Dr Mr Miliband Will You Also Listen To Me??

I’ve just sent this email to Ed Miliband, at tweets to @Ed_Miliband really appreciated.

 

Dear Mr Ed Miliband MP

I’ve just read a really interesting article in The Independent wherein the author Andrew Grice recalls a train journey with you to Carlisle (i)

I am intrigued with your desire to construct “a real political movement… from machine politics to grassroots politics”; and am encouraged that you actually take note of what people think, even to the point of employing them to make it happen as with Arnie Graf,

However, is it too much to ask you offer the same respect to those of us that don’t get the opportunity to meet with you?

I personally have written to your office and am in frequent touch with my own Labour MP, Liz Kendall, and all I ever receive is more rhetoric. Why do you feel it is important to open dialogue at face level yet are content to offer pacification to those communicating from home?

I understand you can’t meet with all members and that you most likely don’t even see much correspondence, but for your personal agenda to work it is imperative the MPs under your Leadership behave according to your goals. This means all Labour MPs must be prepared to do the same, to meet with their constituents and to LISTEN. There also has to be a working mechanism that ensures those ideas that will not only ensure Labour are victorious in 2015 but also Labour becomes the Party of the People, are heard.

I would really appreciate your thoughts on this 

Regards

(i) http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/ed-miliband-politics-is-far-too-important-to-be-left-to-the-politicians-8554822.html

 

Are the Tories suffering from Amnesia or are they Lying?

Yesterday Sue Marsh, in her superb Diary of a Benefit Scrounger blog, revealed what she called a Smoking Gun; it was a document produced by the Tories during their 2010 Election Campaign entitled, somewhat hilariously in hindsight, A CONTRACT FOR EQUALITIES.

It lays down the “Action” the Tories would take when elected into Government regarding gender, disability, LGBT, race and age; and makes for stomach churning reading, if only due to the sheer mendacity.

In this ‘CONTRACT’ they “Promise” various assurances including they will  …ensure that disabled people have the chance to succeed and to fully participate in society;  that …people who cannot work because of a disability or illness should never be forced to work, and will continue to receive unconditional support through the benefits system; we will … preserve Disability Living Allowance and Attendance Allowance as cash benefits, which can be used to support family care and costs arising from their disability.

Three years later these “promises” have proved to be as worthless as all the other pre-election claims made by the Tories, which makes me wonder, was the whole Manifesto scribed mendaciously or are all Party members suffering from severe memory loss; ultimately the REAL question is just who are the frauds?

http://diaryofabenefitscrounger.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/the-smoking-gun-that-shows-tories-lied.html?showComment=1363333297327#c5280464405126962816

http://www.conservatives.com/News/News_stories/2010/05/~/media/Files/Downloadable%20Files/Manifesto/Equalities-Manifesto.ashx

Bedroom Tax U Turn? – Not really But WE can force one!

So according to The Guardian Today “Bedroom tax ‘in chaos’ after Iain Duncan Smith announces exemptions” (i); an exciting headline when being faced with the prospect of eviction come June.

But after only the first paragraph, my heart sank back to it’s regular place nowadays, somewhere around my hips. This is because with only three weeks to go IDS has decided to exempt foster carers and parents of teenage armed forces personnel from the charge.

Now I’ve nothing against either group being exempt, but it makes not one iota of difference to me or any other disabled adult, parent of disabled children, parent with shared custody, low paid workers etc, who are also social housing tenants and need a second, or more, bedroom to live comfortably

Upon reading the article I found myself asking why had the ever odious IDS ‘chosen’ these two groups; and then it dawned on me, both foster parents and those who have family in the armed forces are seen by most people as ‘deserving’. By this I mean both members of the armed forces and those people who foster children are in reality providing a public service; this led to a vital image of IDS & Co becoming increasingly rattled by the increasing  public protest against this disgraceful law, and how over the brandies following their subsidised three course meals, they agree upon the crumbs to throw at the braying hoards.

And then I came across another article, courtesy of the wonderful guerillapolicy.org which gave me a little hope; in it the author Joe Halewood sets down how if every tenant appeals to their Local Authority (LA) against the the Bedroom tax; the very process LAs must follow in Law to deal with individual appeals, would create a situation of complete melt down. I’m not going to cover the essence of the article here, I urge everyone affected to follow the link below (ii) and do what I’m going to do APPEAL.

 If nothing else, at least I’ll get the satisfaction of doing something positive and taking back some of the self respect, this Government seems determined to destroy.

 

(i) http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2013/mar/12/bedroom-tax-iain-duncan-smith?CMP=twt_gu

(ii) http://www.guerillapolicy.org/welfare/2013/03/12/if-every-tenant-appeals-the-bedroom-tax-will-go-direct-action-is-needed/

 

 

 

Welfare Wrongs and Human Rights: a summary

Fighting from the Inside – why being involved in Politics does matter

“The Coalition is not a Government that recognises the intrinsic value and worth of life. It is not a Government that recognises human potential, or values personal growth and development. It is not a Government that values social evolution and progress. Trying to explain these fundamental concepts to a Tory is like pondering how best to describe a rainbow and shooting stars to a blind man with no imagination. Or soul…”

Welfare Wrongs and Human Rights: a summary.

 

‘We are raising more money for the rich’ revisited: some thoughts

A post I wish I’d written

“The exposure of Cameron’s lie that the welfare reforms are about “making work pay” and his Freudian-style slip -”we are raising more money for the rich” during Parliamentary debate on 12th December 2012 deserve a little scrutiny and analysis. This a memorable Commons debate, with Ed Miliband delivering  some outstanding challenges to David Cameron, some of which provoked the Freudian slip, and exposed traditional Tory values and ideology underpinning their policies. 

So Cameron is raising more money for the rich. Get outta town! Well, it’s not as if most of us hasn’t spotted the the growing gap between the wealthiest and the poorest, and made a fundamental connection there“..,

‘We are raising more money for the rich’ revisited: some thoughts.