Showing posts with label Anti-democratic. Show all posts
Australian court’s gagging order condemned as ‘abuse of legal process’
Australian court’s gagging order condemned as ‘abuse of legal process’
‘A sweeping gagging order issued by an Australian court to block reporting of bribery allegations involving several international political leaders has been attacked by journalists and lawyers as “unacceptable” and “an abuse of legal process”.
The extraordinary prohibition emerged from a criminal case in the Australian courts and relates to part of an ongoing investigation by prosecutors across three continents into allegations of multimillion-pound bribes paid in the banknote-printing industry.
Business executives at a company called Securency are alleged to have conspired to win lucrative contracts to print plastic notes in several south-east Asian countries allegedly by paying bribes to high-ranking politicians and officials between 1999 and 2005.’
Wirral’s Labour Council and bedroom tax sophistry by joehalewood
Wirral’s Labour Council and bedroom tax sophistry
by joehalewood Picture displayed by Street Democracy UK
The Labour run Wirral Council is patting itself on the back in the local newspaper the Liverpool Echo tonight for finding £75,000 to help the most deserving bedroom tax cases. This is the same council who received £995,795 in discretionary housing payments (DHP) funding from central government and COULD have added £1,493,692 to this....yet it […]
Shameless – Workfare Exploiting Charities Slam The Benefit Sanctions They Are Responsible For by johnny void
Shameless – Workfare Exploiting Charities Slam The Benefit Sanctions They Are Responsible For
by johnny void
In an act of breath-taking hypocrisy, the Salvation Army, along with the YMCA, have both signed a letter to The Times calling the current benefit sanctioning regime unfair and counter-productive.
This comes despite both organisations being involved in 'Mandatory Work Activity' and therefore responsible for reporting unemployed people to the Jobcentre to face sanctions if they don't turn up for unpaid work placements.
The Salvation Army has even been praised by the DWP for 'holding the line' on workfare after scores of charities distanced themselves from the scheme. When peaceful anti-workfare campaigners visited the Salvation Army in protest at their use of workfare, the charity locked them inside and attempted to have them arrested with fabricated stories of staff being man-handled.
The Salvation Army have repeatedly defended their involvement in mandatory welfare-to-work provision and also their operation of a Work Programme sub-contract. Claimants on this scheme, including those on out of work sickness or disability benefits, can be 'mandated' to almost any job search related activity that the charity can dream up, including workfare. If their victims fail to do what they are told then it is the Salvation Army's job to report them to the DWP to have their benefits sanctioned.
Not for the first time some charities are pretending to care about the poor in public whilst stopping their benefits behind the scenes. If the Salvation Army and the YMCA think sanctions are unfair then perhaps they should stop sanctioning people. Until then, these grubby attempts to white wash their own workfare crimes should be treated with the contempt they deserve.
To join the fight against workfare visit Boycott Workfare's website.
Charities and voluntary organisations opposed to workfare can sign the Keep Volunteering Voluntary agreement.
The Salvation Army are on twitter @salvationarmyuk and facebook at:https://www.facebook.com/
YMCA are on twitter @YMCA_England and facebook at:https://www.facebook.com/YMCA.
Follow me on twitter @johnnyvoid
Council boss gets £25,000 pay rise while lowest paid offered two per cent by Mike Sivier
Council boss gets £25,000 pay rise while lowest paid offered two per cent
by Mike Sivier Picture displayed by Street Democracy UK
Originally posted on UNEMPLOYED IN TYNE & WEAR:
A council chief executive’s pay has rocketed 25 per cent in two years whilst its lowest paid workers have been offered two per cent, prompting calls for more scrutiny on top public sector pay. The head of Hambleton District Council, Phillip Morton, was taken on in 2012…
A council chief executive’s pay has rocketed 25 per cent in two years whilst its lowest paid workers have been offered two per cent, prompting calls for more scrutiny on top public sector pay. The head of Hambleton District Council, Phillip Morton, was taken on in 2012…
Compulsory treatment and benefit sanctions: stoking fear and prejudice for political endsby Mike Sivier |
Originally posted on Sectioned:
Benefits Street arrived on the iPads of Telegraph readers on Saturday night. A story about scroungers refusing help to get back on their feet and the Conservative party’s proposed “tough love” solution provoked strong reactions. And that’s no surprise. People with mental health problems who are unable to work and dependent…
Benefits Street arrived on the iPads of Telegraph readers on Saturday night. A story about scroungers refusing help to get back on their feet and the Conservative party’s proposed “tough love” solution provoked strong reactions. And that’s no surprise. People with mental health problems who are unable to work and dependent…
GMO Food Crops in India: BJP Government Grants the ‘Green Light’ to Monsanto and the Biotech Conglomerates
GMO Food Crops in India: BJP Government Grants the ‘Green Light’ to Monsanto and the Biotech Conglomerates
‘The Indian government is facing strong opposition for its decision to allow field trials of genetically modified (GM) crops. The Coalition for a GM-Free India is calling the approvals ‘hasty’ and has asked the Minister for Environment, Forests & Climate Change to cancel them.
Swadeshi Jagaran Manch (SJM) is the economic wing of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) – the parent body of the BJP party. It has termed the decision of the Narendra Modi BJP central government as a “betrayal of people’s trust.”’
Scotland Yard refuses to name 17 groups it spied on
Scotland Yard refuses to name 17 groups it spied on
‘Police have refused to name publicly the campaign groups that were spied on by an ultra-secretive undercover unit, as an inquiry found a succession of Metropolitan police commissioners may have been guilty of negligence.
A sensational report into the unit, known as the Special Demonstration Squad (SDS), found that the blame for intrusive surveillance techniques may have gone all the way to the top of Scotland Yard.
It disclosed that the SDS had gathered intelligence on 18 campaign groups, including those set up by friends and family of Stephen Lawrence, the black teenager murdered in a racist attack in south-east London in 1993.’
Council tax rises hit Britain’s poor hardest
Council tax rises hit Britain’s poor hardest
‘More than two million of the poorest people in England are facing rising council tax demands this year because of fresh Government cuts to the benefit system, new figures reveal today. War widows, carers and the disabled are among 2.31 million people who used to be entitled to council tax benefit but have now had their support substantially reduced or taken away altogether.
As a result, significant numbers of families have been pushed into debt, with a survey revealing that nearly 16,000 people in London alone have been referred to the bailiffs for non-payment.’
Google pays just £20m on £3.3bn UK revenue: Fresh outrage over internet giant’s tiny bill to the Government
Google pays just £20m on £3.3bn UK revenue: Fresh outrage over internet giant’s tiny bill to the Government
‘Google is facing fresh outrage over its meagre contribution to the UK taxman, after revealing it paid just £20million in corporation tax last year.
The California-based internet giant has faced stinging criticism for using a complex corporate structure that allows it to route UK sales through Ireland to slash its tax bill.
And the scheme appears to have again paid off.’
Nearly One Quarter of American Children in Poverty. Anti-Poverty Measures Scrapped under Obama’s ‘Sequester Budget’
Nearly One Quarter of American Children in Poverty. Anti-Poverty Measures Scrapped under Obama’s ‘Sequester Budget’
‘A total of 16.3 million children live in poverty, and 45 percent of children in the US live in households whose incomes fall below 200 percent of the federal poverty line.
The annual report, tilted the Kids Count Data Book, compiles data on children’s economic well-being, education, health, and family support. It concludes that, “inequities among children remain deep and stubbornly persistent.”
The report is an indictment of the state of American society nearly six years after the onset of the financial crisis in 2008. While the Obama administration and the media have proclaimed an economic “recovery,” conditions of life for the vast majority of the population continue to deteriorate.’
UK journalists could be labeled ‘terrorists’ for attempting to uphold public interest
UK journalists could be labeled ‘terrorists’ for attempting to uphold public interest
‘British journalists who publish politically motivated content could be labeled terrorists if UK authorities deem the material to be a threat to public safety, according to Britain’s counter-terrorism watchdog.
In his annual report published on July 22, the UK’s Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation David Anderson QC emphasized the UK’s anti-terror laws were simply too broad. His comprehensive review was presented to parliament by Britain’s Home Secretary on Tuesday morning.’
The NHS is being taken over by Wall Street. And Cameron won’t stop it
The NHS is being taken over by Wall Street. And Cameron won’t stop it
‘Will David Cameron go down in history as the man who gave away this country’s greatest achievement to Wall Street, the man who enabled big American healthcare access to our hospital wards? The answer will be yes – unless the prime minister makes it clear once and for all that he will protect the NHS from the world’s largest bilateral trade negotiations, happening right now in Brussels.
Make no mistake, we are in the fight of our lives to save the NHS from being sold off lock, stock and barrel. But to make matters even worse a trade deal called TTIP (the transatlantic trade and investment partnership) will mean that reversing the damage done by this government could be impossible unless Cameron acts.’
Benefit sanctions: review published
Benefit sanctions: review published
Picture displayed by Street Democracy Uk
Jobseeker’s Allowance sanctions: review report and 17 recommendations (read online) –Government response - Government to update communications with benefit claimants
Discuss review at: http://unemploymentmovement.com/forum/chat-a-rap/10408-dwp-report-criticizes-sanctions
Guardian: Benefit sanctions hit most vulnerable people the hardest, DWP report says“Claimants not told about hardship system and benefit sanctions imposed when they were not at fault”
SNP: Benefit sanctions rocket at hands of Westminster “Lone parents have been hit the hardest, with a staggering 563 per cent increase in sanction since 2009.”
“4. CPAG is concerned that the terms of reference for this review appear to be narrower than what is required by legislation” http://refuted.org.uk/2014/01/10/cpagonsanctions/
For more click here:
Benefit sanctions: review published
Ed Miliband meets Barack Obama at the White House
Ed Miliband meets Barack Obama at the White House
‘Ed Miliband met with with President Barack Obama at the White House today in an encounter the Labour leader hopes will burnish his foreign policy credentials ahead of next year’s general election.
The President made an informal but pre-arranged appearance as Mr Miliband met with American national security officials in the West Wing.
Mr Miliband promised Mr Obama that a Labour government would stand “unambiguously” for Britain to remain in Europe amid growing fears in the White House that the UK could leave the EU.’
Twenty Years On: The Shadow Of Tony Blair
Twenty Years On: The Shadow Of Tony Blair
‘Ex-Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair, notoriously, is a very rich man. He is also an adviser to various Middle Eastern and central Asian dictators, while pursuing a formal Quartet role as “Middle East peace envoy,” a grotesque misnomer in which his support for Israel’s decades-long violent denial of a Palestinian state is half-camouflaged by code words such as “restraint by both sides please.”
He has shrugged off the flagrant conflict of interest between his advisory and ambassadorial functions despite mounting condemnation, while performing extra tricks as a self-appointed spokesperson-and-egger-on-extraordinary for Western imperialism.’
America Is Ripe For Authoritarianism
America Is Ripe For Authoritarianism
‘America is on the precipice of a fascist uprising. While liberals have consistently leveled the f-word against opponents on the right, much the same way conservatives have appropriated socialist or Marxist against those on the political left, there is now data showing that proto-fascist movements are on the rise.
The kindling for the fire of fascism has already been lit. While the Republican Party holds at least one branch of the federal government, America will never be able to deal intelligently and earnestly with the economic policies that have destroyed the working class and all but decimated the middle class. A GOP congress guarantees that Democratic efforts to raise the minimum wage, reform the tax code and repair our crumbling infrastructure will be thwarted, all in the name of protecting the rich from paying their fair share.’
The UK’s ‘emergency’ DRIP surveillance law is now a done deal
The UK’s ‘emergency’ DRIP surveillance law is now a done deal
‘The Data Retention and Investigatory Powers (DRIP) Bill, which was fast-tracked by the U.K. government as emergency legislation, is now law. The House of Lords passed the bill on Thursday without a vote after MPs gave their approval on Tuesday. It received royal assent hours later, making it the DRIP Act. The bill was only revealed to the public one week ago.
The purpose of DRIP, which actually expands the British authorities’ surveillance powers, is ostensibly to make up for an April ruling by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), which struck down the EU’s Data Retention Directive for having insufficient privacy safeguards.’
Policing By Consent?
Policing By Consent?
‘Theresa May recently warned the Police Federation that “policing by consent” was at risk.
She told them that “recent revelations” about Hillsborough, police spies, Stephen Lawrence and so on put the “relationship between the public and the police” in danger.
The Home Secretary could be right. But it was a Tory government that pushed the Bobbies as far from “policing by consent” and towards being “Maggie Thatcher’s boot boys” as they could.’
UK intelligence services accused of complicity in torture of British citizen
UK intelligence services accused of complicity in torture of British citizen
‘Britain’s intelligence and security agencies are facing claims that they were complicit in the brutal torture of a British man secretly detained in an African prison.
Ali Adorus, a security guard from east London, was subjected to electrocution, hooding and beatings during his 18 month imprisonment in Ethiopia, according to allegations made against Ethiopia and Britain to the United Nations High Commission.
Before leaving Britain to visit family in Ethiopia in 2012, Mr Adorus had complained that he had been targeted by the Metropolitan Police and the Security Service, MI5, over alleged links to Islamic extremism.’
#noTTIP: The Rising Global Movement against the US-EU Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP)
#noTTIP: The Rising Global Movement against the US-EU Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP)
‘TTIP is the latest bid to capture policymaking by the profit-making interests of the 1%, with dire implications for anyone who upholds a vision of a more equitable and sustainable economic order. But campaign groups and activists are working hard to expose this trade agreement for what it is, and to build an overarching global movement that can prevent this massive transfer of power to transnational corporations.
As the next round of negotiations for the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) take place in Brussels this week, civil society groups are continuing to mobilise against this ongoing free trade agreement between the U.S. and EU that poses a threat to our public services, environment, food, privacy and democracy. On Saturday, around a thousand people occupied the square in front of the European Union’s base in London, UK, and demanded an end to the trade deal that is being described by the #noTTIP coalition of activists and organisations as an unprecedented corporate power-grab.’