co.uk/2014/02/06/theres-another-tube-strike-happening-this-month-but-its-not-what-you-think-4293668/

Robin