Low Pay Britain

I have lost a little faith in petitions Jen but thank you for putting the link on.

Perhaps a letter to my MP is necessary. I am very anti the secrecy of the family courts - although I see why it has happened - and I think the same lack of justice applies here.

I do feel the unions have missed a trick with this. Unionism is very isolationist. It's almost as if the way they work went into aspic when the Labour party was formed. I wonder if the Greens have a view on this?

Gracesgran, you asked if there was a campaign. I told you there was one, and now you are saying you can't be bothered.
That's why petitions do not work, because people who are concerned can't be bothered to sign up to them.

The unions are doing lots about it, gracesgran. It's just the media do not publish it because the media are mainly Tory controlled.

voxpoliticalonline.com/2015/03/03/cost-to-jobseekers-of-benefit-sanctions-rockets-3000-per-cent-welfare-weekly/

www.welfareweekly.com/one-in-five-jobseekers-hammered-by-benefit-sanctions-says-expert/

That's very hard to follow and you have to answer a questionnaire in order to read the whole article Jen but thank you for tracking it down.

I do agree that the journalists are not reporting it but I think it is as much because they still delude themselves that they make the news instead of reporting it as that so many have a right wing bias.

There are a huge number of petitions and I can understand people questioning whether they change anything.

However, I believe there are several examples of policies, or individual cases, being reviewed and changed - and certainly some big companies have changed their practices with regard to health and safety and working conditions for workers in developing countries. If significant numbers of people sign, it sometimes does make a difference.

Sorry, gracesgran, what's difficult to follow?

I never had to answer a questionnaire.

I agree Eloethan about the number of petitions, but, as you say, it's not a reason not to sign up to any.
The petitions I tend to put links up to are the government e-petitions, or on www.change.org, both of which have actually had some results.

People's Assembly also have some good petitions.

I cannot go to some of the meetings I would like to, so I join in online.
It would cost me a lot of money to get to meetings, so I subsidise those groups that need it, and allow fitter people to have their say physically.

Just read on one of the sites I linked to about four of the Tory posters at the last election.

"I'll cut the deficit, not the NHS.

No Ifs, No Buts, I'll get immigration down to the tens of thousands.

There will be no top-down reorganisation of the NHS.

If we don't deliver, vote us out."

I wonder if the Tories remember that last one.

There's an option to skip the questionnaire/survey, gracesgran.

I shall have another look. Thank you both.

That would be the bit that said "skip survey" then Ana and Jen. I am blushing furiously It was a nicely factual article.

I am sure you are right Eloethan. I seem to remember some petitions have made a difference. Sanctioning has an appeal to quite a few, sadly, so making the point is always going to be difficult.

It just seems to anti-democratic. I know if I keep saying that it won't actually help but I find it hard to believe that those who don't see it, can't see it. Perhaps it shows how far we have moved to the right over the last five years. Actually probably more than that as I would happily lay the death of social democracy in England at Tony Blairs door.

Goes back to Thatcher who said there was no such thing as society. Blair just carried on her ideas, and Cameron wants to take us back to the thirties.

www.welfareweekly.com/food-banks-benefit-sanctions-leave-clients-hungry-for-months/

I do not see how anyone can contemplate voting for a party that thinks this is acceptable.

Is there any UK Prime Minister in say the last 50 years, who seems to have been a good one, after they have left office?

There aren't that many more in the last 50 years, soontobe.
Harold Wilson was good enough to scare the establishment into telling lies about him.

The 3 things that 38 degrees are most interested in are
saving the NHS
stopping the TTIP and
stopping tax dodging.

All of these will help the low paid.

https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/page/m/74c07ef5/2d420d21/43ab0c86/464b2acf/904456902/VEsA/
Last weekends 38 degrees action. It wouldn't have happened if lots of people had not been concerned.

Councils do the opposite of what the government says they should, because councils are cash strapped, too.

Council tax changes are needed to help poverty-stricken families and single people.

www.theguardian.com/money/2015/mar/09/councils-using-aggressive-enforcement-and-bailiffs-to-recover-debts-says-charity

I am watching work and pensions questions in parliament.
The latest government line seems to be that all statistics except theirs are false. Except that they do not collect statistics, according to Esther McVey!

The latest on paying below the minimum wage.

www.corporatewatch.org.uk/care-company-mihomecare-mitie-staff-minimum-wage

I wonder if there are any politicians on the board.

Not one of the high street chains is willing to pay a living wage.

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/not-a-single-high-street-chain-will-commit-to-the-living-wage-investigation-finds-10109741.html

They rake in vast profits, pay their shareholders, and we subsidise their profits.