Thatcher’s legacy

What Thatcher meant for the rich

What Thatcher meant to the poor

Erdington Against the Cuts Public Meeting – 17th April

Erdington Against The Cuts is holding a public meeting on Wednesday 17th April at 7:30pm in the Methodist Church on Station Road in Erdington.

( The entrance is at the back of the Church next to the car park ring 0777 156 7496 if there are any problems)

The Anti-Cuts movement in Birmingham
Speaker: Godfrey Webster, Secretary, Birmingham Against the Cuts

Birmingham Bedroom Tax Actions: Sat 13th and 20th April

The next two weekends in Birmingham will see more action taking place over the bedroom tax which will see people charged for “spare” bedrooms such as those of the visiting children of separated parents, or rooms adapted for disabled children. On Saturday 13th, UK Uncut have a national day of action and the following weekend sees a national day of demonstrations with the Birmingham Benefits Justice Campaign organising an event assembling outside Waterstones near the Bull Ring.

April 6th: Tax Cut For The Richest, Tax Increase For The Poorest

The new tax year starts today, bracketed by strike action from PCS who represent civil service workers, and the message could not be clearer.
Today the top rate of tax, paid by the 1% highest earners who earn over £150,000/year, will fall from 50% to 45%. Meanwhile at the other end of the scale, the people with the lowest income – those on unemployment and disability benefits in Birmingham – face paying 20% of their council tax bill.
The government that started by saying we were all in it together has consistently shown how far apart from us they are.

In the neo-liberal laboratory: Birmingham’s Children in care and Social Impact Bonds

‘By the bye,’ said Mr. Bumble, ‘you don’t know anybody who wants a boy, do you? A porochial ‘prentis, who is at present a dead-weight; a millstone, as I may say, round the porochial throat? Liberal terms, Mr. Sowerberry, liberal terms?’

From Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens

While the options of the Victorian workhouse of making money from destitute children, from picking oakum to selling orphan’s into apprenticeship, are not currently open to Local Council’s other and more ingenious ways of making money from 21st century vulnerable young people are in the making.

PCS Strikes – 5th and 8th April

Following their strike in March, PCS continue their rolling set of industrial actions with a half day strike on 5th April, the day before the new tax year sees the top rate of tax cut for anyone earning over £150,000/year – the top 1% of earners, whilst people claiming in and out of work benefits see tax increases in the form of 20% council tax payments, extra charges for the bedroom tax and a real terms cut in their benefits. This will be followed by a half day strike on the 8th April for some departments that aren’t on strike on the 5th.

Birmingham Benefits Justice Campaign

The Campaign for Benefit Justice was set up in February bringing together tenants, disabled people, trade unions, the unpaid and the low paid as one national voice to end the war on the poor. Birmingham Benefits Justice Campaign was launched on March 28th at a well-attended meeting addressed by Sian Ruddick from the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS), Labour Councillor Josh Jones, Caroline Johnson from Unite the Resistance (UtR) and Bob Findlay of Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC). The majority of people at the meeting were not aligned to any political organisations and a number were personally affected by the Bedroom Tax. There were passionate contributions from the floor which showed that there was a determined mood to resist.