Kilburn Unemployed Workers Group — the Kwug Blog: government

Showing posts with label government. Show all posts

Tuesday, 16 May 2017

Is Reform.uk think tank a charity abiding by the rules, or a non-executive arm of privatising government?

Reform.uk home page rolling billboard messaging presents very mixed messaging!

The above 'screen capture' image is taken from the 'rolling top and bottom billboards' presentations that make up the bulk of the current home page of the 'think tank' Reform.uk.(1) I would argue that the messaging presented by the upper and lower 'billboards' shown in the above 'screen capture' image presents so much contrast as to be hypocritical.

I am reminded of what I recall an American singer-songwriter of the 'topical' or 'protest singer' gendre saying/writiting once of those whose standpoints he opposed: "You don't have to satirise them; you merely have to quote them."

Clashing billboard messaging

As indicated by the red dot at the bottom right of the 'upper billboard' in the above screen capture image, the 'upper billboard' message is the third of three. (The first and second of those 'upper billboard' screen captures are recruiting adverts for the organisation.) The upper billboard message shown reads:

As a charity, Reform will not be publishing or tweeting anything until after the general election.

Yet the lower billboard would seem to present this 'charity' as a non-executive arm of a privatising government:

I think Reform has made some very, very important arguments, which have really helped us as Ministers, who are trying to enact those very reforms.

Rt Hon. Jeremy Hunt, Secretary of State for Health

Global Corporate Private Sector involvement in a UK 'charity'

Priding itself as a 'charity abiding by charity status rules' regarding involvement in a UK General Election, Reform.uk still prides itself as being exactly in harmony with the 2015/17 government's agenda. Indeed, all the lower billboard statements on offer are sourced from Tory Government Ministers.(2) I further observe that the changes in the messages from government ministers shown has changed since I did screen captures of that home page on 27 April for Kwug Blog has functioned as providing more than a static-in-time home page.(3) Looking further into to the Reform.uk content, there is an item on The future of public services: digital jobcentres, as presented by Accenture, a global corporation.(4) Accenture's branding 'strap line' is 'High Performance. Delivered'.


Screen capture of the cover page of Accenture's report for Reform.uk 'The future of public services: digital jobcentres

So, what have Accenture previously delivered to us or their clients? To answer that question, I refer my readers to the previous Kwug Blog post, Terms and conditions in 'too commercially sensitive for public access' contracts between government and corporations.(5)

That earlier Kwug Blog post reveals that in late 2011, a 'Con-Dem' government awarded the primary contractor in building the 'customer facing systems' for Universal Credit [sic] to Accenture! "High performance. Delivered"? What were they contracted to do? Discourage claiming?(6)

Conclusion: If Reform.uk is a charity, what is Charity?

So, to sum up, given

the frustrations experienced by those who have since applied for Universal Credit [sic] because that is the only option on offer,(7) and
the Department for Work & Pensions' insistence that the only way to apply for Universal Credit [sic] is online,(8)

if Reform.uk is a charity, what has Charity got to do with it? Maybe it's more to do with tax breaks and a love-in between corporate privatisers of public services and right wing government?

By Dude Swheatie of Kwug

Link references

Wednesday, 6 July 2016

'Hostage taking' by Government as an act of terrorism

Kilburn Unemployed Workers Group's 'Kwug blog' has previously published a post from an EU national among our membership regarding how her exclusion from voting rights in the recent UK EU Referendum alienated her and a great many others.(1) Now, it seems, Conservative Party front-runner Theresa May is turning

from Home Secretary charged with securing the safety off all who are within Britain's shores
to international terrorist as hostage taker regarding UK Brexit negotiations

London Green Left blogger Mike Shaughnessy reports — EU Nationals Must be Allowed to Stay in the UK:

Theresa May, the Home Secretary and front runner to be Tory Party leader and next Prime Minister, says that she cannot guarantee that European nationals already living in the UK, will be allowed to remain in the country. Apparently, their fate is to be part of the UK’s negotiating position, together with UK nationals living in EU countries.

There are around 1.2 million UK nationals living in the EU and around 3 million EU nationals living in the UK. The other candidates for the leadership of the Tory Party have said that May is using them as ‘bargaining chip,’ which I think is a pretty accurate description of May’s attitude to the whole issue of our exit negotiations from the EU.(2)

Yes, I do say that this is international terrorism. It is reminiscent of legendary American trade unionist and singer-songwriter Woody Guthrie's observation: "Some will rob you with a six-gun; some with a fountain pen."(3) "First they stole our benefits entitlements...."

Maybe, whatever constitutional law the Cameron Government has sneaked in precluding the possibility of a November UK General Election to sort out the basis of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales negotiations with the EU regarding whether we 'stay' or 'go', and moreover, whether 'hostage taking' is ever justified? (4) (5)

Kilburn Unemployed Workers Group as benefit claimants and allies of benefit claimants already know at personal and collective levels what damage the benefit sanctions 'hostage taking' régime does to vulnerable people, as does Glasgow University law professor Dr David Webster on the macro, statistical level.(6)

Link addresses

Benefits sanctioned? Take mass action!

Commenting on Blog Contents

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How to post a comment on a blogspot blog piece.

Contact us:

Facebook: Kilburn Unemployed Workers Group

Twitter: https://twitter.com/KUWG1

Telephone: 07724 843 973

Meetings: 3pm - 5:30pm
Thursdays, Kingsgate Community Centre
107 Kingsgate Road, London, NW6 2JH

Meeting structure

Helping you feel at home: We meet weekly in the Small Hall at KingsgateCC and start gathering from 3pm, attempting to start the meetings at about 3:15pm and definitely before 3:30pm.

Bring and share refreshments are included. We are not like the 'No eating or drinking on the premises' jobcentre.

The formal meetings start with firstname and what benefit we are on or a one-liner about what brings us to KUWG. (Pensioners and other allies welcome.)

We then ask for casework from those present, arrange who will help with what case, and go onto discussing campaigning leafleting and such outreach activities. We also arrange who will do the chairing or facilitating and note-taking for the following week. Rotating these roles helps minimise the risk of being dominated by one person and helps us build our skills as we share the workload.

Meetings actually finish at about 5:20pm to allow for putting tables and chairs back and leaving the kitchen facilities ready for the next group.

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