The Welfare Cuts Tsunami Arrives

To the accompaniment of criticism from the churches, disability groups, charities, voluntary organisations, political parties outside the coalition and decent fair minded folk everywhere, the Government's welfare cuts regime is upon us - arriving at the same time as the implementation of the "NHS dismemberment legislation" and attacks on legal aid.

The welfare cuts include the hated bedroom tax which will face many low income families with the choice of going without or moving (perhaps away from friends, family, jobs, schools etc) into more expensive private sector accommodation (that will also raise rather than decrease the government's required expenditure - so will not succeed even on those terms, though perhaps one government aim is to further enrich their friends in the Rachmanite community).  There simply is not enough smaller property available in the Social Housing Sector to accommodate all those affected that are being expected to move. This will cause widespread hardship and anguish.

At the same time there is a 1% cap being put on increases in benefits which will reduce the income of poorer people in real terms.

This is not to be confused with the cap in overall benefits which is encountering problems in roll out through pilot areas but the government is still determined to bring in.

There is also the farming out of Council Tax Benefit payments to Councils with a cut in their funding which will lead to people who have never had to pay Council Tax before having to fork out large sums from limited and fixed or decreasing (see above!) incomes.

There is also the moving of many disabled people from DLA into the new PIP regime, again likely to cause disruption and potential hardship. (Not to mention the ongoing war on the disabled being conducted by ATOS and their ilk.)

Taken as a whole this is a wide ranging and multi-faceted, disgusting attack on the most vulnerable in our society and should be opposed - it is all the more sickening when coming from a government of Millionaires, most of whom have never had to suffer any kind of deprivation.

Councils must be encouraged to follow the lead of those Green, SNP and (few) Labour councils that have said that they will not evict tenants who fall into arrears as a result of the Bedroom Tax.  Local campaigns must be built to resist bailiffs and fight people's corners.  The hypocrisy of the well heeled,  expenses- claiming, generously pensioned, extravagantly paid and often multiple job holding political classes must be exposed.

The People's Assembly Against Austerity gives an opportunity for uniting much of the rising tide of opposition to the Coalition's policies and both the local and National events should be supported and built.

The local elections in May will give an early opportunity to show the Coalition parties the contempt that millions of ordinary people now hold them in.

Protest Against Nottingham Social Care Cuts

Nottingham City Unison have called a demonstration outside the City Council Budget Meeting on Monday 8th March at 12.30 in Old Market Square. The Labour City Council is proposing cuts in Adult Social Services as part of an £18 million package of cuts in its 2010/2011 budget. The proposed cuts include -

* Proposed closure of Riverside Residential Home (Bulwell) for adults with learning disabilities
*Closure of the Willows Older Persons Day Centre at weekends
*A new daily £2 charge for attendance at all adult day centres
*Cuts in day care for adults living in residential and nursing homes
*A 3% increase in charges for homecare, meals at home and transport to day centres
*Cuts in City Council Deaf Sevice

It is particularly ironic that Labour politicians and activists have been prominently flying their flags at protests against the Conservative controlled Notts County Council over the last week as the Tories launch a similar cuts programme targeted on day centres, residential homes etc in the County. Labour in the City are following the same policy as Tories in the County - targeting the most vulnerable and those they estimate are least likely to kick up a fuss or cost them votes.

Workers and service users need to show the City Labourites that we oppose their cuts every bit as much as those being implemented by the County Tories.

York Greens Speak Out On Remploy

The following is a press release from York Green Party:

York Green Party has reacted with great dismay to the announcement that the Remploy factory in York has been recently sold on the day that the GMB union announced at the Labour Party conference that it would campaign to re-open the factory.

Of the 54 workers who lost their jobs when the York factory closed down around half have been unable to find alternative employment.

Green Party Trades Union Spokesperson Andrew Collingwood stated, "Remploy workers from York and across the country have been seriously let down by the Labour government. They have been forced into menial jobs well below their skill levels or, even worse, unemployment. We call for an immediate and independent review of the factory closures and for the government to support those Remploy workers who have been unable to find employment after 6 months."

The Green Party's candidate for York Central, Andy Chase, added,"We should stop mumbling platitudes about 'mainstream employment' and instead sit down and listen to the Remploy workers themselves."

Visit Andy Collingwood's blog at http://thelifeofmrandyc.blogspot.com/

Green Party Trades Union Group Conference Next Week

GREEN PARTY TRADES UNION GROUP CONFERENCE
“Can Greens and Trades Unions work together?”

12 July 2008
(10am-6pm)

Venue
Friends' Meeting House, Ship Street, Brighton, Sussex BN1 1AF (10 minutes from Brighton BR)
TEL (01273) 770258 website http://www.brightonquakers.co.uk/

SPEAKERS
· Caroline Lucas MEP,
· Tony Kearns (CWU),
· Brighton Unison Speaker

Workshops

a. Migration/ Population policy and International relations (J.Healy)

b. Future strategies for links between Greens and TUs (P. MacCafferty)

c. Disability rights against workfare, (A.Wheatley)

Admission £8 / £4 concs
GPTU contact yrrumuk@yahoo.co.uk

Remploy Chief Executive Resigning

Following yesterday's blog on the Remploy situation, it seems that earlier this week the Chief Executive of Remploy announced his resignation, which is seen as a good sign by the unions.
The GMB representative Phil Davies said:

He has presided over decline and has introduced extensive bullying into industrial relations within the Remploy. I am pleased to see the back of him and hope that the Labour government will appoint someone with compassion as well as good business sense in their dealings with the disabled workers and their Remploy.

GMB Officials Resign From Labour Over Remploy

Union reps involved in the Remploy Dispute have been ripping up their Labour Party cards over the behaviour of the government.

More at the Socialist Unity Blog here and in the Guardian here.

After the failure of an 11th-hour appeal to Gordon Brown, 28 factories employing the disabled will close. The workers are accusing the government of a 'shameful and gross betrayal' of society's most vulnerable.

Phil Davies, a national official for the GMB union, which has fought the closures, has ripped up his Labour party card in disgust. 'There is a lot of anger and bitterness at the cruel way Labour has given up on these people,' he said. 'This has caused very bad blood between the government and unions. We have never seen workers treated in such a despicable way. They are being bullied into accepting these closures.

Remploy And Blood Service Workers Fight On

The dispute over the closure programme at the Remploy factories (originally set up to provide employment for disabled ex-servicepeople and since providing employment for many disabled people from a range of backgrounds) continues. The disgraced ex-Minister Peter Hain stitched up a so-called compromise deal that was cover for the management to carry on with a slightly adjusted closure programme. Workers from Remploy factories in Aintree and Birkenhead went on strike on Wednesday and Thursday of this week. The workers at these factories will strike again on 13th and 14th February and will be joined by workers from the Remploy factory in York. Official strike ballots are in the pipeline at Hartlepool, St Helens, Treforest, Ystradgynlais near Swansea and Brynammon in South Wales.

The workers are not just striking for themselves, but future workers who may need their jobs - something which bemuses management who witter on about the "generous" terms and redeployments (sometimes to less skilled and less rewarding work) on offer.

More from Unite/Amicus and the GMB Union.

In the Blood Service dispute the picture is becoming clearer after the release of the report on the NBS "restructuring". The radical industrial unionists of the IWW are campaigning hard on this issue alongside the TUC affiliated unions and have an update on their UK website here.

You can also keep up to date at the Save Our Blood Service blog.

The campaigning so far seems to have led to at least some success -

The outcry from hospitals, staff and the public at the dangerous and stupid proposals has meant that in the north and south-east, the board have been forced to scrap the idea of supercentres. One excellent victory that we can claim is that the Newcastle centre is now to remain fully open, and Sheffield also keeps many more functions.But the axe still hangs over essential labs at centres across the country.

So, in short, the struggle continues.

These two groups of workers are fighting vital battles in the contested areas of healthcare, disability and dignity and should have maximum solidarity and support.

Weekly Links - 03/02/2008

A mixed bag of sites this week, in what could be an interesting period both domestically and internationally.

Green Politics
Green Left, the ecosocialist and anti-capitalist current of the Green Party of England and Wales have a new website at http://gptu.net/gleft/greenleft.shtml.

Like many Greens with a left and workplace orientation I am looking forward to the first Campaign Against Climate Change Trade Union Conference in London on Saturday 9th February.

London Green MEP Jean Lambert is on a fact finding mission to Israel and Palestine with other MEPS this week.

In Scotland the Green MSPs have been commenting on the consultation on a Climate Change Bill.

Lastly on the Green front, the blog of GPEW Male Principal Speaker Derek Wall carries an alert regarding protests against the US Secretary of State who is visiting the British Prime Minister on Wednesday.

Around the blogs
Some excellent thought provoking blog posts to link to this week -
Jim at Daily Maybe and Louise at the S.U.B. report on the media and political feeding frenzy of attacks on the disabled and benefit claimants.

Andy at the Socialist Unity blog has this week posted the debate on political strategies between Hilary Wainwright and Mark Perryman that appears in the current Red Pepper.

Dave Osler at Dave's Part has been reflecting on the situation in Kenya.

Anton Vowl at "Enemies of Reason" had an enjoyable rant on Friday at the duplicity and idiocy of the Mail, Express and the more excitable of their readers on the subject of immigration.

At the Climate and Capitalism blog, Daniel Denvir reports on developments on the green left in Ecuador.

Weekly Links - 02/12/2007

I have various links for you this week, after what has been quite an exhausting few days.

Industrial
The Remploy dispute continues after the predicted treachery of the management and the government in the shape of Peter Hain. Despite all the assurances and weasel words around the time of the Labour Conference and possible election hysteria, Hain has now agreed to the slippery and vindictive managements' plans. It has been asked - what would have happened if Remploy was a bank?

Elsewhere the National Blood Service dispute also continues, with a campaign to pressurise via councillors in those areas scheduled for NBS cuts. Here is the Save Our Blood Services blog. The IWW continue to work on this issue.

Culture
The campaign to defend the William Morris Gallery continues. This featured this week on the Green Party Trade Union Group Blog.
More on the campaign and what you can do here.

Blogs
Returning to the malign actions of Peter Hain, Louise reports on the latest raft of welfare "reform" proposals on the Socialist Unity blog.

Remploy - A Victory For The Workers?

I am always hesitant to claim a victory when we are called upon to trust the word of a New Labour Minister, but it does seem like the united action of the Remploy workers and their supporters have forced the government to pull the plug on the Remploy management and grant the union demands that will hopefully secure the workers' jobs for the time being. If it turns out that this is not all another New Labour con-trick and Hain's pledges are carried through, then it is a real victory for the workers at Remploy who have fought a good tactical battle designed to cause maximum discomfort to Brown and New Labour at the new leader's honeymoon conference.
However, the workers will have to maintain utmost vigilance and be ready for any signs of revenge actions, or renewed attacks by either the humiliated Labour hierarchy or the Remploy management.
Likewise, the union rank and file and organisers at Remploy should not put too much faith in the leaderships of the big Labour affiliated unions, having just witnessed them surrender one of their last internal opportunities to (albeit ineffectually) challenge the worst examples of New Labour neo-liberalism.

Remploy Campaign in London

Labour Government Minister Peter Hain reportedly got a rough ride at the TUC over the Remploy issue.

The following are details of events planned for London from 18-21st September as part of the ongoing Remploy Campaign:

18/09/2007 – Remploy Leatherhead – 10.30 am to 11.30 am – Ermyn Way, Leatherhead, Surrey, KT22 8TR

19/09/2007 – Remploy Woolwich – 8.30 am to 9.30 am – 67-69 Nathan Way, London, SE28 0BD

21/09/2007 – Remploy Brixton – 8.30 to 9.30 am – 63a Effra Road, London, SW2 1BZ

Lambeth Trades Union Council
for Peace & Progress


Lamebth TUC and UNITE - T&G’s Remploy 1/1971 Branch
-
welcomes the REMPLOY National Crusade to London

-

Brixton REMPLOY Factory, Effra Rd SW2
21 September 2007
8:30 am

- speakers -

Kate Hoey MP

Megan Dobney
S&ERTUC Regional Secretary

Roger Sutton
Greater London Association of Trade Union Councils

Jennie Formby
UNITE

Phil Davies
GMB

support the REMPLOY workers!
no closures!
join the welcome!

21/09/2007 – Cavalcade to Whitehall, DWP, to hand in cards collected on the way to Peter Hain’s department – arrive at 11 am

BATTERSEA AND WANDSWORTH TUC & LAMBETH TUC present::

REMPLOY NATIONAL CRUSADE - LONDON SOCIAL
No Closures! - Find Work for Remploy Factories!


Friday 21st September 2007 - 8pm to Midnight

Brixton JAMM - 281 Brixton Road, Brixton.

With Special Guest - MARK THOMAS

and DJ Springfield (Movimientos)

plus live music and surprise guests including the finest young talent from Croydon's BRIT School


Free Admission with compulsory raffle - pay what you can afford - proceeds to Remploy Fighting Fund

Reserve your places now - call BWTUC on 020 8877 7300 or e-mail julia@bwtuc.org.uk

GMB - UNITE - COMMUNITY

A MILITANT ENTERTAINMENT Production

NHS and Remploy Mobilisations

The date of the big national demonstration in support of the NHS in London this Autumn has been finalised as the third of November. More details from Unison website here.
Now that national Unison are taking this seriously at last it is time for all local health activists, trade unionists, socialists, greens and service users to get organised locally and build this into a massive show of strength. A demonstration is not the be-all and end all of this campaign, but it can be a useful tool for linking together different groups for future action, and establishing the kind of feeling of strength and unity of purpose that is needed (above and beyond the excellent local campaigns that exist in many areas).

Meanwhile, the GMB have announced a "Crusade" (Not sure about that terminology in this day and age, brothers and sisters, - but take it as reference to the Jarrow March, rather than a military religious campaign!) from Aberdeen on Tuesday 28th July to the Labour Party Conference in Bournemouth on Monday 24th September, taking in meetings and rallies at all the 43 threatened factories. Take a look at the list of events on the downloadable documents on the GMB Remploy site to see if there is an event in your area.

The following Remploy factories are marked to close: Aberdare, Aberdeen, Abertillery, Aintree, Ashington, Bradford, Bridgend, Brixton (London), Halifax, Hartlepool, Hillington (Glasgow), Hull, Leatherhead, Leicester, Lydney (Forest of Dean), Manchester, Mansfield, Medway, Pinxton (Derbyshire), Plymouth, Poole, St Helens, Southend, Spennymoor, Stockton, Treforest, Wigan, Wisbech, Wishaw (Lanarkshire), Worksop, Wrexham and York.

The following factories are marked to merge with another site: Barnsley, Birkenhead, Brynamman, Jarrow, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Pontefract, Redruth, Southampton, Stockport, Woolwich (London) and Ystradgynlais.

Remploy Consultation Begins

A formal 90 day consultation on the proposed Remploy factory closures begins today with a meeting in Leicester attended by representatives from all over Britain.

Unions representing Remploy workers yesterday announced plans to step up their campaign to save the jobs at stake. The unions are said to be "moving towards" a national strike ballot. The unions intend to closely scrutinise the criteria used for choosing factories for closure. At the moment these criteria are not clear.

I would hope that the situation is the same elsewhere as it is in our local area where union branches, individuals and groups are offering their support to the Remploy workers who are planning a demonstration later in the summer.
GMB Remploy site.

Support Remploy Workers!

The Remploy dispute (that I blogged on in September) is reaching a crucial stage - I am happy to publicise this demonstration on Wednesday Morning (The Cleaners demonstration in London posted on below,is in the afternoon.)

Show your disgust for the Remploy Closure Plans demonstrate with us at the TUC disability conference from 10-00am on Wednesday 23rd of May - TUC,
Great Russell Street, London.

Les Woodward

National Convenor,

Remploy Trade Union Consortium

Visit our New Web Site

www.gmbremployworkers.info

Welfare Reform Letter

A vey important letter on the British welfare 'reform' plans, signed by representatives of various groups working in the field, appeared in the Morning Star earlier this week. I felt it was well worth reproducing here -

Where are claimants' voices?

There would appear to be a consensus across the main political paties that drastic welfare reform is needed.
However, one needs to ask where are the claimants' voices in all this? There has been little consultation with the people who will be affected most by these reforms - and, of course, the workers in the Department of Work and Pensions.
In terms of the, in our view, draconian Welfare Reform Bill sadly going largely unopposed through Parliament, over 600 responses were sent to the Work and Pensions Select Committee consultation on the welfare reform green paper.
Yet few, if any, of the fears and concerns of these respective groups have been taken into account in the published Bill.
The latest savage proposals in the Freud review to privatise the welfare system and force individuals "back to work" will ultimately benefit only third-sector private companies who have become multimillion pound enterprises as a result of their government contracts.
These reforms clearly represent the biggest structural changes in welfare since the 1940s - indeed, there are now clear similarities between the Freud proposals and President Clinton's seminal 1996 welfare reforms, which have been such a disaster for poor people in the US.
Many people on welfare benefits, particularly disabled people, have contacted our various groups and are very angry, concerned and distressed about these reforms and wonder what the future holds for them.
JOHN ROGERS (Sheffield Welfare Action Network)
EILEEN DEVANEY (Co-ordinator, UK Coalition Against Poverty)
SIMONE ASPIS (United Kingdom's Disabled People's Council)
STEVE BLAKE (Welfare Reform UK)
COLIN HAMPTON (Derbyshire Unemployed Workers' Centres)
BOB HOLMAN, MARSHA JANE THOMPSON (UNISON National Young Members Forum, personal capacity)
Dr DUNCAN HALL
DOUGALD HINE

Stop the threatened deportation of Mercy Murua and Peter Gichura

I am posting this urgent appeal from Winvisible (Women with visible and invisible disabilities) regarding two disability activists in Britain under threat of deportation.

Dear friends

We ask you to take action and speak out in support of Mercy Murua and Peter Gichura, two disabled activists who face almost certain persecution and death if they are deported back to Kenya (see enclosed information). Ms Murua is in WinVisible, and Mr Gichura takes part in our joint activities, including the “Claim the Buses” transport action day by wheelchair users, organised by Transport for All in August 2006. You may have seen them on ITN’s London Tonight news feature.

All of us who are working for disability rights and against all discrimination, including prominent people in the disability community, must be concerned about this official refusal to recognise the persecution of disability activists, and the refusal to grant asylum for life-saving medical treatment and living conditions.

Please contact us if you need more information.

WinVisible (women with visible and invisible disabilities)

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Support Mercy Murua and Peter Gichura, disabled activists at risk of deportation


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Ms Murua and Mr Gichura are disabled activists from Kenya. In 1997, they set up the Mwanzo Disabled Development Society (MDDS), a group of disabled street hawkers. Mr Gichura was the chairperson and Ms Murua was the treasurer and spokeswoman for women. In 2000, MDDS was allocated a plot of land by the City Council, where they planned to live and work. When MDDS challenged the corruption of the Council in not handing over the land, the police made death threats and their hawking licenses were revoked. Fearing for their lives, they fled Kenya in 2001. Despite elections in 2002, fighting has continued in the country and both fear their lives will be in danger if they are returned.

Ms Mercy Murua, a wheelchair user, a disability activist and member of WinVisible (women with visible and invisible disabilities), is at imminent risk of deportation. Her claim for asylum on grounds of political persecution, ethnic persecution, access to medical care and refuge from rape has, so far, been rejected by the Home Office.

As a baby, Ms Murua contracted polio and was placed in a children’s home. Almost all of her childhood was spent in care. In 1992, her parents who are of Kikuyu decent, lost their home in a land-grab by Kalenjin people and others, Kalenjin people being the tribe of repressive President arap Moi. Ms Murua moved to Nairobi, and in 1997, started street hawking to survive.



Street hawkers who are Kikuyu were targeted by the Nairobi police. Those who could, ran off, but disabled people could not escape. They were beaten with staves, brutally loaded onto lorries, often without their crutches, etc., taken to the police station and detained. Ms Murua was particular vulnerable as a woman. Local police jeered that she could not fight them off and she suffered repeated sexual abuse and rape, including while detained in a police cell. As a result of one attack, she became pregnant and gave birth to her daughter. Anne Neale of Women Against Rape says: “Rape by police should be recognised as persecution and so as grounds for asylum, but when Ms Murua spoke about her traumatic experiences, she was accused of embellishing her claim and her case dismissed.”


Mr Peter Gichura is a father, a wheelchair user and disability activist. He applied for asylum from political persecution and for medical treatment without which he would die. His most recent application in 2006, when his spinal injury worsened, was refused with the words: "a person's medical condition must be at such a critical stage that there are compelling humanitarian grounds for not removing them to a country which lacks the medical and social services to prevent acute suffering before death". Is it acceptable that the right to life under the European Convention has been reduced purely to the right not to suffer unduly while dying?

When experts like Rachel Hurst OBE (Disability Awareness in Action and member of the Advisory Group to the government Office for Disability

Issues) confirm that, if deported, Mr Gichura, as someone with a spinal injury, would almost certainly not survive for long -- how much more “compelling” or “critical” can someone’s situation be?

Mr Gichura was detained in Harmondsworth detention centre, most recently in August 2006, in appalling conditions where he was unable to use the bathroom and toilet properly, was searched in a painful and threatening way, and on the first occasion (February 2006), given the wrong medication. He has launched a legal case under the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) and Human Rights Act (HRA), however, if removed, he will be denied even the basic right to be present to prepare his own case.

Payday, a multiracial network of men, says: “Peter Gichura is a valued member of our network. He was persecuted for defending the rights of disabled people. We now defend him from almost certain death. With his life and organising experience he makes an enormous contribution, which neither we nor the community in general can be deprived of.”

Support has come from hundreds of individuals and organisations, including representatives of five major disability charities who appealed to Liam Byrne, Minister for Immigration.

Ken Livingstone, the Mayor of London, writing in support of Mr Gichura, said: ’I would underline the wider social consequences of handling cases like these in ways that entrench . . . a perception that the UK immigration regime is unbalanced, unjust and inhumane. I recall . . .the European Convention on Human Rights, “Everyone’s right to life shall be protected by law” ’. He proposes discussion with the Home Office “to find some more humane middle ground” than the current refusal of medical grounds (Letter to Liam Byrne, 12 October 2006).

People with disabilities have not only the right to life but also the right to live free from fear. We are calling on everyone, and especially those who speak for the disability community, to defend Mercy Murua’s and Peter Gichura’s right to protection and safety, towards establishing rights and protections for all.


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Please write to or email the Immigration Minister Liam Byrne, demanding that Mr Gichura (HO ref: G1053958) and Ms Murua (Home Office reference M1116337) be granted the right to stay – see model letter on WinVisible’s web pages - or write your own.

Liam Byrne MP
2 Marsham Street, London SW1P 4DF
fax 020 7219 2417
email liam.byrne.submissions@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk and byrnel@parliament.uk

Please copy to:
Anne McGuire MP, Minister for Disabled People
fax 01786 446513 email mcguirea@parliament.uk
Malcolm Wicks MP (Mr. Gichura and Ms Murua’s MP)
fax 020 8683 0179 email wicksm@parliament.uk
WinVisible fax 020 7209 4761 email winvisible@allwomencount.net
Payday email payday@paydaynet.org


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Donations are greatly appreciated towards the cost of phone and publicity. Please make your cheques payable to Payday or WinVisible, saying clearly that your cheque is for this purpose.

Welfare Reform Bill

Louise at Stroppyblog is keeping a helpful eye on the progress of the Blair government's draconian "Welfare Reform Bill". It is also being tracked on the BBC's Action Network, here, and by the Campaign Against the Welfare Reform Bill here.
The Sheffield Welfare Campaigners, SWAN also keep up their good work.

Support Remploy Workers!

A national demonstration was planned today in Liverpool in support of Remploy workers fighting closure proposals that could lead to the loss of up to 5000 jobs. The closure plans came about when the government asked the company to do a review. Ministers were unhappy with the answer that Remploy came back with and asked that management and unions get together to draw up a plan to save Remploy factories. Remploy was originally set up to employ disabled ex-servicemen and is now Britain's largest employer of disabled people. It is therefore highly ironic that these closure proposals should come about at a time when the government is attacking disabled people through the benefits system to force those unable to work into jobs, as I have previously reported on this blog. The unions (GMB, T&G, Amicus and Community) have come up with a plan to restructure Remploy and save the factories - pressure should now be put on the company to respond positively.
Whilst on the subject of industrial disputes, tomorrow sees the annual commemoration of the famous Burston School Strike where, all being well, there will be some Green Party/Green Left/Green Party Trade Union Group presence.

SWAN Stroll, Roll and Rally

Reading: Observer blogs, a "News Of The World"(Aargh!) someone left lying about, pages from a Robert Goddard novel, Indymedia pages.
Viewing: Bits of Japan v. Croatia, 2nd half of Australia v. Brazil and last ten minutes of South Korea v. France, The Office(BBC2), Funland (BBC2).
Listening: Radio Five.

I travelled to Sheffield yesterday for the Sheffield Welfare Action Network (SWAN) Stroll, Roll and Rally against the proposed 'reforms' to incapacity benefit (it was remarked at the rally how New Labour have given an entirely new meaning to the word reform, such that people arguing for short term positive changes now have to prefix any use of the word 'reform' with the word 'positive' to make clear they do not mean it in the New Labour sense!)
It was good to meet friends from Urban 75 and some activists I had not met for many a year. It was a lovely sunny day, and what we lacked in numbers we made up for in volume with the Sheffield Samba band and sincerity from the good range of groups and individuals represented. You can see a Green Party Trade Union Group (GPTU) flag in the background, a statement with solidarity greetings was handed round and newly elected Sheffield Green Party Councillor Bernard Little spoke at the rally. It was good to hear from people from different disability action groups, trade unions, political and unemployed groups united by commitment to the cause. As someone said at the rally, this rally and demo were just a start to building a united national campaign against New Labour's attack on welfare and benefits.

The rest of the pictures from the event can be found here

Fellow Green Left blogger Matt Sellwood has information on his blog on the hunger strike at the Campsfield House Detention Centre which is well worth reading.

Demonstrate against neo-liberal attacks on benefits!

Sheffield Welfare Action Network (SWAN) have been active on the Incapacity Benefit "reforms" and have organised a national march and rally against this latest neo-liberal attack on some of the most vulnerable people in society. This is well worth support from Green Left, GPTU, and progressives more generally, I understand Sheffield GP have been supportive (from the pictures of previous demos on Indymedia - pages linked below) - the SWAN site (also linked below) has a downloadable leaflet. These attacks are part of a concerted, Europe wide attack on the gains made by working people during the post-war reconstruction and Cold War. They are very much part of the neo-liberal plan to impose a new "discipline" on the working people of Europe so that they can be more easily used in the conflict with other rising capitalist power blocs, and so that the rate of exploitation and profit can be safeguarded in the interests of capital worldwide.

National People's March and Rally - June 17th
SWAN has called for a national demonstration to challenge the proposed incapacity benefit reforms on Sheffield 17th June, 2006. Assemble Devonshire Green at 12:00pm for 12.30pm march. Major Speakers, music and info.

SWAN says there should be no cuts in benefit, no compulsion or sanctions and no Work Focussed Interviews for those too sick to attend. We call on all decent and caring people to support the national peoples march and rally in Sheffield - and to help pressure for a fairer welfare system. Join the Event! Bring placards, union banners, music, your voice, your self!

http://www.swansheffield.org.uk/

Indymedia article on SWAN's campaigns and forthcoming national demo-
Indymedia Sheffield