Ask well-informed questions of candidates while government bodies still gather the statistics!

Richard Osley of Camden New Journal and Islington Tribune writes in the Islington Tribune:

No mistakes: Justice Secretary Liz Truss can’t think of a single error made by Tory government (1)

JUSTICE Secretary Liz Truss was stumped today when the New Journal asked her if the Conservatives had made any mistakes at all in government since the last general election.

With cabinet members arriving in the target constituency of Hampstead and Kilburn at a rate of one every four days since Theresa May called a snap election, Ms Truss was in West Hampstead this afternoon (Thursday) to help with the local Conservative campaign aiming to unseat Labour’s Tulip Siddiq.

After rolling off a list of achievements and insisting that, despite her role in the Remain campaign, that her party had been right to call a national referendum on EU membership, the New Journal asked the simple question as to whether she could think of any mistake the government had made over the last two years.

She paused, looked surprised by the question, and then replied: “Well, I think given where we were as a country, given what we inherited in 2010, which was a country with serious financial problems, I think we’ve done a very good job in getting us back into a better position. We have record levels of employment, we’ve got more children in good and outstanding schools, we are putting more money into the NHS and that’s what people want to see....”

Perhaps that phrase ".... and that's what people want to see...." is the most telling piece of her speel, given the new policy of the Department for Work & Pensions closing jobcentres without a consultation of service users, and saying that closing jobcentres will 'improve the service'?(2) Her Party does not want the people who are not in regular 'nine-to-five' employment to be seen to expose the lies and statistical manipulations involved in her 'record levels of employment' vision that masks the misery of zero hours contracts and sanctions.

As William Davies writes of Tory leader yet to be mandated as Prime Minister, Theresa May: Theresa May's Vapid Vision for a One-Party State: (3)

.... The prime minister’s rhetoric since calling the general election has implied that the best outcome for “the national interest” would be to eradicate opposition altogether, whether that be in the news media, Parliament or the judiciary....

Elsewhere, the non-party-political Revd Paul Nicolson of Taxpayers Against Poverty writes:

Question Candidate MPs! More deaths More in hospital with malnutrition It will get worse What will you do about it? (4)

Questions for all Parliamentary Candidates;
Each question should be prefaced with

IS IT FAIR…

The NHS has reported that over 7300 people were admitted to hospital with malnutrition in 2014/15. Up 50% in the four years since 2010? http://taxpayersagainstpoverty.org.uk/news/food-bank-britain-amid

That the Office for National Statistics has revealed an unprecedented increase in deaths in 2015 after decades of improvement? http://www.theactuary.com/news/2017/03/an-unprecedented-rise-in-uk-deaths-will-see-life-expectancy-fall/

That the regressive impact of the market and austerity has damaged the health and wellbeing of millions of citizens since 1979 and in particular since 2010?http://taxpayersagainstpoverty.org.uk/news/tap-health-equality-campaign-of-9-blogs-against-a-national-disgrace-we-publ

That because rents are rising faster than incomes The Resolution Foundation has forecast ​ever ​lower incomes after housing costs reducing by 16% for the poorest citizens over the next four years while the highest incomes rise 4%? http://www.resolutionfoundation.org/app/uploads/2017/01/Audit-2017.pdf

That Income Support, Employment Support Allowance and Jobseekers Allowance all at £73.10pw and Universal Credit of £317pm are too low live on AND have to pay rent due to the bedroom tax and council tax http://taxpayersagainstpoverty.org.uk/news/the-great-injustice-in-cutting-esa-by-30-a-wee

That given what we know about the physical and emotional costs of moving house, the vulnerability of children’s education to frequent moves and the disruption to schooling and social networks, that councils are demolishing council estates rather than maintaining them?  http://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/publication/25331/412554-Housing-as-a-Platform-for-Improving-Education-Outcomes-among-Low-Income-Children.PDF

​To allow the UK to sleepwalk into a proliferation of insecure work which is short sighted, damages health and costs the taxpayers? http://taxpayersagainstpoverty.org.uk/news/allowing-uk-to-sleepwalk

In 2010 it was estimated that inequalities in health accounted for productivity losses of £31-£33 billion per year, and £20-£32 billion a year in lost taxes and higher welfare payments.  Additional NHS healthcare costs associated with inequality were estimated to be in excess of £5.5 billion a year?  http://taxpayersagainstpoverty.org.uk/news/health-inequalities-004
Rev Paul Nicolson

Those questions are based on official statistics that no doubt Justice Secretary Theresa May, Prime Minister Theresa May etc would rather have the public not see. So I would say, grab every opportunity you can! Ask those questions of candidates and highlight those statistical realities.

Otherwise, those who have landed Britain in such a mess in the name of 'austerity' and the reality of making economically vulnerable people subject to the bankers' debt, will abolish the requirement and budgeting for official bodies to gather the relevant statistics.

Similarly, you may wish to ask candidates questions around how Conservative Government has sought to so 'transform justice' that injustices are made invisible by removing people's right to challenge, say, dodgy benefits assessment challenges, etc.(5) 

Successful legal challenges embarrass the abusers of vulnerable people in a very unequal and divided Britain, and so do the statistics resulting from a legal system designed and equipped to challenge injustice rather than perpetuate injustice.

Link References

1. http://islingtontribune.com/article/no-mistakes-justice-secretary-liz-truss-cant-think-of-a-single-error-made-by-tory-government
2. http://kilburnunemployed.blogspot.co.uk/2017/04/terra-firma-benefits-services-closures-leave-the-economically-vulnerable-in-the-lurch.html 
3. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/11/opinion/theresa-mays-vapid-vision-for-a-one-party-state.html
4. http://taxpayersagainstpoverty.org.uk/news/question-candidate-mps-more-deaths
5. http://kilburnunemployed.blogspot.co.uk/search?q=Ministry+of+Justice

The new Prime Minister as ultimate mandator of safeguarding for vulnerable people

This blog has just published a guest blog post by Revd Paul Nicolson of Taxpayers Against Poverty: 'The Monstrous Unfairness of Benefit Sanctions'.(1)

The guest blog post cites a Guardian article 'If Theresa May [the new Prime Minister] is serious about tackling inequality she'll ditch Osborneomics'.(2) Of course, a keyword or keyword combination in the guest blog post is 'benefit sanctions'; a search for 'benefit sanctions' on that Guardian article revealed zero mention of 'benefit sanctions'. The sub-title of the guest blog post is 'PM must look below the statistics to tackle the inequalities of income, wealth, health & administration of justice', and of course the issuing of benefit sanctions' involves the application of someone's idea of punishment, a word associated with the administration of justice. Prof. David Webster of U. Glasgow has written that the application of benefit sanctions and lack of scrutiny regarding the application of benefit sanctions gives rise to statistics that are an indictment on our society.(3)

The gathering of statistics presupposes an awareness of what the researcher and policy makers are looking for. A search for the term 'benefit sanctions' in the new PM's speech draws a blank.(4) Theresa May's predecessor as Prime Minister who heralded a surge of benefit sanctions in a speech to Conservative & Unionist Party Autumn Conference 2007 in a speech calling for tougher benefit sanctions, when a lack of official safeguarding for vulnerable jobcentre clients was a major issue.(5) Further, regardless of who the new Conservative & Unionist Party Prime Minister is, elected in the absence of a General Election, an extension of the sanctioning regime is built into Universal Credit, while the emphasis goes from low pay to low income.(6) That extension of sanctions owes much to the abstentions of 184 Labour MPs before Jeremy Corbyn was elected its leader.

The forgetfulness and other health and competence issues that frequently accompany vulnerability make it more likely that poor people will not be able to fulfil their Claimant Conditionality; thus they are more likely to be sanctioned on Jsa, ESA WRAG [Work Related Activity Group] or Universal Credit.(7) and (8)

Now, it is even more likely that even more vulnerable people will be benefit sanctioned, as there will be fewer specialist Disability Employment Advisers to intervene when the inevitable happens.(9)

So, new UK Prime Minister Theresa May, have you mandated your newly appointed Secretary of State for Work & Pensions to address that matter?

Link addresses

1. http://kilburnunemployed.blogspot.co.uk/2016/07/the-monstrous-unfairness-of-benefit-sanctions.html
2. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/jul/19/theresa-may-industrial-inequality-osbornomics-austerity
3. https://www.crimeandjustice.org.uk/resources/benefit-sanctions-britains-secret-penal-system
4. http://www.theguardian.com/politics/ng-interactive/2016/jul/13/theresa-mays-speech-what-she-said-and-what-she-meant
5. http://kilburnunemployed.blogspot.co.uk/2016/07/benefit-claimants-require-firmer-safegards-not-tougher-sanctions.html
6. https://scottishunemployedworkers.net/2016/07/15/sharing-knowledge-in-the-face-of-further-attacks/
7. http://www.katebelgrave.com/2014/10/you-must-do-your-jsa-jobsearch-online-even-though-we-know-you-cant/
8. http://www.katebelgrave.com/2016/03/closed-claims-lost-housing-benefit-how-ids-contempt-for-sick-or-disabled-claimants-played/
9. http://www.katebelgrave.com/2016/07/video-jobcentre-adviser-says-disability-support-is-wrecked-fix-this-mr-green/

Jeremy Corbyn's office replies to KUWG's open letter on perils of Universal Credit

Jeremy Corbyn's office has replied on 9 May to KUWG's open letter to the Leader of the Opposition regarding the perils of Universal Credit.(1)

This is what they said:

Dear [KUWG], Thank you for contacting the Labour Party about Universal Credit. Labour’s new direction will offer a real alternative to the Tories damaging cuts to public services and lack of investment in our economy and our people. 2016 will be the start of a journey to elect a Labour government in 2020: a government that will deliver a fairer, more prosperous society that we can all enjoy - a society that works for all, not just the few. There were two major cuts to in-work support in the Summer Budget – one for tax credits and one for its replacement, Universal Credit. Only the tax credit element has been reversed. As a result, current claimants of Universal Credit face huge losses to their income come April 2016. The Government’s cuts to Universal Credit will leave over two million working families on Universal Credit £1,600 a year worse off by 2020.                                                                                                                                   New claimants of Universal Credit will receive far less support than tax credit claimants, including those who transfer across to Universal Credits. There is no rationale for unfairly reducing the support of a working family on Universal Credit compared to a family in the same circumstances on tax credits. This is a political choice by the Tories to drastically reduce support for working families. At a time when the Government is cutting inheritance tax for homes worth over a million pounds, it can’t be right to reduce support for working families. Labour opposes the Tories’ cuts to the work allowance and we are calling on the Government to reverse them in full. We really do appreciate you taking the time to share your views with us - your talents and experience make us stronger in the fight for a fairer, kinder country. We want to increase the say our members and supporters have in our policy making process, and as this develops we will keep you informed. If you’re not already, I’d encourage you to like us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/LabourParty)(2) or follow us on Twitter (www.twitter.com/uklabour)(3) so you can stay up-to-date with breaking news. You can also get involved in the debate and find out more about how we make policy at www.yourbritain.org.uk.(4)
 Best wishes, 
Communications AgentThe Labour Party

What sort of reply is that?

Links

1. http://kilburnunemployed.blogspot.co.uk/2016/05/dear-jeremy-corbyn-please-tell-cameron-about-universal-credits-flaws.html
2. https://www.facebook.com/labourparty/
3. https://twitter.com/uklabour
4. http://www.yourbritain.org.uk

High Pay Centre

The High Pay Centre is an independent non-party think tank established to monitor pay at the top of the income distribution and set out a road map towards better business and economic successs.

Find out more at http://highpaycentre.org

BBC1 tv's 'The Big Questions': Should a society be judged by how it treats its less fortunate members?

This was first broadcast on Sunday 20 March 2016. Panel members include Guardian columnist Owen Jones (a Labour Party member) and Green Party Work & Pensions Spokesperson Jonathan Bartley.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0755gl8/the-big-questions-series-9-episode-11

"Moral, ethical and religious debate with Nicky Campbell. Should a society be judged by how it treats its less fortunate members? Should climate change now be taken seriously?"

Petition BBC for transparent democracy

Uploaded by Dude Swheatie of Kwug(1)

Tell BBC to invite the Greens to the TV Questions and Answers on April 30

On 30 April, exactly one week before the 2015 General Election, the BBC will air an evening of programmes allowing audiences to question party leaders "one on one", including Prime Minister David Cameron, and Nigel Farage, leader of UKIP. The Green Party has not been given the same opportunity to face the public on that date.

We, the public, ask that Natalie Bennett, the Green Party leader, is given the same opportunity as every other party to face questions from an audience. We ask this for fairness and transparency in the run-up to the General Election.
BBC announcement: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2015-32360958

#InviteTheGreens

Letter to

BBC

Invite the Green Party to the TV Q&A programmes on 30 April

 If you would like the BBC to invite any other political parties to a Question & Answer session on April 30, why not contact change.org?(2)

Notes
(1) In uploading this petition, Dude Swheatie declares an interest in that he has been a Green Party member for over nine years now. And the BBC says, "If you love something, let it show!" Does the BBC love transparent democracy? 
(2) Kilburn Unemployed Workers Group is non-party-political, including members of various political parties and none.

JobCentre performance targets and benefit sanctions

With the aid of jobcentre whistleblowers, BBC Radio 4 programme 'File on 4' will be addressing the matter of benefit sanctions and how Government is 'swinging the lead' in cutting the numbers of people unemployed and claiming benefits.

20/01/2015. Tuesday 20:00. 38 minutes. Repeated Sunday 25/01/2015 at 17:00

File on 4

Benefit sanctions are supposed to be part of a system helping people back to work. But critics say they penalise the vulnerable and are among the reasons for the growing use of food banks. So how fair is the Government's system of withholding state payments for those who don't comply with welfare rules? Allan Urry hears from whistleblowers who allege some JobCentrePlus staff are setting claimants up to fail in order to meet internal performance targets. Why did a recovering amputee lose his benefits because he didn't answer the phone?

Reporter: Allan Urry Producer: Nicola Dowling.

The programme will be available shortly after broadcast.

A hint for emailing named BBC staff: The email addresses follow the pattern of
Fistname.Lastname AT bbc.co.uk