Help defeat Government over their proposed tax credit cuts! Write your MP!

Guest blog post by 38 Degrees — by way of copy and paste of e-mail content

Next Wednesday the government could go ahead with plans to cut support for hard-working families. The support - called Universal Credit - is supposed to help people earning low wages get by. [1] But the cuts could mean families having to choose between eating or heating their homes. Right now, the new Chancellor Philip Hammond is finalising his plan for the economy - he’ll announce it next week. [2] He could decide to reverse the cuts - and MPs are already demanding he does. [3]. If thousands of us sign a huge petition, the added public pressure could convince Philip Hammond to scrap the cuts. There’s only a week until he announces his plan so we haven’t got long. Please can you sign the petition now? It takes less than a minute: Sign the petition These cuts will see some families lose £200 a month. [4] That’s an entire month’s food shop. [5] And if they go ahead, it will mean if you get a promotion or do more shifts, your family could end up worse off. It just doesn’t make sense. Together we’ve stood up to cuts like these before - and won. [6] When the government tried to cut tax credits for hard-working families last year, we forced them to back down. It started with a huge petition, signed by people like you. It ended with relief for thousands of people across the UK. Philip Hammond is already feeling the pressure over these cuts. If one of us asks him to reverse them, it might not be enough to convince him. But if thousands of us add our names to one huge petition, it’ll be hard for Philip Hammond to ignore. Can you add your name to the petition now? Sign the petition Thanks for being involved, Trish, Lorna, Charlotte and the 38 Degrees team PS: PS: If you’re not sure if you’ll be affected by cuts to Universal Credit, you can find out more at Citizens Advice: https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/citizens-advice NOTES: [1, 4] Universal credit cuts to lose low-income families £1000 a year: The Independent: No U-turn on benefit cuts that will take £1,000 a year off three million families, says Government: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/no-u-turn-on-cuts-that-will-take-1000-a-year-off-three-million-families-a-cabinet-minister-has-said-a7388661.html [2] The Telegraph: What to expect from Philip Hammond's first Autumn Statement: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/0/autumn-statement-what-is-it-when-is-it-and-what-will-philip-hamm/ [3] The Guardian: Theresa May faces Tory backlash over planned cuts to in-work benefits: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/oct/21/theresa-may-tory-backlash-cuts-in-work-benefits-universal-credit [5] Daily Mail: Thrifty mum reveals how she slashed her food bill to just £40 a week for her family of four: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-3654238/Thrifty-mum-reveals-slashed-food-bill-just-40-week-family-FOUR.html [6] 38 Degrees: Tax credits win: https://home.38degrees.org.uk/2015/11/25/tax-credits-win/

No more deaths from benefit cuts – Gill Thompson launches legal case for brother David Clapson

Guest blog post from WinVisible (Women with visible and invisible disabilities)

PRESS RELEASE . . . PRESS RELEASE . . . PRESS RELEASE . . .

No more deaths from benefit cuts – Gill Thompson launches legal case

for brother David Clapson 

No more deaths from benefit cuts — Gill thompson launches legal case for brother David Clapson

Gill Thompson’s legal case for her brother David, who was diabetic and died in 2013 after his Jobseekers Allowance was sanctioned, has just been launched. Gill's legal team wrote to the Hertfordshire Coroner setting out why there should be an investigation, including of breach of the right to life and of DWP procedure sanctioning claimants (see Leigh Day press release).  David’s death was put down to “natural causes” and there was no inquest.  Public support through CrowdJustice fundraising has enabled this challenge.

 

In October, at the people’s premiere of Ken Loach’s film “I, Daniel Blake” in Leicester Square, Gill joined other campaigners at an invited vigil against deaths from benefit cuts, on the red carpet.  Nichole Drury, another bereaved relative, spoke about her mother Moira Drury, who had a head injury from domestic violence, and developed cancer.  Moira was too ill to attend the benefit exam but her reasons were not accepted and she was cut off.  The stress of being without benefit for months, then a Council Tax demand for nearly £2,000 resulting from loss of benefit, hastened her death.  The banner of names of people who died from benefit cuts and sanctions was read out by Maggie Zolobajluk.  Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell, longtime opponents of the Work Capability Assessment, gave their support at the vigil and spoke to people individually.   

 

Corbyn highlighted David’s plight in Parliament at Prime Minister’s Questions, telling Theresa May and ministers to go and see “I, Daniel Blake”.

 

Black Triangle welcomes Gill’s challenge, relevant to the refusal to hold an inquest into the death of Alan McArdle, who died of a heart attack in 2015 within an hour of being read a letter threatening to stop his Employment and Support Allowance (ESA).  Maximus had reported him to the DWP for missing back-to-work appointments, insisting on sanction when someone called to let them know he was in hospital.

 

Many claimants say WinVisible’s Benefit self-help rights sheet has helped them, including against sanctions. We won exemption from the face-to-face Work Capability Assessment (WCA) exam for many vulnerable women, and helped restore benefit to disabled women cut off for “failure to attend”. 

 

Despite words that people on ESA Support Group rate with chronic conditions will no longer be retested, on 1 November the government launched a “Work, health and disability: improving lives” green paper at disability charity Scope, which includes the proposal to make everyone subject to sanctions, including sick and disabled people in the Support Group who are currently protected. Disabled campaigners are determined to fight this new attack on claimants, and recently protested against national Mind, confronting CEO Paul Farmer against Mind sending their policy officer Tom Pollard to work for the DWP – tied to lucrative DWP contracts for the “work cure” for people with mental distress. 

 

Opposition inside Parliament is also growing.  MPs opposed to the ESA cut due in April 2017, are calling for a debate, including Green, Labour, SNP and Tory MPs, such as Stephen McPartland, MP for Stevenage where David Clapson lived.  McPartland’s correspondence with the DWP at Gill’s request, where the DWP replied they knew David was insulin-dependent, forms part of the legal challenge.

 

More info: Gill Thompson gill.a4u@outlook.com   WinVisible win@winvisible.org  020 7482 2496

Bedroom tax Supreme Court judgement Weds 9 November 2016

Guest blog post from WinVisible (Women with visible and invisible disabilities)

 

Come and support disabled people & carers, single mums & kids fleeing domestic violence, and all hit by the bedroom tax:

 

Bedroom tax Supreme Court judgement

Wed 9 Nov 2016

 

·          9.15 am - 9.30 am photocall – Charlotte & Jason Carmichael (Southport, Merseyside), and
Sue and Paul Rutherford (Pembrokeshire Wales) are coming to London for the ruling

·          9.30 go in to Court 1 to hear the announcement

·          9.45 Judgement announced -- livestreamed here

at the Supreme Court

Parliament Square, London SW1P 3BD

opp. Westminster Abbey, corner of Victoria St

(Tube Station: Westminster)

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Kilburn Unemployed Workers Group Statement against reduced overall benefit cap, 7 November 2016

The following statement was delivered by leaflet and read out over 'bullhorn' outside Kilburn Jobcentre on Monday 7 November, the day the reduced overall benefit cap came in.

Reject the weak and rotten ideas of Tory hypocrites!

We say: No to caps on welfare — yes to rent controls

Kilburn Unemployed Workers Group are protesting 11am till Noon Monday 7 November 2016 outside Kilburn Jobcentre, as it's the first day of the welfare cap limiting families to a maximum of £20k a year in benefits (£23K if in London), which includes Housing costs.

Originally under David Cameron and George Osborne, a cap of £26k pa was introduced as it was the "average wage" .. the latest are "the average wage AFTER TAX" ... what will be the next excuse to bring it down? Please note that MPs when asked to just take the average wage themselves, have stuck to their £74,962 per year of TAXPAYERS money (PLUS generous expenses) ... so one rule for the sufferers of laws, another for the lawmakers! Sheer hypocrisy! Happily Cameron out of Parliament and Osborne shunted out of cabinet. Ha ha!

Most of the benefits money goes to private landlords, so the claimants never see most of that money. If council houses were available with low-cost rents then the Housing Benefit bill would be cut at a stroke and there wouldn't be such a hoo-ha about it. Houses ARE being built... but so call 'luxury flats,' by big private developers; and that is causing 'legal' 'Social Cleansing'. We should be taking these properties over for our own class, not for the rich. Public buildings and land should not be sold off on the cheap... National and Local Government deliberately allow the shutdown of public Fire Stations, Libraries, Hospitals, Community Centres, etc,, so we have no places to meet, to not be safe and educated, while the Rich can build their gated communities. Even they are being ripped off... boo hoo.

At last, Sir Phillip Green is being chased legally for taking workers' pensions... the Olympic Stadium was for instance sold to West Ham Football Club for practically nothing and now the TAXPAYER has to pay an additional £50 MILLION to compensate for ill-designed so-called 'retractable seats'. What an oversight by so-called Overseers of the public purse! A resignation has at last occurred. These Private 'Wealth Creators' must be laughing their heads off at your average person. Don't let them divide us ... let's imprison the REAL thieves and take their properties and land back. They are ok with chucking us into underfunded and dangerous jails!

The destructive lingering ideas of Iain Duncan Smith should be dumped. He had to resign in humiliation as Secretary of State for Work & Pensions as he had planned to take money off sick people who need higher toilet seats ... yes this is how they look for savings... instead of stopping the White Elephants of HS2 for example £60 BILLION), Trident (£100 BILLION) etc.

Jeremy Corbyn has promised to allow council housing programme, and to scrap the Work Capability Assessment. The SNP and Green Party voted against Welfare Reform & Work Bill 2015. Before Corbyn's leadership, Labour abstentions allowed that Bill to be passed. Waiting for a 2020 election isn't plausible... we must find parties and organisations NOW that oppose rubbish views and thieving laws. Theresa May is a very weak Prime Minister who doesn't show she knows what she is saying and doing... probably why she won't give a "running commentary on Brexit" for instance... a Government that won't explain itself isn't government. The legal challenge in the High Court may have scuppered her plans. Hee hee!

Let's have an opposition with clear thoughts and reasonable goals FOR US! Workers whether employed or not, must stick together and fix OUR housing problem, not accept Private NON-affordable housing. Let's dump the unravelling right-wing views of the real skiver — the Lazy Rich! An early General Election may rid us of MPs like already dumped Esther McVey!

WE, DANIEL BLAKE

Disability News Service uploads, 3 November 2016

1. http://www.disabilitynewsservice.com/ministers-set-to-force-work-related-activity-on-everyone-in-esa-support-group/
2. http://www.disabilitynewsservice.com/mind-boss-lies-to-protesters-over-dwp-contracts/
3. http://www.disabilitynewsservice.com/coroner-asked-to-explain-failure-to-hold-inquest-into-benefit-sanctions-death/
4. http://www.disabilitynewsservice.com/dpos-criticise-dwp-for-excluding-them-from-green-paper-launch/
5. http://www.disabilitynewsservice.com/activists-welcome-disability-commissioners-decision-to-leave-ehrc/
6. http://www.disabilitynewsservice.com/brothers-speaks-out-on-labours-failure-to-appoint-shadow-disability-minister/
7. http://www.disabilitynewsservice.com/campaigners-warn-minister-of-unlawful-failure-to-ensure-accessible-train-service/
8. http://www.disabilitynewsservice.com/new-scheme-will-offer-disabled-people-another-fast-track-to-leadership/

One line in 92 page DWP 'consultation paper' proposes imposing 'mandatory' activity on all ESA claimants

(How about that for a lack of transparency?) 

by Dude Swheatie of Kwug — aka Alan Wheatley of the Green Party of England & Wales and London Green Left

(The below is based on a submission just now by the author to the Green Left Discuss e-list)

Disability News Service reports:

http://www.disabilitynewsservice.com/ministers-set-to-force-work-related-activity-on-everyone-in-esa-support-group/#comments

The Department for Work and Pensions is considering forcing all sick and disabled people on out-of-work disability benefits to take part in “mandatory” activity, its new green paper has revealed.

The suggestion of compulsory activity is revealed in a single line of the 92-page work, health and disability green paper, published this week....

This Green Paper 'consultation' closes at 11:45pm on 17 February 2017. The next Green Party of England & Wales Conference is not scheduled till March-April 2017.

Meanwhile, what is mental health charity Mind doing in bed with DWP?

http://www.disabilitynewsservice.com/mind-boss-lies-to-protesters-over-dwp-contracts/

And what have coroners said about claimant deaths?

http://www.disabilitynewsservice.com/?s=coroners+claimant+deaths

In 2008 it was largely Green Left members (Anne Gray and me) that brought about a GPEW alternative to Labour's 'No-one written off' Green Paper. https://cse.google.com/cse?q=writing+off+workfare&ajaxSearch_submit.x=0&ajaxSearch_submit.y=0&cx=014602880548773237108%3Abfmqbz3c1w4&ie=UTF-8#gsc.tab=0&gsc.q=writing%20off%20workfare&gsc.page=1

I propose that we at least republish those materials that were sat upon by national news media at the time. (Though I doubt that I would be able to contribute fresh this time around for health reasons, our 2008 publication is rich in background and can serve as 'we told you so' background to what has passed since.) Perhaps there could even be scope for 'Progressive Allaince' responses?

Alan Wheatley

PS:

"The [2008] consultation asks 29 questions, none of which are addressed to the impact of growing global recession and diminishing global resources upon employment. [Neither did they address anything about rewarding claimants.]" — https://www.greenparty.org.uk/news/workfare-is-not-the-answer.html

"In September [2016], a book by disabled researcher Mo Stewart detailed the influence of the US insurance giant Unum over successive UK governments, and how it had undermined the social security system in order to boost the market for its own income protection policies." — http://www.disabilitynewsservice.com/ministers-set-to-force-work-related-activity-on-everyone-in-esa-support-group/

See also

https://scottishunemployedworkers.net/2016/06/22/psycho-coercion-and-workfare-fighting-back/

https://scottishunemployedworkers.net/2016/10/29/suwn-response-to-the-consultation-on-social-security-in-scotland/
http://www.reform.uk/event/a-welfare-state-that-works-for-all/

Film Screening: Weds 2 Nov on BAME women, trade union involvement and more!

Film screening: The Great Grunwick Strike 1976-78
Followed by a Panel Discussion
Time: 7:30pm-9:30pm
Venue: SOAS [School of Oriental & African Studies], Khalili Lecture Theatre, Lower Ground Floor, Thornhaugh Street, WC1H 0XG 
Postcode map: http://streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?x=529885&y=182040&z=0&sv=WC1H+0XG&st=2&pc=WC1H+0XG&mapp=map.srf&searchp=ids.srf
Transport for London Journeyplanner website: https://tfl.gov.uk/plan-a-journey/









Further details at Wembley Matters blog
http://wembleymatters.blogspot.co.uk/2016/10/we-are-lions-has-opened-to-much-praise.html