The coalition government wants to reduce the national deficit by billions, but is facing regular court challenges against its decisions to cut budgets. Some have been successful, such as the challenge to the cancellation of a school building programme and to London Councils’ decision to cut the London boroughs’ grants scheme budget — and there are more to come.
Monday 28 February 2011
A cut out and keep guide to judicial review « UK Human Rights Blog
A cut out and keep guide to judicial review « UK Human Rights Blog
Inquiry into the implementation of the right of disabled people to independent living - UK Parliament
Inquiry into the implementation of the right of disabled people to independent living - UK Parliament
"State Parties to this Convention recognise the equal right of persons with disabilities to live in the community with choices equal to others, and shall take effective and appropriate measures to facilitate full enjoyment by persons with disabilities of this right and their full inclusion and participation in the Community"
Saturday 26 February 2011
Friday 25 February 2011
Glasgow Media Group
Glasgow Media Group
Welcome to the Glasgow Media Group website.
Please feel free to have a look around. At the top you will find our Main Menu, where you can access a range of materials. Our most recent work on alternatives to the government cuts can be found in the News section and you can also download our free Media Kit to help get the anti-cuts message across.
You can also read and download our latest publications, selected Glasgow Media Group book chapters, contribute your own thoughts, find contact information and browse our links to other related sites and materials.
Please feel free to have a look around. At the top you will find our Main Menu, where you can access a range of materials. Our most recent work on alternatives to the government cuts can be found in the News section and you can also download our free Media Kit to help get the anti-cuts message across.
You can also read and download our latest publications, selected Glasgow Media Group book chapters, contribute your own thoughts, find contact information and browse our links to other related sites and materials.
Soundings: a journal of politics and culture
Soundings: a journal of politics and culture
"In November 2001 a conference assembled at Woodstock, near Oxford. Its subject was 'Malingering and Illness Deception'. The topic was a familiar one to the insurance industry, but it was now becoming a major political issue as New Labour committed itself to reducing the 2.6 million who were claiming Incapacity Benefit (IB). Amongst the 39 participants was Malcolm Wicks, then Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Work, and Mansel Aylward, his Chief Medical Officer at the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP). Fraud - which amounts to less than 0.4 per cent of IB claims - was not the issue. The experts and academics present were the theorists and ideologues of welfare to work. What linked many of them together, including Aylward, was their association with the giant US income protection company UnumProvident, represented at the conference by John LoCascio. The goal was the transformation of the welfare system. The cultural meaning of illness would be redefined; growing numbers of claimants would be declared capable of work and 'motivated' into jobs. A new work ethic would transform IB recipients into entrepreneurs helping themselves out of poverty and into self-reliance. Five years later these goals would take a tangible form in New Labour's 2006 Welfare Reform Bill."
Monday 21 February 2011
Wednesday 16 February 2011
Countering the cuts myths | Red Pepper
Countering the cuts myths | Red Pepper:
The government and the press say we are in the grip of a debt crisis caused by the 'bloated' public sector. Here, Red Pepper debunks the myths used to push cuts to jobs and public services.
'Countering the Cuts Myths'
The government and the press say we are in the grip of a debt crisis caused by the 'bloated' public sector. Here, Red Pepper debunks the myths used to push cuts to jobs and public services.
Tuesday 15 February 2011
Does getting tough on the unemployed work? | Society | The Guardian
Does getting tough on the unemployed work? | Society | The Guardian
“In my interviews with state officials [in the US] they did not blink about putting men in prison to enforce a work requirement,” says Lawrence M Mead, who was on Newsnight last night 15/02/11.
No country for poor people? | Politics | The Observer
No country for poor people? | Politics | The Observer
American academic Lawrence Mead, who provided the inspiration for a tough overhaul of US welfare under which unemployed people have to work for benefits, on how the UK benefits system must change has darkened our shores again this month and spoke on Newsnight tonight 15th February 2011
Shelter England - Save the housing safety net
Shelter England - Save the housing safety net
Every two minutes someone faces the prospect of losing their home. But until now there's been housing safety net that can stop a bad situation turning into a disaster.
Over the next six months, the government is planning to pass laws that reduce what protection you have if your home comes under threat:
- reducing the temporary housing support you would receive if you lost your job – so that you might be forced to move to a different town
- scrapping the rules that mean your council has to find you a stable and secure place to live if you lose your home
- restricting the free legal advice you would get if you couldn’t afford a lawyer.
This is not the way to create a country where everyone has a secure, affordable, decent home.
Sign Shelter's petition to oppose the worst of these changes and build the strong housing safety net we all need.
Thursday 10 February 2011
Are you missing some of your friends feeds? Here's how to fix it (2)
Are you missing some of your friends Facebook feeds? Here's how to fix it
Apparently when Facebook changed the new profile they changed a setting that shows your Newsfeeds to only the few people you were interacting with at the time of change. This means that you may have lost a lot of your friends' feeds. In extreme cases you will have lost everything in which case your profile page will be lacking many expected sections.
To change it back go to the bottom of your Newsfeed page and click 'edit options'...then click 'show newsfeed to all friends'
You should now get every friends feeds coming though OK again.
Support and WRAG group health conditions broken down into % • ABC of ESA
Support and WRAG group health conditions broken down into % • ABC of ESA
In most cases the reason for being placed in the Support Group is recorded at assessment. The following provides a more detailed description of the breakdowns in Table 1 and Table 2:
• Chemotherapy – people receiving certain types of chemotherapy automatically qualify for the support group;
• Physical or Mental Health Risk – the regulations (see link below) allow that in ‘exceptional circumstances’ a person may be entitled to ESA and put into the support group if there would be ‘serious risk to the mental or physical health of any person’ if the claimant were to be found ‘fit for work’;
• Pregnancy Risk – if a woman is pregnant and there is serious risk to her health or the health of her unborn child if she works;
• Severe functional disability – if the claimant meets the functional criteria, covering physical and mental capacity, laid out in the legislation (see link below);
• Terminally ill – someone diagnosed as terminally ill with a prognosis of 6 months or less.
• Chemotherapy – people receiving certain types of chemotherapy automatically qualify for the support group;
• Physical or Mental Health Risk – the regulations (see link below) allow that in ‘exceptional circumstances’ a person may be entitled to ESA and put into the support group if there would be ‘serious risk to the mental or physical health of any person’ if the claimant were to be found ‘fit for work’;
• Pregnancy Risk – if a woman is pregnant and there is serious risk to her health or the health of her unborn child if she works;
• Severe functional disability – if the claimant meets the functional criteria, covering physical and mental capacity, laid out in the legislation (see link below);
• Terminally ill – someone diagnosed as terminally ill with a prognosis of 6 months or less.
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