Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech

Uploaded by Dude Swheatie of Kwug

I believe that this video has resonances with the striving for disabled peope's striving for equality in the UK of today.


Eight years ago (31 March 2007), a UK Government signed up to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), to little mass media attention.(1) A century before MLK's 'I Have a Dream' speech was launched in the capital city of the USA, President Abraham Lincoln gave the Emancipation Proclamation and the Gettysburg Address during the American Civil War. (2) (3)

Both King and Lincoln died from assassins' bullets. Blacks now considerably outnumber white people in American prisons. And since the UK's signing of the UNCRPD the life prospects of disabled people in the UK have actually got worse not better. Whoever is elected into UK Government today, we must reclaim our power and put more pressure onto mass media to publicise our case. We must not leave it to an undemocratic mass media to spell out what our 'options' are.

We must not give in to what King called 'the tranquilising drug of gradualism'. He said that the gulf between previous proclamation promise of equality for American blacks and the subsequent realities had been explained away by 'insufficient funds'.

I say, "Beware the rights denying halucinogen of 'austerity'. What really matters? What is priceless to our society?"

Further Reading

Disability News Service search finds re UNCRPD. (4)

Notes

(1) http://www.communitycare.co.uk/2007/03/30/uk-government-signs-un-convention-on-disabled-peoples-rights/
(2) Emancipation Proclamation - Hear and read the full text https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pM3HS3rr-w0
(3) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4Bojjx_Dew
(4) http://www.disabilitynewsservice.com/?s=uncrpd

Is benefit fraud major problem for hardworking taxpayers?

From Housing Inside Housing publication's Housing Myth Buster (1)

Myth 8: Benefit fraud takes up a large chunk of the welfare bill  (2) 

Busted? Ministers launched a £1m poster campaign in October warning that the government would come down hard on benefit cheats. Government minister Mark Harper said at the time:’Those who cheat the system need to know we will use everything in our power to stop them stealing money from hardworking taxpayers, and that they could land themselves in jail when they’re caught.’
But is benefit fraud a big problem for the taxpayer? In 2013/14, £1.2bn of benefit was lost due to fraud. The total paid out in benefits was £164bn. So benefit fraud made up less than 1% of the overall welfare bill that year. However, the total amount of cash lost due to fraud will be less than that, as a lot of the money will be recovered by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

Source: Department for Work and Pensions

 Dude Swheatie says on this:

It seems to me that the real problem is Government ministers such as Mark Harper misleading the public with incorrect information such as the above and then scuppering debate by not turning up.

 Notes

(1) http://46.249.202.170/~oceanmed/housingMyths/?page_id=5
(2) http://46.249.202.170/~oceanmed/housingMyths/?p=26
(3) http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/ashamed-tories-quit-newsnight-welfare-5562526 

Immigrants do not get fast-tracked social housing

From Housing Inside Housing publication's Housing Myth Buster (1)

Myth 9: Immigrants are taking social housing (2)

Busted? The notion that foreign nationals are taking up social tenancies in droves has been a pervasive message and the tabloid press often call for stronger curbs. Migrants taking up Britain’s housing stock is also a key flank of UKIP’s election campaign. ‘Currently a home has to be built every seven minutes just to cater for migrant demand,’ the party’s housing spokesperson Andrew Charalambous has said.

But are immigrants ‘jumping the queue’ and moving into social housing in their droves? The evidence would suggest no. According to CORE data (official social lettings statistics) about 90% of social lettings go to UK nationals. Six per cent are let to people inside the European Union and 4% go to those outside the UK.

Notes

(1) http://46.249.202.170/~oceanmed/housingMyths/?page_id=5
(2) http://46.249.202.170/~oceanmed/housingMyths/?p=55

No KUWG Kingsgate CC meeting Thursday 7 May but

KUWG will not be having its regular Thursday afternoon business meeting this Thursday 7 May which is also General Election day.

Instead we will be demonstrating outside Kilburn Jobcentre, 3 Cambridge Avenue, NW6 5AH. Location map. In so doing we will be affirming to our constituents that we intend to still be there for them whoever gets into Parliament from this General Election.

Below is a picture of how some of us celebrated May Day 2015 at the same venue.

KUWG standing up for what we believe in

KUWG standing up for what we believe in

Welfare cuts and suicides revelations

Compiled by Dude Swhatie of Kwug from email inbox content

The Guardian reveals:(1)

Revealed: hitlist of welfare cuts facing next chancellor

Exclusive: ‘Extremely controversial’ ideas drawn up by civil servants include benefit freeze and making it harder for sick people to claim state aid, leaked papers show...

Green Party Work & Pensions Spokesperson's follow-up to Daily Politics Welfare Debate (2)

Green Party calls on Duncan Smith to  apologise for misleading public over benefit claimant deaths

7 May 2015

The Green Party has requested that Iain Duncan Smith, Secetary of State for Work and Pensions, issue a formal apology for misleading the public after  he denied knowledge of the number of benefit claimant deaths shown to be caused by suicide.

Contrary to Mr Smith's statement, issued whilst taking part in a BBC Daily Politics debate on Welfare, research by the Disability News Service (DNS) has found that the Department for Work and Pensions has withheld research showing that over 40 benfit claimant deaths since 2012 have been linked to suicide.(3)

Commenting on the exposure by the DNS, Jonathan Bartley, Green Party Spokesperson for Work and Pensions, said: ....

Notes
(1)
(2) https://www.greenparty.org.uk/news/2015/05/06/green-party-calls-on-duncan-smith-to-apologise-for-misleading-public-over-benefit-claimant-deaths/
(3) http://www.disabilitynewsservice.com/information-watchdog-to-probe-dwps-secret-reviews-on-benefit-deaths/

Green Party calls on Duncan Smith to apologise for misleading public over benefit claimant deaths

6 May 2015
The Green Party has requested that Iain Duncan Smith, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, issue a formal apology for misleading the public after he denied knowledge of the number of benefit claimant deaths shown to be caused by suicide.
Contrary to Mr. Smith's statement, issued whilst taking part in a BBC Daily Politics debate on Welfare, research by the Disability News Service (DNS) has found that the Department for Work and Pensions has withheld research showing that over 40 benefit claimant deaths since 2012 have been linked to suicide.
- See more at: https://www.greenparty.org.uk/news/2015/05/06/green-party-calls-on-duncan-smith-to-apologise-for-misleading-public-over-benefit-claimant-deaths/#sthash.bK0iHG1o.dpuf

Green Party calls on Duncan Smith to apologise for misleading public over benefit claimant deaths

6 May 2015
The Green Party has requested that Iain Duncan Smith, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, issue a formal apology for misleading the public after he denied knowledge of the number of benefit claimant deaths shown to be caused by suicide.
Contrary to Mr. Smith's statement, issued whilst taking part in a BBC Daily Politics debate on Welfare, research by the Disability News Service (DNS) has found that the Department for Work and Pensions has withheld research showing that over 40 benefit claimant deaths since 2012 have been linked to suicide.
- See more at: https://www.greenparty.org.uk/news/2015/05/06/green-party-calls-on-duncan-smith-to-apologise-for-misleading-public-over-benefit-claimant-deaths/#sthash.bK0iHG1o.dpuf

Green Party calls on Duncan Smith to apologise for misleading public over benefit claimant deaths

6 May 2015
The Green Party has requested that Iain Duncan Smith, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, issue a formal apology for misleading the public after he denied knowledge of the number of benefit claimant deaths shown to be caused by suicide.
Contrary to Mr. Smith's statement, issued whilst taking part in a BBC Daily Politics debate on Welfare, research by the Disability News Service (DNS) has found that the Department for Work and Pensions has withheld research showing that over 40 benefit claimant deaths since 2012 have been linked to suicide.
- See more at: https://www.greenparty.org.uk/news/2015/05/06/green-party-calls-on-duncan-smith-to-apologise-for-misleading-public-over-benefit-claimant-deaths/#sthash.bK0iHG1o.dpuf

2015 UK General Election, austerity and women asylum seekers

Guest blog piece by All Africa Women's Group

Originally published as a letter in Camden New Journal (1)

Election 2015: Women asylum seekers and immigrants are targets of austerity

Published: 30 April, 2015
• WE are a self-help group of women asylum seekers and immigrants based at the Crossroads Women’s Centre.

We’ve discussed the effect the election is having on us. Most political parties blame us for the lack of jobs and housing, the low wages, the strain on schools and the NHS. We didn’t cause austerity. We were its first targets.

We are here because we were imprisoned, raped, starved, our children killed or taken from us under dictatorships and corrupt governments propped up by the West. Companies go into Africa and mine our resources. They are like kings. But when we come here, fleeing proxy wars fuelled by British weapons, we are treated like beggars and criminals.

We escaped to the UK for protection, but our torture has continued. We are put in detention, racially and sexually abused. We took part in hunger strikes against the inhuman conditions in Yarl’s Wood detention centre. When released, we are made destitute – nowhere to sleep, no money, no food. Asylum seekers are not allowed to work so we are forced into exploitative relationships, prostitution or worse.

A mother was imprisoned and her children were taken into care when she applied for a NI number so she could get a job and support her family.

We suffer racist attacks, from name-calling and spitting to physical assaults. We can’t go to the police for fear of being deported or imprisoned.

An estimated £7.5trillion is owed to Africa for the slave trade. Yet as soon as we are allowed to, we work. Many nurses, doctors, transport and care workers are immigrant. Britain didn’t pay for our education but benefits from it. We are among the first victims of the infamous zero-hour contracts.

British, immigrant, asylum seeker… if we want a better world we should support each other. That’s what we do at the Crossroads Women’s Centre.

ALL AFRICAN WOMEN’S GROUP
Crossroads Women’s Centre
Kentish Town Road, NW5

Note
(1) http://www.camdennewjournal.com/letters/2015/apr/election-2015-women-asylum-seekers-and-immigrants-are-targets-austerity

Judgement Weds 6 May 2015 10am Nicolson v Tottenham Magistrates & LB Haringey

From Revd Paul Nicolson of Taxpayers Against Poverty

MEDIA NOTICE 

JUDGEMENT TOMORROW

Judgement in my case against Tottenham Magistrates & The London Borough of Haringey will be handed down tomorrow  Wednesday 6 May 2015 at 10am at the Royal Courts of Justice, The Strand London, Court No to be announced

​from the ​

Rev Paul Nicolson

Taxpayers Against Poverty

No British citizen without an affordable home and an adequate income in work or unemployment. 

93 Campbell Road, Tottenham, London N17 0BF, 0208 3765455, 07961 177889, 

www.taxpayersagainstpoverty.org.uk, www.facebook.com/pages/Taxpayers-Against-Poverty/299911526728884, https://twitter.com/taxpayers_a_p

www.z2k.org, www.prohousingalliance.com