Universal Credit's long waits and short-term-benefits-advance [S.T.B.A.] stab-in-the-back debt slavery

S.T.B.A.: stab-in-the-back debt slavery

13 July update on Disability News Service top stories

The Kwug Blog editor knows that today is 14 July, but the actual publication day of Disability News Service was Thursday 13 July and Thursday is that publication's regular publication date.

Latest Stories

• 
  July 13, 2017 0 Activists set for ‘David and Goliath’ fight to defeat assisted suicide court bid
• 
  July 13, 2017 0 Government’s UN response ‘exposes failings on disability convention’
• 
  July 13, 2017 0 Inclusion London set to test social model job support, after £775k grant
• 
  July 13, 2017 0 Osborne shares ‘discriminatory’ cartoon ‘that breaches his own code of conduct’
• 
  July 13, 2017 0 Project aims for inclusion and a collective voice for ‘spoonies’
• 
  July 13, 2017 0 Labour silent on access for disabled MP excluded from debates
• 
  July 13, 2017 0 DPAC set for week of protests over social care, Atos and access to transport
• 
  July 13, 2017 0 Purple boss raises concerns over Disability Confident accreditation
• 
  July 6, 2017 0 New disabled MP accuses government of ‘eugenics’

June 29, 2017 headlines from Disability News Service

The latest news from Disability News Service was published today. Very few of these stories will even be mentioned on the BBC, and that is all the more reason to flag them up here, to help make readers aware of them.

Dude Swheatie of Kwug

Latest Stories

• 
  June 29, 2017 0 New disabled commissioner ‘astounded and offended’ by EHRC treatment
• 
  June 29, 2017 0 UN confirms that UK government’s treaty violations were both grave AND systematic
• 
  June 29, 2017 0 Court awards disabled woman ‘aggravated’ damages for ombudsman discrimination
• 
  June 29, 2017 0 Mencap care staff ‘called resident “poison dwarf” and reused feeding syringes’
• 
  June 29, 2017 0 Ministers’ silence over why WCA legislation is missing from Queen’s speech
• 
  June 29, 2017 0 Crossbench disabled peer calls for an end to austerity, and the misery it has caused
• 
  June 29, 2017 0 Disabled people ‘have too little awareness of rights’ in lead-up to Brexit
• 
  June 29, 2017 0 Disability arts misses out again, despite huge rise in diverse-led Arts Council funding
• 
  June 22, 2017 0 Queen’s speech: Government appears to dump Mordaunt’s WCA election promise
• 
  June 22, 2017 0 Queen’s speech: May ‘abandons’ election pledge on access

UK Government signed up to UNCRPD on 30/03/2007

Ten years ago this coming Thursday, a UK Government signed up to the UN Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities.(1)

I know because as the then London Green Party Disability Spokesperson, I was at a launch event at the Tottenham Court Road conference centre with a link to the signing ceremony at UN HQ in New York. The London event was hosted by disability charity Scope whose President was Cherie Booth -- the barrister wife of then UK Prime Minister Tony Blair. The New York event was attended by then Disability Minister Anne McGuire who was the one that signed the paper.

Representative statistics and unrepresentative national news media

I also recall the statistic being raised at the launch event that around one in five of the population had a disability of some sort. That statistic did not matter one bit to the UK's national press, who roundly ignored the event.

I would argue that that non-attendance has been largely responsible for what has transpired since in terms of UK government's reign of terror over disabled people. The same national news media that has apparently gone overboard in covering and retreading over last Thursday's 80 seconds of terrorist events around the UK Parliament seems to have vetoed the signing up by UK Government to legislation that would impact favourably on the lives of one in five of the UK population.

Dude Swheatie of Kwug

Note

1. http://www.un.org/press/en/2007/hr4914.doc.htm

Reclaiming Our Futures Alliance conference hears calls to build a stronger alliance

Disability News Service reported on 21 July:

ROFA’s conference hears call to build a stronger alliance

A campaigning alliance has called for disabled people and their organisations to join its fight to use the UN disability convention to defend attacks on their rights by the UK government.

The Reclaiming Our Futures Alliance (ROFA) was holding its third national conference in the five years since it was founded by a small group of disabled people’s organisation (DPOs) and grassroots groups.

More at http://www.disabilitynewsservice.com/rofas-conference-hears-call-to-build-a-stronger-alliance/

How to help stop TTIP

More 'armchair activism', this time from 38Degrees

Swheatie's preface

I have just signed the below, adding the paragraph:

My country's Government backs TTIP but that same Government is a coalition without a mandate for the savagery of the cuts to public services that it is committing. Those cuts make a mockery of the coalition constituent parties' commitment to equality for disadvantaged minorities, particularly sick and severely disabled people.

And concluding:

 Please also work to ensure that the EU commission website is much more accessible to disabled people.

What use is EU equalities legislation if it is to be waived aside by the whim of global corporations that pursue and exacerbate inequality?

Please be aware that the KUWG accepts no responsibility for such content as requests for financial assistance on other sites that it has links to.

38 Degrees write:

Great news. It looks like the EU is wavering on TTIP - the dodgy EU-US trade deal. Jean-Claude Juncker, who’s due to start a new job as the new EU Commission President, is hinting that ISDS could be removed. That's the bit of the deal that allows corporations like McDonald's or Marlboro to sue our government. [1]

This is one of the worst parts of TTIP - getting rid of it could help us see off the whole deal. But there’s a problem: our government is lobbying to keep it in. [2]

Right now, we need to show that the UK government isn’t speaking for us, the people of the UK. Thousands of us have already written to the EU to tell them that ISDS should be dropped. And it looks like it’s finally sinking in - so let’s not let our government undo our hard work.

If enough of us email Juncker directly, we can make sure TTIP is impossible to ignore. He won’t be used to this many ordinary people getting in touch! Can you email him today?
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/email-juncker-2

The deal was locked behind closed doors - only politicians and big businesses were supposed to hear about it. Together, we’ve changed that. We’ve signed petitions, we’ve spread the word about TTIP in our communities and we’ve put it firmly on the agenda of our MEPs. [3] And its paying off.

As Juncker takes office as the new EU Commission President, we can show him that he can stop hinting - we’ll support him removing ISDS from the deal. If we flood his inbox now, he’ll be left in no doubt that the idea of McDonald's or Marlboro suing our government is a no go area.

Please can you email Jean-Claude Juncker right now? There’s already some suggested words, so it’ll only take a minute or two:
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/email-juncker-2


Thanks for being involved,

India, Nat, Blanche & the 38 Degrees team


NOTES:
[1] Jean Claude Juncker speech to the European Parliament:
http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_SPEECH-14-705_en.htm
International Business Times: TTIP and ISDS: The obscure trade clause threatening to tear European politics apart:
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/ttip-isds-obscure-trade-clause-threatening-tear-european-politics-apart-1470908
[2] Financial Times: EU States tell Juncker not to water down trade deal:
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/e1dac340-59e1-11e4-9787-00144feab7de,Authorised=false.html?_i_location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ft.com%2Fcms%2Fs%2F0%2Fe1dac340-59e1-11e4-9787-00144feab7de.html%3Fsiteedition%3Duk&siteedition=uk&_i_referer=#axzz3GxJgsWUa
[3] TTIP Days of action on Youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgxAsRSpuqY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2tnLhtpRJQ

Keep disability arts alive — Care2 Action Alerts

From Christina C., Care2 Action Alerts

action alert! The arts are for everyone. But Cuts to the Access to Work scheme imperil the future of disabled artists. UK Government, Don’t Cut Disability Arts Funding! please share it helps!     Artists with disabilities including actress Nicola Miles-Wardin were at center stage in the Opening Ceremony for the 2012 Paralympics in London. At that time, many declared that disability arts had "come of age" in the UK. Two years later, all the gains made by disabled artists are threatened because of cuts to the Access to Work scheme. Just three decades ago, there was no expectation that someone with learning disabilities, autism or other disabilities could contribute culturally. Now, the UK is home to Graeae, a theatre company that champions accessibility, and Strictly Collaborative, an inclusive theatre company that disabled and non-disabled people can participate in. The UK has been called a leader in recognising and supporting disabled artists. Cuts to Access to Work will negate all that disabled artists have achieved. Reduced funding means that Graeae's artistic director, Jenny Sealey, who is deaf, and actors who rely on sign language interpreters will not be able to do their work. Sealey has even been told that only scientists and not artists can qualify for the highest level of interpreters. Theatre, dance and other arts are not only for the non-disabled. Tell the UK to support disability arts and not reduce their funding! Thank you for taking action, Kristina C. The Care2 Petitions Team