tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17435273350935590212024-03-06T00:12:13.191-08:00Combat the Bedroom TaxCombat Bedroom Taxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04396124953751678478noreply@blogger.comBlogger40125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1743527335093559021.post-69463422765329874992014-01-05T07:56:00.001-08:002014-01-05T07:56:31.028-08:00Urgent call out to all bedroom tax affected tenants on Merseyside<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij6pxMc_AH5pgV1hLFy29tkkkCvbI4GGN-khY0dhNDR8sEP24ThVA8FJJ3cEWmvlmzGWowsM-6tdVeknlZjLgfVy20r0Gg9fk9axkaT7rflAiDNwutdj2EifdGLy3bv3jvM1vEW9t-5w/s1600/catbt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij6pxMc_AH5pgV1hLFy29tkkkCvbI4GGN-khY0dhNDR8sEP24ThVA8FJJ3cEWmvlmzGWowsM-6tdVeknlZjLgfVy20r0Gg9fk9axkaT7rflAiDNwutdj2EifdGLy3bv3jvM1vEW9t-5w/s400/catbt.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3,"tn":"K"}"><span class="userContent">There are Bedroom Tax Tribunal Appeals taking place in Wirral
(Birkenhead) on Thursday 16th January 2014 and Tuesday 21st January
2014.<br /><br /> There are 6 cases being heard each day, that’s 12 bedroom tax appeals.<br /><br />
South Wirral Campaign Against the Bedroom Tax & ReClaim know of and
are representing tenants at 1 appeal on each of these days. This means
that there are 10 other appeal cases that we are not aware of.<br />
<br />Please get in touch with us if you are aware of tenants who are
attending an appeal hearing of any of these days. We maybe able to
assist, but only if we can prepare for the hearing.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3,"tn":"K"}"><span class="userContent">Contact </span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3,"tn":"K"}"><span class="userContent">Merseyside Federation of Anti-Bedroom Tax Groups </span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3,"tn":"K"}"><span class="userContent">secretary Juliet Edgar on 07528194137 or julietjulesj@yahoo.co.uk</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3,"tn":"K"}"><span class="userContent"><i>combatbedroomtax@gmail.com</i> </span></span></span></span></div>
Combat Bedroom Taxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04396124953751678478noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1743527335093559021.post-37301957211552907602013-12-12T09:02:00.000-08:002013-12-12T09:08:17.023-08:00All Landlords Are Bastards: The Case of the Kent Two<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgULv4XvLcfqX0J33hsdojOH5xlYprxH5tMWg4_UAIcuGI9FjThBvruOY_ZO2eWkWLzHeOFIjuDIUR_G8_W5pRQnk-84rQtWTv1BH2JlZ2KJ1OO-yn489TqNW7hSoDVLzI3rqRRjzhJ0g/s1600/kent+landlords.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgULv4XvLcfqX0J33hsdojOH5xlYprxH5tMWg4_UAIcuGI9FjThBvruOY_ZO2eWkWLzHeOFIjuDIUR_G8_W5pRQnk-84rQtWTv1BH2JlZ2KJ1OO-yn489TqNW7hSoDVLzI3rqRRjzhJ0g/s1600/kent+landlords.jpg" height="250" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Wilsons</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Gobshites Fergus and Judith Wilson (above) have called time on renting to current and prospective tenants who access in and out-of-work benefits they're entitled to because "<a href="http://www.thisiskent.co.uk/Landlord-gives-notice-tenants-benefits/story-20314099-detail/story.html">Landlords are business people and we are looking to make a profit</a>."<br />
<br />
With Universal Credit round the corner (somewhere) and housing benefit already slashed, these horrible bastards are concerned that they won't be able to sustain the profiteering they've grown accustomed to.<br />
<br />
So, their solution is turf out tenants accessing housing benefit and start exploiting "<a href="http://www.thisiskent.co.uk/Landlord-gives-notice-tenants-benefits/story-20314099-detail/story.html">eastern European people who are working</a>".<br />
<br />
There has been a recent spike in tenants organising against landlords, mostly private tenant groups angered by increasing rents and mostly groups or associations deploying awareness-raising tactics.<br />
<br />
This is not enough. Landlords (social & private) must be confronted directly, and collectively, because all other options default to the state and its legal apparatus; locking struggles within their terms and preventing working class people from defining the fight. <br />
<br />
Remodelled solidarity networks, most prevalant in the states, have been practicing ways of organising that puts mutual aid, direct action and direct desicion-making at the core of their struggles, but there are limitations to what these networks can accomplish and often, over time, they end up replicating dis-empowering Third Sector organisations.<br />
<br />
We will not move any step further towards our objectives if we continue to use diplomatic, concessionary and non-confrontational tactics. Landlords and their ilk are not arsed about tenants and will only react if they are truly threatened. Anything less will result in the continued exploitation of tenants (us) by parasites like Fergus and Judith.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfyMr9IZn2gr61uRqkeDqQfY2P0oK80kZz5v9y7Q1AoQ-b4mL2c2liW1YcLWglhW44Talrw17ECY9kliqTw3dmLw8mSYsR0nqWE6GV2lFp5jAFKWfQX5eK14poxU8WukOwRJXQpTeL0Q/s1600/alabBANNER.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfyMr9IZn2gr61uRqkeDqQfY2P0oK80kZz5v9y7Q1AoQ-b4mL2c2liW1YcLWglhW44Talrw17ECY9kliqTw3dmLw8mSYsR0nqWE6GV2lFp5jAFKWfQX5eK14poxU8WukOwRJXQpTeL0Q/s1600/alabBANNER.jpg" height="150" width="400" /></a></div>
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(ya)<br />
<i>combatbedroomtax@gmail.com</i>Combat Bedroom Taxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04396124953751678478noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1743527335093559021.post-20478744797085323792013-12-03T08:11:00.000-08:002013-12-04T02:14:33.379-08:00Councillors employed by North Lincolnshire Homes verbally attack bedroom tax-hit tenantsThese two work for North Lincolnshire Council:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSaHF6gmfTFYuvcI-VrHenOZwUbkyQTAR2WmR4A9da_Zjae_a_qJwCR4mkwW4yetnmMcMjLcIAZHO4LyLDDHp5TQwpeQ5XKgdiOF8qThZxYBL8STfytV6gG3rMEWKJq5jFYEv6b1Nqxg/s1600/Cllr+Liz+Redfern.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSaHF6gmfTFYuvcI-VrHenOZwUbkyQTAR2WmR4A9da_Zjae_a_qJwCR4mkwW4yetnmMcMjLcIAZHO4LyLDDHp5TQwpeQ5XKgdiOF8qThZxYBL8STfytV6gG3rMEWKJq5jFYEv6b1Nqxg/s1600/Cllr+Liz+Redfern.jpg" height="239" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cllr Liz Redfern (image via <a href="http://www.visitscunthorpe.com/" target="_blank">www.VisitScunthorpe.Com</a>)</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO3i8OFkN35amdv91iSaJ6W2eRXAhnH7bvotJP-RVy-4XjM0Ty__bD64W-mnQoCl4lrxkkfj_ByLhL9NOKTD1teNgVJwL3p4W47YJy5hB4hGVAPOcW5VEuKkFbnD1V3cAt6rSgZ9SYbQ/s1600/cllr+robert+waltham.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO3i8OFkN35amdv91iSaJ6W2eRXAhnH7bvotJP-RVy-4XjM0Ty__bD64W-mnQoCl4lrxkkfj_ByLhL9NOKTD1teNgVJwL3p4W47YJy5hB4hGVAPOcW5VEuKkFbnD1V3cAt6rSgZ9SYbQ/s1600/cllr+robert+waltham.jpg" height="239" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cllr Robert Waltham</td></tr>
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They've recently been in the news verbally <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-humber-25154871">attacking</a> North Lincs tenants hit by the bedroom tax. They are trying to <a href="http://www.scunthorpetelegraph.co.uk/bedroom-tax-relief-smokers-satellite-TV-customers/story-20227560-detail/story.html">scapegoat</a> tenants, who have the gall to make life a little bit more bearable for themselves, by refusing discretionary housing payments (DHP) based on 'undeserving'/'deserving' criteria. <br />
<br />
Today, North Lincolnshire Homes, now <a href="http://www.ongo.co.uk/">OnGo</a>, set about distancing themselves from Cllrs Waltham and Redfern by responding to allegations that they were complicit in the verbal attacks on bedroom tax-hit tenants and the DHP application process:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu19JtX-bj9CtS7-3cs0iTv2hpW1kXeUzRbBPovZqgM41y9ZshCb89az2fvntBRk6vbpP_37xjVao_7mBHpfXpob_-Or6_X9aWqhQMdqGBpXPd6o9xoUx0Sgeua2Org9RzyGmOtVeLUg/s1600/nlhomestweet1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu19JtX-bj9CtS7-3cs0iTv2hpW1kXeUzRbBPovZqgM41y9ZshCb89az2fvntBRk6vbpP_37xjVao_7mBHpfXpob_-Or6_X9aWqhQMdqGBpXPd6o9xoUx0Sgeua2Org9RzyGmOtVeLUg/s1600/nlhomestweet1.jpg" height="86" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://twitter.com/nlhomes/status/407805296182972417">https://twitter.com/nlhomes/status/407805296182972417</a></td></tr>
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Combat Workfare understand that North Lincs Homes doesn't have any involvement in the DHP applications process, but they tweeted it anyway to deflect from what we were actually getting at: that both Councillors Waltham and Redfern are directors at North Lincolnshire Homes and its partnership limited company OnGo respectively.<br />
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North Lincolnshire Homes are bullshitters. They insist they want to help tenants "as best we can", yet they employ, and most likely pay, Councillors to sit on their board and let their verbal attacks on tenants go unchallenged.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz_piZxbqTgeXcn9znzlrbSI_f8J0pJw7RqnKQsEhtdr3EQ6HYf5MPyAmk50X6oKMFxJgpt-gbeogvxHowosI199XA7jpjJKQuoN1DjhFOiJwJEssykeMOArl0WFYQ6oX90dkp_T0ViA/s1600/nlhomestwee2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz_piZxbqTgeXcn9znzlrbSI_f8J0pJw7RqnKQsEhtdr3EQ6HYf5MPyAmk50X6oKMFxJgpt-gbeogvxHowosI199XA7jpjJKQuoN1DjhFOiJwJEssykeMOArl0WFYQ6oX90dkp_T0ViA/s1600/nlhomestwee2.jpg" height="72" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://twitter.com/nlhomes/status/407810295944327168">https://twitter.com/nlhomes/status/407810295944327168</a></td></tr>
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Still they insisted on distancing themselves from North Lincs council:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLx_uLC0DEvrokjYImdm0P5mWJt_pV4CjulnxDDjas5LMYqNrdQWe6QF4jWaQ2_3X5wjhQWU528ykeuQruWCDJF5CAlEiR9WYoLJgAgH1eLJeW2DBmCmkzaT01sUGWUTZpB1zO_pEvyg/s1600/nlhomestweet3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLx_uLC0DEvrokjYImdm0P5mWJt_pV4CjulnxDDjas5LMYqNrdQWe6QF4jWaQ2_3X5wjhQWU528ykeuQruWCDJF5CAlEiR9WYoLJgAgH1eLJeW2DBmCmkzaT01sUGWUTZpB1zO_pEvyg/s1600/nlhomestweet3.jpg" height="72" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://twitter.com/nlhomes/status/407810897328218112">https://twitter.com/nlhomes/status/407810897328218112</a></td></tr>
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As pointed out by <a href="https://twitter.com/SpeyeJoe/status/407811838739349504">Joe Halewood</a>, "49 out of 50 who apply for a bedroom tax DHP will not get one". A DHP refusal rate that is being directly impacted-on by the vicious policies of Cllrs Waltham & Redfern, who sit on the boards of one of North Lincs largest housing associations.<br />
<br />
It's about time CEO of OnGo and North Lincolnshire Homes <a href="https://twitter.com/AndyOrrey">Andy Orrey</a> started giving some answers to why these Councillors are allowed to sit on the board, when they clearly have such disdain for North Lincs tenants.<br />
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Let North Lincs Homes & the Councillors know what you think:<br />
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Cllr <b>Robert Waltham</b>:<br />
<br />
Telephone Number: 01652652021<br />
Mobile Number: 07977987903<br />
Email Address: rob.waltham@northlincs.gov.uk<br />
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Cllr <b>Liz Redfern</b>:<br />
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<span style="line-height: 1.5;">Tel: 01724 297556</span> <br />
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Mobile: 07717 587596<br />
Email: Cllr.LizRedfern@northlincs.gov.uk<br />
<br />
<b>Andy Orrey</b>, CEO of OnGo (North Lincolnshire Holmes):<br />
<br />
twitter: @AndyOrrey<br />
<br />
North Lincolnshire Homes:<br />
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twitter: @nlhomes<br />
facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nlhomes<br />
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<i>combatbedroomtax@gmail.com</i>Combat Bedroom Taxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04396124953751678478noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1743527335093559021.post-69827759396585084002013-10-21T06:23:00.000-07:002013-10-21T13:26:47.229-07:00Former ‘World's most unpleasant Young Conservative’ claims bedroom tax is helping tenants<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>H<span class="trackable-componentcomponent-wrappereight-col">arry, Phibbs</span></i><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Just </span><span class="trackable-componentcomponent-wrappereight-col">some brief notes on news
out today that the bedroom tax is apparently “<a href="http://www.conservativehome.com/localgovernment/2013/10/cutting-the-spare-room-subsidy-is-getting-thousands-into-work.html">getting thousands into work</a>”. </span></div>
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<span class="trackable-componentcomponent-wrappereight-col">The
author of the Conservative Home blogpost that carries the </span><span class="trackable-componentcomponent-wrappereight-col"><span class="trackable-componentcomponent-wrappereight-col">above</span> headline, toff tory
councillor Harry Phibbs, has conducted “an extensive piece of research” to
support his claim. We’ve requested Phibbs make the FOI requests/replies
available to the public so they can be scrutinized.</span></div>
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<span class="trackable-componentcomponent-wrappereight-col">Although
the headline is a tory neck swinger, Phibbs spends most of the blog explaining
caveats to the figures, ending with a feeble attempt at turning the bedroom tax
into a work-rel</span>ated<span class="trackable-componentcomponent-wrappereight-col"> success. Bollocks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="trackable-componentcomponent-wrappereight-col">The
reality is the bedroom tax, in concert with the rest of welfare attacks, is destroying
lives, upending communities and severing socially supportive networks for
hundreds of thousands of tenants. But the Gov doesn’t want voters to dwell on
that stuff when they’re attempting to entrench divisions within the working
class or trying to prop up a piece of crumbling legislation.</span></div>
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<span class="trackable-componentcomponent-wrappereight-col">And
Phibbs, once voted “</span><i><a href="http://hfconwatch.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/cllr-harry-phibbs-is-hypocrite-says.html">The world's most unpleasant Young Conservative</a>”</i>,<span class="trackable-componentcomponent-wrappereight-col"> certainly won’t want to be
dwelling on the human cost as he spins on some easily, deliberately misinterpreted
figures. </span></div>
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</xml><![endif]--><span class="trackable-componentcomponent-wrappereight-col"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">E</span></span>xpect more shite from Phibbs </span></span><span class="trackable-componentcomponent-wrappereight-col"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="trackable-componentcomponent-wrappereight-col">a</span>ll this week. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="trackable-componentcomponent-wrappereight-col"><i>combatbedroomtax@gmail.com</i></span></span><i><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"></span></i></div>
Combat Bedroom Taxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04396124953751678478noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1743527335093559021.post-51393234616854367192013-10-19T07:24:00.003-07:002013-10-19T07:24:45.450-07:00Can't Pay, Won't Pay: Callout for Non-Payers to Go Public<a href="http://mfabtg.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/poll_tax_bedroom_tax1.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Image" class="size-full wp-image" id="i-93" src="http://mfabtg.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/poll_tax_bedroom_tax1.jpg?w=390" /></a>Merseyside
Federation of Anti-Bedroom Tax Groups is looking for a group of tenants
to publicly declare their non-payment. This is part of a new strategy
of pressuring local councils to put their money where their mouth is,
and take action on tribunal rulings which should end the coalition’s
hated and destructive policy.<br />
<br />
The Conservative/Lib Dem government is very much on the back foot
over the bedroom tax. The report by Raquel Rolnik of the United Nations
was a devastating condemnation of the suffering the measure has imposed
on already vulnerable people. Also, tribunal after tribunal has found in
favour of tenants, and against councils, over the implementation of the
bedroom tax.<br />
<br />
The government has declared it will appeal against the judgement in
Kirkcaldy, Scotland, which found that Fife Council – and therefore all
councils – had acted contrary to the law when they simply took the
social landlord’s word over the number of bedrooms in each property. The
tribunal found that each council must take into account room size,
available floor space, purpose, and usage of each room. It definitively
ruled that rooms of under seventy square feet cannot be classed as a
bedroom.<br />
<br />
When Ed Miliband announced Labour’s pledge to axe the bedroom tax if
they come to power in 2015 (years too late for tenants struggling right
now), Merseyside’s council leaders chimed in, all saying that they
oppose the bedroom tax on a personal level, but can do nothing to
challenge national government policy.<br />
<br />
This is a lie.<br />
<br />
All the region’s Labour councils have to do is comply with the law,
as interpreted by the Kirkcaldy tribunal! Fife council have already
agreed to do this, so if Liverpool, Wirral, Knowsley, Sefton, St Helens
and Halton councils all went along, the bedroom tax would be dealt a
fatal blow, and the government would have to stop dragging its feet.<br />
<br />
To make local council chiefs think again, Merseyside Federation of
Anti-Bedroom Tax Groups propose a high profile campaign. Volunteer
tenants:<br />
<ul>
<li>must be prepared to take a public stand</li>
<li>would have to have handed in an appeal to help preserve their position (we can help with this)</li>
<li>would make two public statements – one to the housing association
and one to the council, saying why they have been forced into this
position</li>
</ul>
Tenants interested in being one of our non-payment volunteers should
contact our secretary Juliet Edgar on 07528194137 or
julietjulesj@yahoo.co.uk.<br />
<br />
<i>[reposted from <a href="http://mfabtg.wordpress.com/">Merseyside Federation of Anti-Bedroom Tax Groups</a>]</i>Combat Bedroom Taxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04396124953751678478noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1743527335093559021.post-9439984260004839262013-09-23T11:25:00.001-07:002013-09-23T11:40:24.712-07:00DWP issue new bedroom tax guidance to local authorities; Seek to appeal Fife ruling<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.docstoc.com/docs/160774804/removal-of-the-spare-room-subsidy-bulletin-23-sep">removal of the spare room subsidy bulletin 23 sep</a></span><br />
<object data="http://viewer.docstoc.com/" height="550" id="_ds_160774804" name="_ds_160774804" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="630"><param name="FlashVars" value="doc_id=160774804&mem_id=39846974&doc_type=pdf&fullscreen=0&allowdownload=1" /><param name="movie" value="http://viewer.docstoc.com/"/><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /></object><script type="text/javascript">var docstoc_docid="160774804";var docstoc_title="removal of the spare room subsidy bulletin 23 sep";var docstoc_urltitle="removal of the spare room subsidy bulletin 23 sep";</script><script src="http://i.docstoccdn.com/js/check-flash.js" type="text/javascript"></script>Combat Bedroom Taxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04396124953751678478noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1743527335093559021.post-90821335398536812862013-09-20T06:33:00.000-07:002013-09-20T06:33:17.738-07:00A room less than 70 sq ft is not liable for bedroom tax – Fife Council<br />
<div style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<i> </i><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge93Pib7LOlwmBcB2noa-v9k7n0YNfY6hdzCmaZ7Euek5LPlZ-foNhIFY6MpSH7UYAwe6wCvwYKnnS_jXA4mEiddrNknXz9_XRgDIVy-5FrF6XBbIFB6NEE0iLGjB2rIB7jn-a6e1v3r0/s1600/00426125.jpg" width="400" /></div>
<br />
<i>The following is a press release from Merseyside Federation of Anti-Bedroom Tax Groups:</i><br />
<br />
Following a first-tier benefit tribunal judgement* against Fife
Council that a room of less than 70 sq ft is not a bedroom for bedroom
tax purposes, an emergency meeting agreed today that this will now
become official council policy. Earlier in the week the council
announced that it would not appeal against the tribunal ruling. In
separate judgements over the last two weeks, the benefit tribunal in
Kirkcaldy has ruled that room purpose, usage and usable space are also
issues that councils need to take into account in determining a tenant’s
liability for the bedroom tax.<br />
<br />
Secretary of Merseyside Federation of anti-Bedroom Tax Groups Juliet
Edgar says: “This is is an important and very welcome decision. We have
always said the process that councils went through in determining
bedroom tax liability was fundamentally flawed since they did not take
into account the space standards of the 1985 Housing Act or individual
circumstances. Fife Council has set a precedent: we now insist that
councils on Merseyside follow immediately.”<br />
<br />
There are thousands of properties on Merseyside where tenants are
paying bedroom tax for room less than 70 sq ft. The 1985 Housing Act
space standard says that this is too small to serve as a bedroom for an
adult. Councils and housing associations will now have to face up to the
prospect of undertaking individual surveys of tens of thousands of
social housing properties across Merseyside to record individual room
sizes, their purpose and the use that is made of them. It is expected
that at least 30% of all bedroom tax decisions will have to be set aside
as a result.<br />
<br />
Ms Edgar comments: “This is is an exercise that will take months. In
the meantime, we demand that all existing bedroom tax decisions are set
aside. Why should tenants continue to pay a tax for which they are not
liable while councils do the job that they should have done at the
outset?”<br />
<br />
For further information contact Juliet Edgar on 07528194137<br />
<br />
* Judgements SC108/13/01362 and SC108/13/01318. For a more detailed
assessment of both judgements and their significance see
speye.wordpress.comCombat Bedroom Taxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04396124953751678478noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1743527335093559021.post-20624490419200344822013-08-27T08:06:00.000-07:002013-08-27T08:29:48.933-07:00Bolton at Home concocts ‘no homelessness’ policy for bedroom tax-hit tenants<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf4lkINv48EPQ9R3vVh5Po8_g3n5DeMxaG1FDlnMQtI_AFiYoy2p3oHQlDK9TKWPcSlXFip3DQ-w-w4QGW7hhUlHUeb5nfIOzAbNckNTwgs_hViMUnopzp8ab6uGQcUTFp754a60X9XQ/s1600/Bolton-at-home-no-back.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf4lkINv48EPQ9R3vVh5Po8_g3n5DeMxaG1FDlnMQtI_AFiYoy2p3oHQlDK9TKWPcSlXFip3DQ-w-w4QGW7hhUlHUeb5nfIOzAbNckNTwgs_hViMUnopzp8ab6uGQcUTFp754a60X9XQ/s320/Bolton-at-home-no-back.bmp" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">On August
19<sup>th</sup> ‘arms length’ housing association Bolton at Home (BH) announced
a <a href="http://www.boltonathome.org.uk/index.php/bolton-at-home-makes-no-homelessness-pledge-on-bedroom-tax/">‘no homelessness’ policy</a> to mitigate the impact of the bedroom tax on BH
tenants. This would seem like a tenant-supporting move, but when John Dunn,
assistant director of housing services at BH, spent 7 paragraphs in the
Guardian <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/housing-network/2013/aug/27/bedroom-tax-tenants-no-homelessness">bemoaning</a> the ‘no eviction’ policies some housing associations (H</span>A)<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> have adopted –in effect arguing for
the necessity of evictions- it becomes clear that the reasoning underpinning
the ‘no homelessness’ policy are wholly economic.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
According to BH’s ‘no homelessness’ policy, if a tenant is
evicted over the bedroom tax they’re given the option of moving into “another”
property. <span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The tenant is given
one re-housing offer only and if they turn it down they can basically fuck off
somewhere else.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
With <a href="http://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/news/10556718.Special_report__How__bedroom_tax__has_left_11_000_people_in_Bolton_waiting_for_just_91_one_bed_homes/">11,000 tenants in Bolton chasing 91 one-bedroom properties</a>, it leaves the policy vacuous. With a shortage of properties to
‘downsize’ to, BH’s only option would be to shift tenants into the private
rented sector. And this, it seems, is what BH intend to do:</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="MsoNormal">
“We will use some of the empty properties generated by
turnover in our stock to re-house affected tenants, <b>as well as making use of
private-sector leasehold properties</b>.”<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"></span></div>
</blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="text-transform: uppercase;">a</span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">lso BH:</span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="margin-left: 0cm;">
“…would work with the
private rented sector and Bolton Council to bring in suitable accommodation
where possible.”<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"></span></div>
</blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">According
to BH, though, it all depends on what kind of tenant you are. The narrative
that BH concocts is that they are protecting the tenant from homelessness and
simultaneously other tenants who would be indirectly hit “</span>if rent is not
collected.” But, like <span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">a</span>ll
st<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">a</span>te-<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">a</span>ligned institutions, BH <span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">tries to bring tenants into conflict
with each other by dividing them into good/deserving and bad/undeserving:</span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="margin-left: 0cm;">
“’No eviction’ policies do
not differentiate between those who can't pay and those who won't pay. It is
unfair on those who go on struggling to pay the bedroom tax if others choose
not to.”<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"></span></div>
</blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Dunn does
not mention the possibility th</span>at tenants who “won’t pay” might also be
struggling <span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">and can’t pay</span>,
preferring to use them as scapegoats for the failure of housing associations to
act in genuine solidarity with all tenants.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Bolton News <a href="http://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/news/10619858.Bolton_at_Home_becomes_first_association_in_country_to_make__no_homelessness__pledge_over__bedroom_tax_/">reported</a> in <span style="text-transform: uppercase;">a</span>ugust
that:</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="margin-left: 0cm;">
“They [Bolton <span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">a</span>t Home] said the policy will
not apply if tenants are evicted for arrears that are the result of other
factors, such as deliberate non-payment.”</div>
</blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">While Dunn
has-a-go at folk for focusing on the ‘morality’ of the bedroom tax, he uses his
own courtroom tactics to</span> moralise<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> over the decisions made by BH tenants, and principally how those pesky
tenants, unable to afford the fucking rent and can’t/won’t pay, are damaging
the “service standards”, “credit” and “capital improvement projects” of Bolton
at Home. Well, whoopee-fucking-do!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Mea</span>nwhile,
Dunn shows whose side he’s re<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">ally
on with this mucky little outburst:</span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> </span>
</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="MsoNormal">
“A ‘no eviction’ policy also sets a precedent for landlords.
How can they then argue that they are right to evict in cases where arrears are
caused by other factors, such as government cuts to tax credits, welfare benefits,
increases in non-dependant deductions, and so on?”<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"></span></div>
</blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The ch</span>a<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">nces </span>are if you’re struggling
with the bedroom tax then you’re probably, -whether you can’t or won’t pay-
struggling with rent full stop, especially if you’re being threatened with
eviction by your H<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">A. So, what
difference does it make if you come under the ‘no homelessness’ policy, or not,
if you’re going to get shunted into private-rented property anyways? Fuck all.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">By slapping
the politically loaded term ‘homelessness’ on a mirage-of-a-policy BH merely,
and most likely briefly, score some brownie points with the Boltonian
electorate and council. If they were truly acting in the interests of their
tenants, then they would have adopted a no-evictions policy that protects all
tenants from reform and crisis. Instead, they’ve chosen to divide the Bolton at
Home tenant community and concentr</span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">ate on</span> protecting their more important capital assets: bricks </span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">and mort</span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">ar.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span lang="EN-US">combatbedroomtax@gmail.com</span></i></span></span>Combat Bedroom Taxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04396124953751678478noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1743527335093559021.post-5326966275911444582013-08-26T03:18:00.000-07:002013-08-26T03:18:57.810-07:00Combat the Bedroom Tax's Brief Guide to Direct Action<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>"Harpooned
to the sides of capitalistic society it shall tear and bleed it until the shark
turns the final somersault"</i> - Émile Pouget</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<i>"Direct action may be the
extreme of violence, or it may be as peaceful as the waters of
the Brook of Shiloa that go softly."</i> - Voltairine de Cleyre<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Direct </span>a<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">ction is t</span>aking matters into
our own hands</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Direct </span>a<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">ction is not </span>a <span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">boycott</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><a href="http://libcom.org/library/boycotting-amazon-boycotting-ukuncut-or-why-thin-understanding-post-fordist-capitalism-f">http://libcom.org/library/boycotting-amazon-boycotting-ukuncut-or-why-thin-understanding-post-fordist-capitalism-f</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Direct </span>a<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">ction is not dependent on </span><span class="null">approval from the state</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="null"><a href="http://ca.ibtimes.com/articles/255711/20111124/occupy-toronto-encampment-taken-longer-occupied-photos.htm#page4">http://ca.ibtimes.com/articles/255711/20111124/occupy-toronto-encampment-taken-longer-occupied-photos.htm#page4</a></span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOgMorIz_l9uniiJr7H8la_A7lPH4ezm_0j_H5rQpkVSfPmOu2VF8wHijjOo2Z2le30DREHPL5EkMf5krR1Ojsr0BuDpoT3qXLyh73EHknCKmmvXnXz3x__0bYy6w9T4KwyRLh9c90iA/s1600/offstate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOgMorIz_l9uniiJr7H8la_A7lPH4ezm_0j_H5rQpkVSfPmOu2VF8wHijjOo2Z2le30DREHPL5EkMf5krR1Ojsr0BuDpoT3qXLyh73EHknCKmmvXnXz3x__0bYy6w9T4KwyRLh9c90iA/s400/offstate.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Protestor shaking hands with a copper</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Direct </span>a<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">ction is </span><span class="null">under
the control of the participants</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="null"><a href="http://seasol.net/">http://seasol.net/</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Direct </span>a<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">ction is not </span><span class="null">a letter to your MP</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="null"><s><a href="http://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/index/campaigns/current_campaigns/cam-fw-esaactions/cam-fw-mpcontact.htm">http://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/index/campaigns/current_campaigns/cam-fw-esaactions/cam-fw-mpcontact.htm</a></s></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Direct </span>a<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">ction is ch</span><span class="null">asing
bailiffs off</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><a href="http://infantile-disorder.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/kirkby-activists-face-down-thieving.html">http://infantile-disorder.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/kirkby-activists-face-down-thieving.html</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOah7fE8YwunaW0il5B9XOPgYuUbtVaRKm6XLvHFfAjdo1-jgS5DtKeUixvblHCW7iNR3icbp9Y4LU51ac5nTpfExIn9x57xdGVZvYNJzFiYijt4imkMaY5vf5RdGaInw4BfLY6I8OdA/s1600/kirbyboff.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOah7fE8YwunaW0il5B9XOPgYuUbtVaRKm6XLvHFfAjdo1-jgS5DtKeUixvblHCW7iNR3icbp9Y4LU51ac5nTpfExIn9x57xdGVZvYNJzFiYijt4imkMaY5vf5RdGaInw4BfLY6I8OdA/s400/kirbyboff.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Local residents prevent bailiffs from entering property in Liverpool</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Direct </span>a<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">ction is not </span><span class="null">a petition</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><a href="http://antiworkfare.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/i-direct-action-your-petition-and-raise.html">http://antiworkfare.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/i-direct-action-your-petition-and-raise.html</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Direct </span>a<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">ction is not, nor never will be,
lobbying the lo</span><span class="null">cal council</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<s><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><a href="http://www.writetothem.com/">http://www.writetothem.com/</a></span></s></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Direct </span>a<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">ction is expropri</span><span class="null">ation of food to feed your family</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><a href="http://libcom.org/news/unemployed-take-food-mercadona-carrefour-mass-action-andalucia-08082012">http://libcom.org/news/unemployed-take-food-mercadona-carrefour-mass-action-andalucia-08082012</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9FmMTXOjylQNyw8bh8k_LwuAbE_NU539IDbixvrA0HtHZn21O1Hl_RUsS6pgAsdbGO8z3SF0me-uxt6-VXbDSZtlnLXWaNon0yQ3N04fSW30iCmJu5EP9O9TdOztV-_boRT9MFXQf9Q/s1600/unemplfood.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9FmMTXOjylQNyw8bh8k_LwuAbE_NU539IDbixvrA0HtHZn21O1Hl_RUsS6pgAsdbGO8z3SF0me-uxt6-VXbDSZtlnLXWaNon0yQ3N04fSW30iCmJu5EP9O9TdOztV-_boRT9MFXQf9Q/s400/unemplfood.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span id="caption" style="z-index: 10500;">Unemployed take food from Mercadona and Carrefour in mass action in Andalucia</span></i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Direct </span>a<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">ction is not </span><span class="null">a foodbank</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><a href="http://www.historyofsocialwork.org/1967_food_banks/2002%20Riches%20food%20banks.pdf">http://www.historyofsocialwork.org/1967_food_banks/2002%20Riches%20food%20banks.pdf</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Direct </span>a<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">ction is </span><span class="null">a
wildcat strike</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="null"><a href="http://iwwboston.org/2013/08/19/workers-at-insomnia-cookies-go-on-wildcat-strike/">http://iwwboston.org/2013/08/19/workers-at-insomnia-cookies-go-on-wildcat-strike/</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Direct </span>a<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">ction is not </span><span class="null">a march from point </span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">A to B</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><a href="http://libcom.org/blog/what-october-20-tells-us-about-state-movement-21102012">http://libcom.org/blog/what-october-20-tells-us-about-state-movement-21102012</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhhIHrCPQI7bQvQLiGUNq2UbeDtBNM4jGfKXcdU1qn1tUTwmFRGYBt55XwEVB8y9Xb8hZAEk7e6flOLNKjdjG_TjhE6jIWoDdC8Hkes98Q9aQKBPQnZ65yUqPYUMreN-ZMuBmvcUvgXQ/s1600/thismarchisshit.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhhIHrCPQI7bQvQLiGUNq2UbeDtBNM4jGfKXcdU1qn1tUTwmFRGYBt55XwEVB8y9Xb8hZAEk7e6flOLNKjdjG_TjhE6jIWoDdC8Hkes98Q9aQKBPQnZ65yUqPYUMreN-ZMuBmvcUvgXQ/s400/thismarchisshit.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br /></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Direct </span>a<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">ction is the Gulabi Gang</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulabi_Gang">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulabi_Gang</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Direct </span>a<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">ction is Anti-F</span></b><b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">ascist </span></b><b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Action</span></b><br />
<a href="http://libcom.org/history/articles/afa-anti-fascist-actionhttp://libcom.org/history/articles/afa-anti-fascist-action"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">http://libcom.org/history/articles/afa-anti-fascist-actionhttp://libcom.org/history/articles/afa-anti-fascist-action</span></a><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Direct </span>a<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">ction is not </span></b><b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">a symbolic protest</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://tmso.org.uk/"><s><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">http://tmso.org.uk/ </span></s></a><br />
<s><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><a href="http://www.ukuncut.org.uk/">http://www.ukuncut.org.uk/</a></span></s></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsFrT0j0dawQO7_eSEHosFHYQSO_2NutsnGUs-R0ljX4XGzCt6HUS7wDs25NLUjIThR-NkjO3U66uVDPDJ20sTLua6F-oXaXHKOIbYTHeANHEbdTaZNzROjgNYH0-yjU3qqIlOhLVsVg/s1600/uncutclegg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsFrT0j0dawQO7_eSEHosFHYQSO_2NutsnGUs-R0ljX4XGzCt6HUS7wDs25NLUjIThR-NkjO3U66uVDPDJ20sTLua6F-oXaXHKOIbYTHeANHEbdTaZNzROjgNYH0-yjU3qqIlOhLVsVg/s400/uncutclegg.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> <i>UKuncut activists outside Nick Clegg's House</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Direct </span>a<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">ction is fighting for ourselves</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><a href="http://libcom.org/library/fighting-ourselves-anarcho-syndicalism-class-struggle-solidarity-federation">http://libcom.org/library/fighting-ourselves-anarcho-syndicalism-class-struggle-solidarity-federation</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Direct </span>a<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">ction is not </span>about the media</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="null"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEb9i_cuhy4">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEb9i_cuhy4</a></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Direct </span>a<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">ction is not </span>civil disobedience</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Flower_Power_demonstrator.jpg">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Flower_Power_demonstrator.jpg</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://www.theargus.co.uk/resources/images/2594683.jpg?type=articleLandscape"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">http://www.theargus.co.uk/resources/images/2594683.jpg?type=articleLandscape</span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Direct </span>a<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">ction is sabotage</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><a href="http://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/emile-pouget-sabotage.pdf">http://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/emile-pouget-sabotage.pdf</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Direct </span>a<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">ction “</span>subscribes to notions
of freedom and autonomy”</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://libcom.org/library/direct-action-emile-pouget">http://libcom.org/library/direct-action-emile-pouget</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Direct </span>a<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">ction is the "normal function" of working class resist</span>a<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">nce</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
(<i>ya</i>)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="null"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">comb</span></i></span><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">a</span><span class="null"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">tbedroomt</span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">ax@gmail.com</span></i></div>
Combat Bedroom Taxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04396124953751678478noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1743527335093559021.post-73908386669292889152013-08-11T08:17:00.001-07:002013-08-11T08:17:33.078-07:00Merseyside Bedroom Tax Federation: After The Storm<i>Repost via <a href="http://infantile-disorder.blogspot.co.uk/">Infantile Disorder</a>:</i><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_plP2XaeDpsWEFovATKuMds7CQJC-8OF5-wnCjt-ftZe70n7LI96R1M2XhnTnXywZJTrlp7P363_T3vZ_sbsmFr1o0IErNdXarnEhCsi86i1nahRSC7AQgza7h5ntQOjxsq3r1kEwzQ/s1600/swbt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_plP2XaeDpsWEFovATKuMds7CQJC-8OF5-wnCjt-ftZe70n7LI96R1M2XhnTnXywZJTrlp7P363_T3vZ_sbsmFr1o0IErNdXarnEhCsi86i1nahRSC7AQgza7h5ntQOjxsq3r1kEwzQ/s400/swbt.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
During the spring, the Merseyside Federation of Anti-Bedroom Tax Groups <a href="http://infantile-disorder.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/merseyside-anti-bedroom-tax-federation.html">was formed</a>, following <a href="http://infantile-disorder.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/angry-liverpool-bedroom-tax-meeting.html">weeks of frenzied activity</a>.
Neighbourhood-based groups from all across the region sent delegates to
meetings in Liverpool town centre, and amidst a buzz of excitement, <a href="https://docs.zoho.com/writer/ropen.do?rid=cm31cc24f1515e1ed42cf88de5136571a7288">an anti-oppression motion</a> was unanimously agreed.<br />
<br />
But the trouble began when it became clear that one local anti-bedroom tax group - based in Knowsley - had <a href="http://infantile-disorder.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/knowsley-fight-bedroom-tax-embrace.html">strong links to notorious local fascists</a>. Knowsley sought to join the Federation, and anti-fascists tried to raise the alarm. But at the next Federation meeting, <a href="http://living-in-the-real-world1871.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/merseyside-bedroom-tax-organisation.html">the Knowsley application was steamrollered through by the chair</a>, who refused to allow antifascists permission to air their concerns. The next moment I <a href="http://infantile-disorder.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/why-i-wont-be-giving-in-to-enablers-of.html">received a tweet from a jubilant Knowsley admin</a>, threatening to take me to court for my "lies" (I'm yet to hear anything further, by the way). Following this, the <a href="http://infantile-disorder.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/merseyside-anti-bedroom-tax-federation.html">Federation Twitter account published statements attacking "the anarchists"</a>, aimed at covering up the chair's undemocratic actions.<br />
<br />
At a special meeting called to look into whether "the Federation [had]
been brought into disrepute", Knowsley's affiliation application was
withdrawn, and no-one from that group has attended any further meetings.
In the meantime, local groups <a href="http://infantile-disorder.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/kirkby-activists-face-down-thieving.html">have continued</a> doing <a href="http://infantile-disorder.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/wirral-estate-rallies-to-oppose-bedroom.html">some excellent work</a>, but the issue of what happened at the 1st June meeting has been the elephant in the room at a federal level.<br />
<br />
Today, over a tense and very emotional hour and a half, delegates had it
out. This was prompted by a motion from one of the local groups, which
called for "The activists who have made public statements attacking the
Federation" (a reference to those who had called-out the behaviour of <i>individuals within the Federation</i>)
to "withdraw them". Further, "all groups agree not to make public
statements attacking the Federation or members of the Federation", and
later on, "concerns or disagreements to be put in writing and discussed
at a full Federation meeting and to agree with the democratic decision
at that meeting".<br />
<br />
There was lots of back and forth about the merits or otherwise of what
antifascists had written in their whistleblowing blog posts, but when
one speaker described the motion as "top down", and another
characterised it as "policing" what individuals are doing when "we're
not the state", it was agreed to amend the resolution to the following:<br />
<br />
"The Federation is to unite in practise whenever possible and assist all
groups to become bigger and stronger in fighting the bedroom tax and
cuts in welfare benefit.<br />
<br />
"To agree to a Code of Conduct. Differences should be respected, and all
members have a right to express their positions and discuss in a frank,
open and respectful way.<br />
<br />
"Members should not make personal attacks. The Chairperson to pull
members to order when personal attacks are made and if the person
persists they be asked to leave the meeting."<br />
<br />
The amendment was backed by a majority of three, out of eleven voting
delegates. While such a margin shows there are still tensions and
suspicions within the group, there was a sense that the air has been
cleared somewhat, and hopes that the Federation will be able to put the
infighting behind us, so we can get on with the urgent work of
challenging the bedroom tax. With fascists unable to spread their
divisive poison anywhere near affiliated groups, we can proceed with
some confidence.
Combat Bedroom Taxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04396124953751678478noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1743527335093559021.post-60691302380954952402013-08-10T07:12:00.000-07:002013-08-10T07:12:36.027-07:00Bedroom Tax Roundup: Ring of Steel & Wirral Rally<i>Reposts from <a href="http://infantile-disorder.blogspot.co.uk/">Infantile Disorder</a>:</i><br />
<b><i><br /></i></b>
<div class="date-header">
<b><i>Wednesday, July 31st, 2013</i></b></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Merseyside Activists Face Down Thieving Bailiffs </b></span><br />
<br />
<div class="post-header">
</div>
<a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/q84/s720x720/59539_141864199353839_2143483664_n.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/q84/s720x720/59539_141864199353839_2143483664_n.jpg" width="400" /></a>Despite heavy rain, a group of Merseyside activists got together at very
short notice on Wednesday morning, to face down bailiffs intent on
snatching and destroying a homeless woman's belongings.<br />
<br />
The woman - who is in her fifties and a stroke survivor - had lived at
the Knowsley Housing Trust property for many years. Her husband had been
killed in an industrial incident, and her children had left home,
leaving her home "underoccupied" in the eyes of the government, who hit
her with the bedroom tax in April, and her arrears quickly grew.<br />
<br />
Knowsley Housing Trust evicted the woman last week. At Saturday's 'Enuf
Is Enuf' event in Liverpool city centre, her daughter described how she
got on her knees to beg bailiffs not to throw her out of her home. These
pleas fell on deaf ears, and she was informed that she had four weeks
to remove her property from the house, which was initially left tinned
up with pet animals trapped inside. However, on Tuesday the woman was
told the bailiffs would be coming for her things today. It was at this
point she made her first contact with local anti-bedroom tax activists,
and they planned to form a "ring of steel" around the door of the
building.<br />
<br />
On Wednesday morning, with "ring of steel" in place, a Knowsley Housing
Trust van drove past and drove on down the road, but the bailiffs did
not call. Clearly, the woman at the centre of it all is still in a
desperate situation, but she is receiving solidarity from people
determined to help her.<br />
<br />
Please let Knowsley Housing Trust know what you think of their behaviour: <a href="https://twitter.com/knowsleyhousing">@knowsleyhousing</a>; 0151 290 7000, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/knowsleyhousingkht">https://www.facebook.com/knowsleyhousingkht</a>.<br />
<br />
<i><b>Wednesday, July 24th, 2013</b></i><br /><a href="http://www.blogger.com/null" name="1417452615198312558"></a>
<div class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Wirral Estate Rallies to Oppose Bedroom Tax </b></span></div>
<div class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name">
<br /></div>
<div class="post-header">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRY8iqBIpP5BtbX87FgjfTxBlBQoUTzHycig7ABzVQtXgSE6WU6zvo1CPJxqWk3XPlh-xjtU3tFSBZs5aVqO-fmp0IQwaX-_v3acSgk3v_pMpi-AUC-khao5ASWUYPdctVcak1gf1oiz8/s1600/BP24jGGCAAAWS5U.jpg+large.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRY8iqBIpP5BtbX87FgjfTxBlBQoUTzHycig7ABzVQtXgSE6WU6zvo1CPJxqWk3XPlh-xjtU3tFSBZs5aVqO-fmp0IQwaX-_v3acSgk3v_pMpi-AUC-khao5ASWUYPdctVcak1gf1oiz8/s400/BP24jGGCAAAWS5U.jpg+large.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Outside the One Stop Shop. Photo: @<span class="tweet-user-name"><a class="tweet-screen-name user-profile-link js-action-profile-name" data-user-id="44612779" href="https://twitter.com/rpattinson83" title="Rob Pattinson">rpattinson83</a></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Around fifty people marched from the Woodward Road estate in Rock Ferry,
Wirral, to the local council One Stop Shop yesterday lunchtime, in a
display of defiance against the bedroom tax. A high concentration of
people on the estate are affected by one of the coalition government's
most vicious domestic policies, and with the possibility of evictions
looming, tenants are organising themselves to defend their homes.<br />
<br />
The demonstration began at a quarter to twelve, and walked just over a
mile to the One Stop Shop, where several residents handed in their
latest appeal forms, and signed a petition. The event was entirely
self-organised and stewarded by bedroom tax campaigners, with no
involvement from police. It was the first Wirral demo of any kind
outside of Wallasey and Birkenhead town centre in many years, and all
the more remarkable for taking place during the middle of a week day.<br />
<br />
Maybe ten people from bedroom tax campaigns across Merseyside made the
journey to Rock Ferry to offer their solidarity, but the bulk of the
participants were from Woodward Road - an extraordinary achievement for a
grassroots community organisation. Women, men and children all played
their part to make as much noise as possible, and really announced their
group's existence to the rest of Rock Ferry. Some held homemade
placards and banners with pride, while others blew whistles and chanted.<br />
<br />
One particular chant - so familiar to long-time campaigners - took on a
poignant new meaning in the mouths of children on their first ever
demonstration. "Whose streets? Our streets!" shouted young people on the
streets where they have grown up, but from which they are now
threatened with removal for the crime of poverty.<br />
<br />
When the procession reached the One Stop Shop, speeches were made
appeals were handed in en masse, with staff looking quite bemused and
flustered at being greeted by a demonstration at work.<br />
<br />
In the scheme of things, fifty people at a demonstration might not seem
like a lot, and indeed one passerby who uploaded photos to the 'Wirral
Talk' website described it as "Very Small Bedroom Tax March". But what
the photographer probably didn't realise was that this was the work of
just one estate.<br />
<br />
While most 'left' parties focus their attentions on the small proportion
of the working class who are unionised, the ruling class austerity
onslaught is creating whole communities who have nothing to lose from
fighting back. The tragedy is that there are many other Woodward Road
estates where people have yet to collectively organise, and where
individuals feel desperately alone. May the growing Woodward Road
resistance inspire people around Merseyside, and throughout the whole
country!
Combat Bedroom Taxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04396124953751678478noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1743527335093559021.post-69952556788448684852013-06-12T05:00:00.000-07:002013-06-12T05:00:44.683-07:00Merseyside Anti-Bedroom Tax Federation Go Animal Farm on "The Anarchists"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinqud3HikNzmgUY7Te9IXRoEwyYIsMOqNlsLB_bMzKKDZFqedQTEUzuwyyX4ePnO2Y4up4kucbFJgon6sFPgQAOiGGkwS5eVLJf53Vy9KeQUCwZAvzuTuTA80FsKAsVl6jvH3TiEJiCQ/s1600/fedtweets1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="328" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinqud3HikNzmgUY7Te9IXRoEwyYIsMOqNlsLB_bMzKKDZFqedQTEUzuwyyX4ePnO2Y4up4kucbFJgon6sFPgQAOiGGkwS5eVLJf53Vy9KeQUCwZAvzuTuTA80FsKAsVl6jvH3TiEJiCQ/s400/fedtweets1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<i><b>The following is a repost from <a href="http://infantile-disorder.blogspot.co.uk/">Infantile Disorder</a>, covering <a href="https://twitter.com/MABTF">Merseyside Anti-Bedroom Tax Federation's</a> recent attempts to smear "anarchist" involvement in the anti-bedroom tax campaign on Merseyside:</b></i><br />
<br />
<i><b> </b></i>In a sickening act of deceit, the <a href="https://twitter.com/MABTF">Merseyside Anti-Bedroom Tax Federation Twitter account</a>
has begun attacking "the anarchists" with misinformation designed to
cover for the undemocratic actions of the committee in the run-up to
affiliating with the fascist-linked Knowsley group. In doing so, it is
attacking some of those who first came up with the idea for an
anti-bedroom tax campaign, who put in much of the early spadework, and
continue to work hard in their communities. It is also labeling all
those who oppose the committee as "anarchists", merely because they are
consistently standing up <i>for </i>democratic norms and <i>against </i>fascism.<br />
<br />
This flurry of tweets came a week ago, in response to a woman from down south who had come across my article '<a href="http://infantile-disorder.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/affiliating-with-fascists-and-poison-of.html">Affiliating With Fascists and The Poison of 'Left' Opportunism</a>'.
She was understandably alarmed and wanted to spread the information.
The MABTF account responded with "Don't be drawn in Michelle, anarchists
trying to destroy fed and the enormous amount of work gone on", and
"@MABTF is vehemently anti-fascist".<br />
<br />
The first part of this is
just silly. Anarchists and others are angry about the Knowsley
affiliation precisely because they are worried that allowing the allies
of fascists into the Federation will destroy it, by effectively
excluding those particularly targeted by fascists. The second part is
true only to the extent that <a href="http://infantile-disorder.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/merseyside-anti-bedroom-tax-anti.html">an anti-oppression motion was originally passed by the Federation</a>, with those labelled as "anarchists" to the fore in promoting it. However, this <a href="http://living-in-the-real-world1871.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/merseyside-bedroom-tax-organisation.html">unanimously approved motion was then dismissed as "something to work towards" by the committee's chair</a>,
as she pushed for a vote on affiliating Knowsley. So while "the
anarchists" are "vehemently anti-fascist", and the anti-oppression
motion they drafted certainly was, the Federation cannot be said to be.
For the Federation chair, we work towards abolishing oppression by
allowing some of the most oppressive scum to be found anywhere a
potential seat at the table.<br />
<br />
When the woman who posted my article
asked why anyone would try to break the Federation, @MABTF declared
that "the anarchists" had "been destructive from the beginning and think
screaming in peoples faces is debate".<br />
<br />
Anarchists tend not to be
backward in coming forward about their beliefs, and frustration at
opportunism has created a lot of anger, but no screaming in anyone's
face has taken place at Federation meetings. This is more fiction.<br />
<br />
But
even more ridiculous is the claim that "the anarchists" have been
destructive of the bedroom tax movement "from the beginning". The truth
is that it was an anarchist who came up with the idea of a mass meeting
on the bedroom tax last autumn. Those dismissed as "the anarchists" did
much of the work building for, organising, and facilitating that
meeting, <a href="http://infantile-disorder.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/angry-liverpool-bedroom-tax-meeting.html">which took place at the Black-E in January</a>.
As many local groups sprang out of that central meeting, it was an
anarchist who went to each group's initial meeting, giving a Powerpoint
presentation on the bedroom tax and his ideas about how it could be
fought.<br />
<br />
Since then, "the anarchists" have been extremely active
in their respective local groups, helping to arrange meetings, going
leafleting, taking part in actions/lobbying of local politicians and
housing associations, and assisting those who have been filling in
appeal forms. This certainly shouldn't get them any special treatment,
but it should entitle them to some basic respect.<br />
<br />
Though many of
"the anarchists" do indeed describe themselves as anarchists, by no
means all of them do. Some prefer to call themselves communists, others
socialists, and others are quite new to political activism, and do not
want to label themselves at the moment, as is their absolute right. But
to the committee of Merseyside Anti-Bedroom Tax Federation, anyone who
opposes their Machiavellian maneuverings is one of "the anarchists".
Anyone who wants open democracy within the Federation is apparently an
anarchist. Anyone who consistently opposes fascism is supposedly an
anarchist.<br />
<br />
The reasons for this are not clear, but there are two
main possibilities. For those on the committee who identify as
Trotskyists, it is a convenient catch-all political label which they
will have used for many years. But perhaps more importantly, in the
public consciousness it is normally associated with 'chaos',
'trouble-makers' and even 'bomb-throwers'. This is an idea popularised
by the rich and their servants down the years, precisely with the
intention of scaring the working class away from militant action in
their own interests.<br />
<br />
It is a shameful state of affairs for the Merseyside Anti-Bedroom Tax Federation committee to stoop so low.Combat Bedroom Taxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04396124953751678478noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1743527335093559021.post-60125619389991070542013-05-18T10:01:00.001-07:002013-05-18T11:47:36.173-07:00Merseyside Anti-Bedroom Tax Federation<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsIndEkjs_Z0_LhhYG8tC0xEOVy_yHiO8hi9CssH5PrzxrpzB5LOQlDI_a_mbfAvKPzbUwStjpPcXhXozwMIxDQmeaQEIN-09f1uBrYNX67-BjXHxMzfgjIg5SZ8c_2PAz6S_BJZJjgw/s1600/combabt16th.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsIndEkjs_Z0_LhhYG8tC0xEOVy_yHiO8hi9CssH5PrzxrpzB5LOQlDI_a_mbfAvKPzbUwStjpPcXhXozwMIxDQmeaQEIN-09f1uBrYNX67-BjXHxMzfgjIg5SZ8c_2PAz6S_BJZJjgw/s400/combabt16th.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Merseyside anti-bedroom tax groups on the march</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">It’s been a tense slog but after months of <a href="http://infantile-disorder.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/merseyside-anti-bedroom-tax-federation.html">meetings</a> and discussion: today, anti-bedroom tax groups across Merseyside met to conclusively set in place
the Merseyside Anti-Bedroom Tax Federation.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #242424; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">The
federation is run by the members of local groups through a meeting of local
group-mandated, recallable delegates.</span><span style="color: #242424; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><span style="color: #242424; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"> Delegate meetings are open, but only group-mandated delegates can vote. </span>A <b>one group one vote</b> system is in place. Organisations (trade unions, etc) are encouraged to affiliate and participate with/within their local anti-bedroom tax group. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #242424; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">Federation
delegates elected recallable officers to the following roles:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #242424; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">Chair
– Celia Ralph (Dingle Combat the Bedroom Tax)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #242424; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">Secretary
– Juliet Edgar (ReClaim Anti-Bedroom Tax Group)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #242424; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">Treasurer
– Andrea Wall (Stand Up In Halton)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #242424; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">Press
Officer – (Paul Jones, Dingle Combat the Bedroom Tax; Paul Cooke: ReClaim
Anti-Bedroom Tax Group)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
On attempts to divide working class people:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #242424; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">"The
Federation stands in solidarity with all those fighting the cuts to the welfare
state, and against those who wish to divide us. We will brook no such attempts,
on the grounds of race, religion, gender, status, or any other spurious
grounds [to divide the working class]"</span></blockquote>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #242424; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">On
this basis, the Merseyside Anti-Bedroom Tax Federation have adopted the
following <a href="https://docs.zoho.com/file/cm31cc24f1515e1ed42cf88de5136571a7288"><b>anti-oppression statement</b></a>:</span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #242424; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">"The
bedroom tax is an attack on the working class and affects people of all races,
nationalities, genders and sexualities. In order to prevent people of colour
(PoC), migrants, women, LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer) and
people with disabilities (sensory, mental & physical) from being excluded,
we cannot allow far right organisations like the EDL, BNP and the National
Front, who act to threaten and discriminate against people on the basis of
race, nationality, gender and sexuality, to gain a foothold in the movement</span>.<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="color: #242424; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">As a
federation, we will not associate with racist, sexist, homophobic or otherwise
oppressive organisations and/or their members</span> </li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<ul>
<li><span style="color: #242424; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">Racist,
sexist, homophobic organisations and/or their members are not welcome at
meetings, demonstrations or other events that the federation or its member
groups have organised.</span> </li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<ul>
<li><span style="color: #242424; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">The
federation will not support or promote events or local groups that involve
racist, sexist and homophobic organisations."</span></li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On fighting the bedroom tax: <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #242424; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">"The federation
will fight these iniquitous cuts, starting with the bedroom tax, by any means
necessary. This may include a non-payment campaign and direct actions: it is
better to break the law than to break the poor."</span></blockquote>
<i><span style="color: #242424; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">(The above is a composite of the Merseyside Anti-Bedroom Tax
Federation founding motion & anti-oppression statement. Fully amended
copies of the motion will be made available during the week.)</span></i><br />
<i><span style="color: #242424; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"> </span></i><br />
<span style="color: #242424; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">The fight against the bedroom tax reaches a crucial stage over the next few months, as a <a href="http://infantile-disorder.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/bedroom-tax-eviction-battles-loom-ahead.html">bedroom tax eviction battle looms</a></span><span style="color: #242424; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"> on Merseyside. With a federation in place and with continuing efforts to strengthen the movement, we've just taken a level-up in a rapidly escalating class war.</span><br />
<span style="color: #242424; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #242424; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">Next federation delegate meeting is Sat 1st of June.</span><br />
<span style="color: #242424; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #242424; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><i>combatbedroomtax@gmail.com</i></span></div>
Combat Bedroom Taxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04396124953751678478noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1743527335093559021.post-49826888708712913062013-04-29T11:32:00.002-07:002013-04-29T12:58:22.612-07:00Jacobs Bailiffs' headquarters occupied by anti-bedroom tax demonstrators<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSAKPsRUhbuL4NEBUBw51ltkqhX8J-_Hc3QIcF9fXTim_02J1lWWiMoupvDICl4HyakdiKIH5-kpRVrnEwjS8hJz2RPqfqeiChezJc2x5BPTmPXvTSXA4GVoh4INLxjfoj_MRWY9mwuA/s1600/parasite+partners.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSAKPsRUhbuL4NEBUBw51ltkqhX8J-_Hc3QIcF9fXTim_02J1lWWiMoupvDICl4HyakdiKIH5-kpRVrnEwjS8hJz2RPqfqeiChezJc2x5BPTmPXvTSXA4GVoh4INLxjfoj_MRWY9mwuA/s1600/parasite+partners.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Parasites in partnership</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Demonstrators occupied the Merseyside headquarters of Jacobs Bailiffs on Monday, in what will be a slap in the chops to the parasites feeding off working class communities.
We reported in an <a href="http://combatbedroomtax.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/we-know-bailiffs-are-bastards-but-this.html">earlier post</a> that Jacobs Bailiffs were gearing up to exploit people thrown into chaos by the government's attacks on welfare, offering delegates at a recent conference the opportunity to "maximise collections" through Jacobs' "Welfare Reform Recovery" Strategy. So, we decided to pay them a visit.<br />
<br />
During the occupation (and parallel-run communication blockade), <a href="http://www.jacobsbailiffs.co.uk/staff/#">Simon Jacobs</a> (BSc), co-owner of Jacobs Bailiffs, repeatedly denied that they would be enforcing bedroom tax evictions*, but what he could not deny is the harassment tactics employed in retrieving (stealing) money/goods from people trapped in a vicious cycle of debt. In fact, he seemed proud that this was his chosen vocation (and the tactics that go with it) and gloated about the 'legitimacy' of his business.<br />
<br />
In the winter 2012 edition of the <a href="http://www.jacobsbailiffs.co.uk/files/dat_news_file-132.pdf">Jacobs Newsletter</a>, the company 'meditates' on the challenging times ahead for local authorities, especially with welfare reform changes from 2013:
<br />
<blockquote>
"Collection and recovery will never be as important next year as Authorities face reduced budgets through loss of funding in addition to internal spending reviews and efficiency savings initiatives."</blockquote>
They go on to ruminate:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"There are a number of options identified for the collection of this new category of [welfare] debt, and indeed, Jacobs have begun discussing these options with clients over the last few months."</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Whilst the growing numbers of debt to collect may be of low value, principle collection process can still be ‘<b>business as usual</b>’.<i>(our emphasis)</i></blockquote>
A closing question to a welfare reform article in the newsletter asks:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Can it be ‘business as usual’ for the collection process next year – YES"</blockquote>
When Simon Jacobs and his cronies were interrogated on their intention to exploit people hit by welfare reform, we were met with a deathly silence which answered on behalf of the exploiters.<br />
<br />
Jacobs Bailiffs are part of an industry that actively seeks out, harasses and coerces people who, through no fault of their own, find themselves in debt. <span itemprop="description"><span class="fsl">Whatever the reason for
debt, it should not be blamed on the individual
actions of borrowers! Individuals are led into borrowing by low wages,
meagre benefits and the insidious pressures to consume. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span itemprop="description"><span class="fsl">With welfare attacks now in full swing and families suffering as a result, bailiffs must be challenged, resisted and opposed in our streets, neighbourhoods and communities as they ramp-up their collection efforts. Bailiffs, part of an exploitative economic system, sanctioned by business, banks & government, hold working class people to ransom every day.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span itemprop="description"><span class="fsl"><span class="text_exposed_show">1,374
Consumer County Court Judgements (CCJs) are issued every day; 84
properties are repossessed every day; 154 mortgage possession claims are
issued and 111 mortgage possession orders are made every day; 426
landlord possession claims are issued; and 297 landlord possession
orders are made every day in the UK.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span itemprop="description"><span class="fsl"><span class="text_exposed_show">In the months to come, bailiffs will be called upon to seize goods, take rent arrears, council tax and property. We have to start fighting back and taking that fight direct to<i> their</i> doorstep whilst protecting our own. It's immaterial whether Jacobs Bailiffs commit evictions or not (there'll be plenty of bailiffs targeted who do), the disclosure of welfare reform as a stream of bailiff revenue inculcates them in a global robbery of the working class (both in and out of work). And let's not forget: at the end of the day they're fucking bailiff scum.</span></span></span><br />
<span itemprop="description"><span class="fsl"><span class="text_exposed_show"><br /></span></span></span>
<br />
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<span itemprop="description"><span class="fsl"><span class="text_exposed_show"><br /></span></span></span>
<span itemprop="description"><span class="fsl"><span class="text_exposed_show"><br /></span></span></span>
<span itemprop="description"><span class="fsl"><span class="text_exposed_show">More anti-bailiff actions on the way.</span></span></span><br />
<span itemprop="description"><span class="fsl"><span class="text_exposed_show"><br /></span></span></span>
<span itemprop="description"><span class="fsl"><span class="text_exposed_show"><i>combatbedroomtax@gmail.com</i></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span itemprop="description"><span class="fsl"><span class="text_exposed_show"><i>*</i>clarified that Jacobs don't commit eviction<i> </i></span></span></span>Combat Bedroom Taxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04396124953751678478noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1743527335093559021.post-38194627911785414842013-04-27T12:45:00.000-07:002013-04-27T12:51:55.054-07:00We know bailiffs are bastards, but this is fucked up! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjViRrKlWqVzE5U7StOvH6AygbmICtlFricch1QCw5GzqMhnMr57NerTiXOm5CFbZGrA7zfqnUhw7bQef8JOZ2beoAD744EoThCnAAyffhh9ZzNXqIzuwnvXcnGNHmIcc1tVbcATad10Q/s1600/bailiff-beware.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjViRrKlWqVzE5U7StOvH6AygbmICtlFricch1QCw5GzqMhnMr57NerTiXOm5CFbZGrA7zfqnUhw7bQef8JOZ2beoAD744EoThCnAAyffhh9ZzNXqIzuwnvXcnGNHmIcc1tVbcATad10Q/s1600/bailiff-beware.jpg" height="400" width="282" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
In what can only be described as sickening parasitism,
Jacobs Bailiffs recently posted a <a href="http://www.jacobsbailiffs.co.uk/news/#">news article</a> touting for business at a recent Revenues, Rating and Valuation Conference. The news article
included this line:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"> </span></span></span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"<b>With Welfare Reforms taking effect from 1<sup>st</sup>
April the Jacobs team can talk you through our recovery strategies for
maximising collections</b>."
</blockquote>
Speechless.<br />
<br />
We all know Bailiffs are bastards, but this is fucking foul. Remember the above sentence, remember it well. To seek to pilfer off a working class, whether employed or unemployed, facing some of the worst attacks on welfare, on working conditions...these piggin fuckers should be dismantled wherever and whenever they have the audacity to surface in our communities.<br />
<br />
On monday, let's kickstart a summer of anti-bailiff actions against these horrorbags. Join the communications blockade against Jacobs Bailiffs: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/149471701892653/">https://www.facebook.com/events/149471701892653/</a><br />
<br />
If you're not on facebook, the deatils of the communications blockade have been posted here: <a href="http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2013/04/508885.html">http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2013/04/508885.html </a><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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individuals civil liberties than to have a sheriff officer examine their
personal belongings to ascertain if there is anything worth poinding”</blockquote>
Fuck the bailiffs!<br />
<br />
<i>combatbedroomtax@gmail.com</i>Combat Bedroom Taxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04396124953751678478noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1743527335093559021.post-26826672712969677342013-04-21T06:26:00.000-07:002013-04-21T06:30:39.698-07:00Phone/Text Blast Liverpool Councillors -Thurs, 25th April<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUslI5XwdiTWetygChnoHMvZ9k83CWUmfWLQ77Q6hlAJ_NB8ol5wc1fyo-blaHOprBodMiqg3NZZM_4YEWrE_OKj-wbOAkO_fKpYzPxEImrwWwrNTsunZ8vatL3WqCepZrC9BBUU9HPw/s1600/BT+phone+blast.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUslI5XwdiTWetygChnoHMvZ9k83CWUmfWLQ77Q6hlAJ_NB8ol5wc1fyo-blaHOprBodMiqg3NZZM_4YEWrE_OKj-wbOAkO_fKpYzPxEImrwWwrNTsunZ8vatL3WqCepZrC9BBUU9HPw/s1600/BT+phone+blast.jpg" height="320" width="283" /></a></div>
<br />
<span itemprop="description"><span class="fsl">Liverpool Councillors
have refused to make a stand against the bedroom tax, despite public
displays of ‘sympathy’ shown to affected tenants.<br /> <br /> Liverpool
Labour Councillors Barbara Murray, Tony Concepcion, Paul Brant, Mary
Rasmussen, Mary Aspinall, Peter Mitchell, Alan Walker, Beatrice
Fraenkel, Louise Baldock, Irene Rainey sit on the boards or divisional
boards of Liverpool Housing Associations — picking upwards of 3k just
for attending meetings.<br /> <br /> Cllr Louise Baldock, Vice-chair of Venture Housing, recently <span class="text_exposed_show">told
a crowd of anti-bedroom tax protesters that there would be no evictions
over the bedroom tax, but later withdrew the statement after admitting
she only said it to shut certain people up: [<a href="http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Finfantile-disorder.blogspot.co.uk%2F2013%2F03%2Fliverpool-labour-councillor-squirms.html&h=rAQEena9L&s=1" rel="nofollow nofollow" target="_blank">http://<wbr></wbr><span class="word_break"></span>infantile-disorder.blogspot<wbr></wbr><span class="word_break"></span>.co.uk/2013/03/<wbr></wbr><span class="word_break"></span>liverpool-labour-councillor<wbr></wbr><span class="word_break"></span>-squirms.html</a>]<br /> <br /> Cllr Steve Mumby recently told a tenants’ meeting that his hands ‘were tied’ over the bedroom tax: [<a href="http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fcombatbedroomtax.blogspot.co.uk%2F2013%2F04%2Fliverpool-labour-snubs-grassroots.html&h=jAQE61BOj&s=1" rel="nofollow nofollow" target="_blank">http://<wbr></wbr><span class="word_break"></span>combatbedroomtax.blogspot.c<wbr></wbr><span class="word_break"></span>o.uk/2013/04/<wbr></wbr><span class="word_break"></span>liverpool-labour-snubs-gras<wbr></wbr><span class="word_break"></span>sroots.html</a>]<br /> <br /> On the 12th April, Liverpool Council rejected a motion that called for no evictions over the bedroom tax: [<a href="http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fgreenparty.org.uk%2Fnews%2F2013%2F04%2F12%2Fno-evictions-policy-rejected-by-liverpool-city-council%2F&h=uAQEHQGXy&s=1" rel="nofollow nofollow" target="_blank">http://greenparty.org.uk/<wbr></wbr><span class="word_break"></span>news/2013/04/12/<wbr></wbr><span class="word_break"></span>no-evictions-policy-rejecte<wbr></wbr><span class="word_break"></span>d-by-liverpool-city-counci<wbr></wbr><span class="word_break"></span>l/</a>]<br /> <br />
As the bedroom tax begins to strike 12,000 Liverpool tenants and their
families, moving them further into poverty, it’s time we let our
'representatives' know that we'll be taking matters into our own hands
from now on.</span></span></span><br />
<span itemprop="description"><span class="fsl"><span class="text_exposed_show"></span></span></span><br />
<span itemprop="description"><span class="fsl"><span class="text_exposed_show"></span></span></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOFpB5jkOyXvzYVqyh7IgWJq8iYUJkstAzNJbJrIG4bHj7V3awChN2NxZrSL2eHjNjDHQNoMvZsptH1yqJVBJA4IQnufd5Vn9yR4zZ1Wr23Ur9syFmf0nYEY0Dk4tcr1jjIyZFTDUPZQ/s1600/LHA+councillors.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOFpB5jkOyXvzYVqyh7IgWJq8iYUJkstAzNJbJrIG4bHj7V3awChN2NxZrSL2eHjNjDHQNoMvZsptH1yqJVBJA4IQnufd5Vn9yR4zZ1Wr23Ur9syFmf0nYEY0Dk4tcr1jjIyZFTDUPZQ/s1600/LHA+councillors.jpg" height="57" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Liverpool Councillors on boards of housing associations</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span itemprop="description"><span class="fsl"><span class="text_exposed_show">On Thurs 25th April, Phone/text blast Liverpool Councillors and let them know what you think of their refusal to axe the bedroom tax. </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span itemprop="description"><span class="fsl"><span class="text_exposed_show">You can jam the Labour Group Office phone based in Municipal Buildings
on Dale St. Leave a recorded message, play music down the phone,
whatever you like to let Councillors know that they can’t hide in their
surgeries answering questions about potholes any longer.<br /> <br /> Labour Group Office tel: <b>0151 225 2366</b><br /> <br /> 2 Labour Councillors, both on boards of housing associations have kindly provided their mobile phone numbers:<br /> <br /> Councillor Louise Baldock (Venture Housing): 07774 786532<br /> Councillor Tony Concepcion (Riverside Housing): 07874 216868<br /> <br /> Be sure to switch your phone caller ID off in settings if you don’t want your number to go show.<br /> <br /> Also, Libdem Cllr Richard Kemp, Chair of <a href="http://www.plusgroupltd.org.uk/">Plus Dane Housing</a>, can be reached on <b>0151 225 2354</b>.<br /> <br />
You can also email Councillors. Separate their first name and surname
with a fullstop and add @liverpool.gov.uk to the end, e.g.:
paul.brant@liverpool.gov.uk</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span itemprop="description"><span class="fsl"><span class="text_exposed_show"><b>Phone/Text Blast Liverpool Councillors Facebook event</b>: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/495795587140631/">https://www.facebook.com/events/495795587140631/</a></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span itemprop="description"><span class="fsl"><span class="text_exposed_show"><i>combatbedroomtax@gmail.com </i><wbr></wbr><span class="word_break"></span></span></span></span>Combat Bedroom Taxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04396124953751678478noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1743527335093559021.post-15989299193610800062013-04-20T10:33:00.000-07:002013-04-20T12:09:00.562-07:00Tenants to give bedroom tax architects £140 million slap in the face<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMSqGeHB_71VzOA6q9bf3Byo8lnFcYd_Wojl4YMVKo4IcYYgbKLdgtAUc-UvrPlBMokIDvgcZj7JhdWC-yrR723QVJ_2JlfnWy9KPDmnpnRuhiKngLusekVBo2_zI9B-L3IL6MkcCU7g/s1600/brbtslappay.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMSqGeHB_71VzOA6q9bf3Byo8lnFcYd_Wojl4YMVKo4IcYYgbKLdgtAUc-UvrPlBMokIDvgcZj7JhdWC-yrR723QVJ_2JlfnWy9KPDmnpnRuhiKngLusekVBo2_zI9B-L3IL6MkcCU7g/s400/brbtslappay.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
The below quotation alludes to a potential £140 million non-payment cost to social landlords and a huge slap in the face to the architects of the bedroom tax:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"I had a national editor on the phone to me two weeks ago saying they
have polled Local Authorities up and down the country asking their views
on how many tenants would NOT pay the bedroom tax shortfall. While
this can only be a view or a best guess the answer was about 20% – 25%
of those with 1 spare bedroom would not pay anything and on average 50%
of those with 2+ spare bedrooms would pay nothing. That in money terms
translated to about a £140m non-payment and a £140m hit to social
landlords."</blockquote>
<br />
We picked this out of a recent post, from the ever-informative Joe Halewood's <a href="http://speye.wordpress.com/">SPeye</a>
blog, explaining the response a tenant got from their landlord basically
saying, 'whilst your bedroom tax appeal is going through, you can pay us
£3.60 p/w instead of the full amount.' (please read Joe's blogpost, <a href="http://speye.wordpress.com/2013/04/20/bedroom-tax-a-very-interesting-development/">Bedroom Tax - A VERY interesting development!</a> for more info on that bombshell).<br />
<br />
The cost to the social landlord will be much higher than the £140 million, but it's worth noting that there is an undercurrent of non-payment that for obvious reasons has not been reported-on yet.<br />
<br />
More details to follow.<br />
<br />
<i>combatthebedroomtax@gmail.com </i>Combat Bedroom Taxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04396124953751678478noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1743527335093559021.post-48873006860094135692013-04-07T13:13:00.000-07:002013-04-07T13:13:16.759-07:00Combat The Bedroom Tax Conference Held In Liverpool<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizepqzQV3zkN2I8Qf_U0Q2STfsK_xi7a-Z0yo1uj55By9D6kBLf0Tlk08Q-XZs9NYcFxCrbdsV-I4pDmACc-6T89fTqWrpBvekCI-RkpWKpKsALNKm3S-jiZBG_opJ6FV-2so5t9sTuA/s1600/cbt6thapr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizepqzQV3zkN2I8Qf_U0Q2STfsK_xi7a-Z0yo1uj55By9D6kBLf0Tlk08Q-XZs9NYcFxCrbdsV-I4pDmACc-6T89fTqWrpBvekCI-RkpWKpKsALNKm3S-jiZBG_opJ6FV-2so5t9sTuA/s1600/cbt6thapr.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Conference-goers overwhelmingly argued for local autonomy</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<i><b>The following is a repost from <a href="http://infantile-disorder.blogspot.co.uk/">Infantile Disorder</a>, covering the anti-bedroom tax conference in Merseyside on Saturday 6th April</b></i>:<br />
<br />
Inch by painstaking inch, what began in the heads of a few Liverpool
activists last November has become a relatively large grassroots
movement, with <a href="http://combatbedroomtax.blogspot.co.uk/">Combat The Bedroom Tax</a>
groups sprouting up in neighbourhoods fanning out across Merseyside.
For many, going to a political meeting has become a matter of taking a
short walk from their homes down the road.<br /><br />This rapid success can
be explained by a combination of two main factors. First, the crying
material need which many on Merseyside have to find a way out of their
government-imposed bedroom tax misery. Many already just about scraping
by on the breadline are now - since 1st April - having to find tens of
pounds per week in order to avoid falling into rent arrears. For those
already in arrears, the bedroom tax will likely trigger a tipping point
which could produce evictions within weeks, not months.<br /><br />But secondly, grassroots rank and file control has been an essential feature of the movement, dating back to the <a href="http://infantile-disorder.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/angry-liverpool-bedroom-tax-meeting.html">first mass meeting in mid-January</a>.
For many long-standing activists in the area, it has been a breath of
fresh air to organise and take action on a mass basis, with no
alienating top tables and no long-winded speeches from 'left'
politicians or trade union officials slumming it for the day. For the
large majority of participants with little to no direct political
experience, it has already been a hugely empowering experience, with
many discovering a sense of hope brought about by taking part of their
destiny into their own hands. Despair is turning to constructive anger.<br /><br />A
few weeks back, one long-standing activist proposed a federal
structure, the better to co-ordinate various aspects of our collective
activity - for instance organising demonstrations such as <a href="http://iamunchienandalusia.wordpress.com/2013/03/30/liverpool-grassroots-anti-bedroom-tax-march-rally/">the one which took place in the city centre last week</a>. A conference was organised at the Unite building on Islington in the city centre, and was publicised in the many local groups.<br /><br />The
eighty or so participants who assembled for the conference yesterday
were - almost inevitably - more drawn from the long-standing 'activist'
background than the neighbourhood meetings are. However, there was still
a healthy balance in favour of newcomers, and around half the
participants are themselves being hit by the bedroom tax.
Anarcho-bastard has given a good summary of the proceedings <a href="http://anarchobastard.wordpress.com/2013/04/06/merseyside-anti-bedroom-tax-groups-meet-in-liverpool-at-the-first-all-merseyside-anti-bedroom-tax-conference/">here</a>.<br /><br />In
addition to what he has written, I would add that a small minority of
the long-standing activists present wish to take the bedroom tax
movement in a different direction - one with more centralised control,
and a large say for trade unions. Ultimately, this would reduce the
sense of ownership which local groups feel over their own struggle, and
therefore play into the hands of the ruling class, large sections of
which are seeking the privatisation of 'social housing'. The repeated
mention of the <a href="http://glasgowanarchists.wordpress.com/2013/03/31/herding-unicorns-west-of-scotland-anti-bedroom-tax-federation/">"West of Scotland Anti-Bedroom Tax Federation"</a> as a model to follow was particularly concerning.<br /><br />Anyway,
a federal motion was put forward, which will debated in local groups
over the next couple of weeks. Whatever individuals may want, and
whatever agendas they may have, the genie of grassroots, community-based
anger is now out of the bottle, and no trade union bureaucrat will be
able to force it back in. The stakes are simply too high for that.<br /><br />As Anarcho-bastard concluded:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"The
focus on direct action and direct democracy is very encouraging. It’s
vital that tenants retain control of this struggle and don’t allow
themselves to be used by parties or unions for their own politicking.
Where this movement goes next should be up to the tenants who are
affected by the tax. The will to fight is there and soon the tools will
be there too."</blockquote>
<br />
<i> combatbedroomtax@gmail.com</i>Combat Bedroom Taxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04396124953751678478noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1743527335093559021.post-31948991620258527872013-04-03T11:34:00.000-07:002013-04-03T15:08:29.522-07:00Labour snubs Liverpool grassroots anti-bedroom tax campaign in confidential email<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTM3UruM48FtOGOp5Y9GheiRe10pIhfrizXsImrHjInSt14__XcDodB_6aGOysoeJwEi2S3NPAqieIJKP2NAs_tklFPmdTtaC0l5YHAd-Ms_p5B5jSWIGsNTchW-Z-qdl_3RgIhpGHzg/s1600/labourcouncilemail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTM3UruM48FtOGOp5Y9GheiRe10pIhfrizXsImrHjInSt14__XcDodB_6aGOysoeJwEi2S3NPAqieIJKP2NAs_tklFPmdTtaC0l5YHAd-Ms_p5B5jSWIGsNTchW-Z-qdl_3RgIhpGHzg/s1600/labourcouncilemail.jpg" height="255" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Liverpool Labour confidential email</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">A few weeks
ago Dingle Combat the Bedroom Tax tenants’ Group decided to invite every
Liverpool </span>councillor they could contact to face questions over the
Bedroom Tax. They knew that the responses would be tokenistic, but
nevertheless, the date was set and yesterday, 2<sup>nd</sup> April, tenants
eagerly awaited a concerned troop of councillors.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
They sent along one Liverpool Labour Councillor, Steve
Mumby, which is slightly better than a kick in the chops. Unbeknown to Mumby,
one of the tenants snapped a confidential document that Steve had been
referring to whilst he was being annihilated by the meeting. Seems like
Liverpool Labour have been having a proper chinwag about Combat the Bedroom
Tax:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">It’s
difficult to make out from first glance, but closer inspection and some image
enhancement has allowed the following to be transcribed. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /></span><b><i><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Key</span></span></i> </b><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br />[] =
omitted due to illegibility </span></span></span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Subject</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Invitation to South Liverpool Bedroom Tax Campaign Group Meeting</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Importance</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">: High</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Sensitivity</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">: Confidential</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">From</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">: Baldock, Louise</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Sent</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">: 20 March 2013 22:10</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">To</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">: Dean, Alan</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Subject</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> RE: Invitation to South Liverpool
Bedroom Tax Campaign Group Meeting</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Sensitivity</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">: Confidential</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Hi Alan,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I don’t mind writing back but that is not what they really
want.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
They want to see one of us there, to shout at us and get
angry and let of some of their steam.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I could go and see them, into the lions den, into the angry
nest, if none of you want to go yourselves and I can see why you wouldn’t want
to, although I’m not a south Liverpool councillor and have no brief(?) for the
city’s strategy over welfare benefit management.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Unfortunately our answers to their questions are not great
because our<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
national party have not got their [] right on this yet
-<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>as I have said many times and the
Mayor has said too.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’m not sure how it could be in any way constructive other
than to stop it from looking like we are not scared to face them.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Answers would be something like this if you are happy with
them then I can send them to the questioner on behalf of you all? but they will
slate us for not turning up.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent2" style="margin-left: 0cm;">
<b><span lang="EN-US">What are
your doing and what do you intend to do to prevent Liverpool residents from
being evicted from their homes?</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="margin-left: 0cm;">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Labour Councillors in Liverpool have established a grassroots members’
campaign which has been called out nationally to demand that the<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Government abolishes the bedroom tax and
which calls upon the<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Parliamentary
Labour Party to commit to abolish it when they are able to form a Government.
We have funded this campaign ourselves personally most of the expense being in
the establishment of a network(?) where tenants can share their stories and
where Labour campaigners can access campaign materials to use in their local groups/areas(?).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We also unanimously passed a motion in the Town Hall which
you may<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>have read about in the Liverpool Echo a few weeks ago.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
You will be aware that the council itself has no housing
stock, all homes having been transferred through stock transfer some years ago
under the Lib Dem administration. That said, many Labour councillors are
members of Housing Associations, either independently or as appointments from
the local authority, and they will be party to discussions about how each
association can best manage the bedroom tax and the introduction of universal
credit paid directly to tenants to minimize the threat to tenancies. Some of
them may well be discussing non/eviction policies. Some of them are also
discussing, with our support, measures to help fund the cost of moving, or
support with caretaker services to make it easier to do so on the day.</div>
</blockquote>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Despite all
the proclamations and </span>woolly<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> statements by the Labour Party of how evil the bedroom tax is, they
can’t/won’t even commit to abolishing it themselves, as indicated in the email. The reason for this is, as
Labour MP Helen Goodman announced in a recent ITV interview, ‘<a href="http://youtu.be/AO-91baVvHI">they would keep the bedroom tax</a>’.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Louise
Baldock, who penned the email, is a Labour Councillor and Vice-chair of Venture Housing Association,
who previously misled the public on Venture’s bedroom tax eviction policy, just
to shut a campaigner up. You can read more about that incident <a href="http://infantile-disorder.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/liverpool-labour-councillor-squirms.html">here</a>. The email
is addressed to Alan Dean, who is Chief Whip of the Liverpool Labour Party
Group.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The email
clearly indicates that</span> Labour<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> cannot be bothered with the hassle of interacting with a grassroots
tenants’ movement that will ask difficult questions and won’t be fooled by the
machinations of a party who are clearly after votes off the back of the bedroom
tax campaign. Instead, they've forked out dollar on "<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">the establishment of a network(?) where tenants can share their stories". Hmm, this is the first many of us have heard of this network.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The only
reason why they sent their stooge, Steve Mumby, was so they didn’t lose
complete face. Fortunately, Labour’s face imploded on the 16<sup>th</sup> of
March, when they<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> '</span>found' themselves
<a href="http://infantile-disorder.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/labour-bullshit-fails-to-satisfy.html">controlling the platform</a> at what was supposed to be a “non-political” rally in
Liverpool; and, furthermore, when they couldn’t be arsed turning up to the
<a href="http://t.co/DFNHuP65vE">grassroots-organised Liverpool demo</a> on the 30<sup>th</sup> for fear of being
exposed as the poltiking snakes that they are, this further cemented the attitude they've taken towards tenants organising for themselves.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit_7dauz6E7k2FWF-U9aw4sQRAK15Mb4fSAbYd-1FYqjetoorFOIHwd6TbrSx207tPSZa6LHGjRlIpc46yA2nOkRIvtVpAy3UBjFse-5WAWS47otF5tXAZAbVD2hJBU6t7XvoxdawQIA/s1600/brt30thdemograssroots.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit_7dauz6E7k2FWF-U9aw4sQRAK15Mb4fSAbYd-1FYqjetoorFOIHwd6TbrSx207tPSZa6LHGjRlIpc46yA2nOkRIvtVpAy3UBjFse-5WAWS47otF5tXAZAbVD2hJBU6t7XvoxdawQIA/s1600/brt30thdemograssroots.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Grassroots bedroom tax demo - 30th March</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Cllr Baldock, patronisingly, is absolutely right when she says, “into the lions den, into the angry nest”. Around 12,000 tenants’ lives
are being thrown into chaos in Liverpool as a result of the bedroom tax, and
Liverpool Labour Councillors cannot even be arsed, other than to save face, to turn up because it
wouldn’t be “constructive”?!?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">It just
shows you the attitude of a cadre of representatives who have no intention of,
and never had any intention of, representing tenants. The attitude of the email
reads like, ‘who wants to deal…yawn…with…yawn…this? I will if…yawn…you
will…just earned 3k for…yawn…sitting on a housing board…type…type…yawn…Majorca
looks good this time of year’.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Do we even want them representing us? Isn’t it
about time we began taking matters into our own hands? No matter who sits in
these positions of authority & power, they will always betray working class
people. Their interests are not the same as ours even if
they have been a lifelong Everton supporter or grew up on a council estate in Halewood. This will be proven time and time again, as opportunists and
careerists, some maybe with initially good intentions, get swallowed up by the
State and its’ allegiance to business.<br />
<br />
This weekend, tenants from Merseyside will be converging on Liverpool to <span itemprop="description"><span class="fsl">discuss, co-ordinate, share strategies, tactics and skills in order strengthen the fight against the bedroom tax. And regular meetings continue to take place across the city, with a recent Beat the Bedroom Tax Bailiffs workshop being the highlight of the week so far.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span itemprop="description"><span class="fsl"><span class="text_exposed_show">Community resistance, without politicians, is the strongest way to combat the bedroom tax.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
Thanks to JOD for transcribing the full email.<br />
<span itemprop="description"><span class="fsl"></span></span><i>combatbedroomtax@gmail.com </i>Combat Bedroom Taxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04396124953751678478noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1743527335093559021.post-55982149270851172062013-03-24T12:33:00.001-07:002013-03-24T12:45:27.322-07:00Councils declare 'no bedroom tax evictions'<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhANQMXYf0iISkyDu8_GC2E97YxU2krCxo9y0mzKFCJ963LcFoMluHmXIem39D0KkucFkzSz-ajVjh8vWmi2_V-6WiU5rqlRxSlPqZigLWSiT3143kkiAbs88d_015HetQ3itPNdyn9wA/s1600/BedroomTaxFreeZone.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhANQMXYf0iISkyDu8_GC2E97YxU2krCxo9y0mzKFCJ963LcFoMluHmXIem39D0KkucFkzSz-ajVjh8vWmi2_V-6WiU5rqlRxSlPqZigLWSiT3143kkiAbs88d_015HetQ3itPNdyn9wA/s1600/BedroomTaxFreeZone.png" height="400" width="301" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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Over the last few weeks there have been a handful of
councils who’ve publicly announced, in one way or another, that they will not
evict tenants hit by the bedroom tax.</div>
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<br /></div>
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So far (there are probably more announcements in the
pipeline) Brighton & Hove City Council, led by the Green Party; Darlington
Borough Council; All 9 SNP-led Scottish Councils, including Dundee; Islington;
and Bristol have declared a no eviction policy.</div>
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<br /></div>
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On first glance you would think, well done. But if we look a
little closer, things don’t seem what they are all cracked up to be.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Take the 9 SNP-led councils in Scotland who, this weekend,
released a <a href="http://www.snp.org/media-centre/news/2013/mar/snp-councils-sign-bedroom-tax-declaration">Bedroom Tax Declaration</a> stating:</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“We, the representatives of SNP-led local authorities,
resolve that where tenants who are subject to the Bedroom Tax and are doing all
they reasonably can to avoid falling into arrears, we will use all legitimate
means to collect rent due, except eviction.”</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The most troubling aspect of this statement is:</div>
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<br /></div>
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“we will use all legitimate means to collect rent due,
except eviction.”</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What does “legitimate means” mean?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It could mean that anyone hit by the bedroom tax could be faced
with a court order to get them to cough up the tax or that the so-called
arrears could be transferred to a debt collector. That’s ‘legitimate’, right? </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And what does “doing all they reasonably can to avoid
falling into arrears” mean? If you know from the offset that you can’t pay the
tax and don’t pay it, is that ‘reasonable’?</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And if you refuse to pay the bedroom tax, then does this
make you still liable for eviction? It sounds like, if you’re good and do
what your told we can protract your route to eviction, we can keep the roof over your head and we hope that you vote for us at the referendum.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The SNP declaration doesn’t sound like a no-eviction policy
at all. It sounds more like political manoeuvring to capture votes.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Brighton & Hove have made a similar <a href="http://www.themj.co.uk/article/default.aspx?id=192632&typeid=1">pledge</a> that smacks
of political posturing and no substance. The Green Party, who put forward the
proposal, have been <a href="http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/10304919.Brighton_and_Hove_Council_stalls_on_bedroom_tax_pledge/">rebuffed</a> by Brighton & Hove housing officers; and the
Council exec have said that it will be looked at for “feasibility”.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
That, again, is not a council turning round and, point
blank, refusing to evict tenants hit by the bedroom tax. It’s a council who’ve
announced a public-appeasing 'in-principle' statement.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Bristol Mayor George Ferguson has also been throwing false
<a href="http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/evictions-bedroom-tax/story-18468627-detail/story.html#axzz2NiGgc9bi">salvation</a> to bedroom tax affected tenants. Mr Ferguson says,</div>
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<br /></div>
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“the council will not evict any tenants for arrears they
build up due to a genuine inability to pay this new sum until the cross-party
working group has had time to examine the issue”</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
UNTIL???</div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="http://www.islingtontribune.com/news/2013/mar/%E2%80%98no-eviction%E2%80%99-pledge-over-bedroom-tax-tenants-nowhere-go-are-told-they-will-be-allowed">Islington Council</a> have added caveats to their no-eviction
pledge which roughly mirrors the government’s initial advice of stay, move,
lodger, job:</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“If people have no option of somewhere to move to and their
arrears are entirely due to the bedroom tax then we won’t evict them”.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
They then go on to say that this would be at “significant
cost to the council” and we would look to move persons in large homes to a
one-bedroom flat. <i>They use an example of an elderly person in a large house</i>.</div>
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<br /></div>
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That’s not a no-eviction policy! That’s encouraging
self-eviction. What if they don’t want to move and continue to rack-up
‘arrears’ they can’t afford from the offset? Are the council to pay the bedroom
tax indefinitely?</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/local/darlington/10298739._No_evictions_because_of_bedroom_tax__in_Darlington__says_council_leader/">Darlington</a> Councillor Bill Dixon:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“There’s no need for any council tenant to be evicted as a
result of the bedroom tax. I want people to contact the council as soon as it
becomes apparent that they are affected and we will help them work out a plan
to pay what they can afford.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
That’s is not a no eviction policy! “What they can afford”?
No one can afford the bedroom tax, so that means they pay nothing, right?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Although these no eviction declarations and pledges have
been reported as just that, they are anything but. In one-way or another, they
still expose tenants to the chaos of the bedroom tax. Nowhere have these
councils and councillors stated a point blank dismissal of the bedroom tax and
the evictions that pursue it. In asking tenants to pay some of it, they
partially validate the bedroom tax. When asking tenants to do everything they
reasonably can to avoid falling into arrears, they shift the axis of burden,
again, to where it never belonged…onto the tenant.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Furthermore, excluding tenants who refuse to pay the bedroom
tax from a no eviction policy, as some of them infer, attempts to suffocate the
possibility of working class resistance and punish the tenant who sees the
absurdity of the tax and dares to fight it. A separation of those who can’t pay
and those who won’t pay —the former receives a reward in the form of scraps;
the latter is punished with homelessness.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What these partial no eviction pledges do is attempt to falsely
scatter the impact of the bedroom tax, a sort of reformism couched in political
manoeuvring and point scoring.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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Piecemeal won’t get us anywhere, especially when it’s
disguised as a helping hand. </div>
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<br /></div>
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We need to take matters into our own hands and not
rely on hollow pledges.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
(AJ) </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<i>combatbedroomtax@gmail.com</i></div>
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Combat Bedroom Taxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04396124953751678478noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1743527335093559021.post-68417875371517892472013-03-18T11:55:00.000-07:002013-03-18T12:25:27.394-07:00Appealing against a bedroom tax decision<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB7DPThpqAScYA-mzlatQ71A7RG3CNdqINiF4JV0rXKM3lr-5a6eW30Fec_eNRURkzHWZJXMEZprhn_0KQ3FQQN9a5aPreFK27icU46zGW29rCMgeWRVtKZ0fomTlUPj9X45PJSJXmNQ/s1600/combatletterbt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB7DPThpqAScYA-mzlatQ71A7RG3CNdqINiF4JV0rXKM3lr-5a6eW30Fec_eNRURkzHWZJXMEZprhn_0KQ3FQQN9a5aPreFK27icU46zGW29rCMgeWRVtKZ0fomTlUPj9X45PJSJXmNQ/s1600/combatletterbt.jpg" height="400" width="281" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">If you have received a letter notifying
you that you will be hit by the bedroom tax, you can appeal the decision in
writing. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Each appeal lodged costs the council
around £200 and forces them to open a file and spend time reviewing it. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">If tenants lodge appeals en masse,
we can throw a spanner in the works of the bedroom tax, making it too difficult
and too expensive to roll out.</span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">If you are holding meetings in your
area already, bring copies of an appeal letter to the meetings and get anybody
who hasn't already to sign them and send them off, the more people who appeal
the better.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">You can use the standard letter
below as a template:</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">To whom it may concern (<i>add council
official, housing association, etc</i>)</span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">I received your decision letter
dated (<i>INSERT DATE</i>) and referenced above that imposed an under occupation charge,
or bedroom tax of 14% / 25% (<i>delete as appropriate</i>) on my existing award of
Housing Benefit.</span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText">
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-US">I
consider this unwarranted yet in order to challenge this in the correct way and
potentially by way of formal appeal I require further information to be sent to
me within 7 days of this letter and the urgency of that is to ensure I have
enough time to formulate any such appeal and in full knowledge of the facts of</span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> my case within the time allowed; OR
in the alternative I request the deadline for any such formal appeal be moved
to 21 days after I receive the request information below:</span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b></div>
<ol start="1" style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-autospace: none;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">A written copy of the
Council’s policy and decision-making procedures in relation to referring a
socially housed claimant decision to the Rent Officer Service.</span></b></li>
</ol>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b></div>
<ol start="2" style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-autospace: none;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">A full explanation of
how the council decided that (<i>INSERT ADDRESS</i>) was determined to be a 3 bed
property for the under occupation charge and this to include what
involvement if any of my landlord, (<i>INSERT LANDLORD NAME</i>) in this process.</span></b></li>
</ol>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Please state by way of
covering letter with the requested information any changed deadline date from
above with regard to a formal appeal.</span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Yours, etc.</span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt;">Again, this is only one way to potentially <a href="http://libcom.org/blog/liverpool-housing-association-occupied-07022013">combat</a>
the bedroom tax: the State has a shitty habit of closing down any
loopholes that spring-up in its face, as evidenced in a recent <a href="http://libcom.org/blog/cait-reilly-win-good-ending-workfare-good-needs-more-12022013">workfare ruling</a>. </span><br />
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt;">We argue that it's only tenant solidarity and <a href="http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&ved=0CDcQFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Flibcom.org%2Flibrary%2Fdirect-action-introduction&ei=1IcjUaGNM4WM0wX4ioEI&usg=AFQjCNHEWpsfa6gtSocBW32v84V5oprnlA&sig2=gxQWLE7Qtfz8Dx8m8Tc5fQ&bvm=bv.42553238,d.d2k">direct action</a> that will see the working class get the goods. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">(Standard letter taken
from </span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #000081; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><a href="http://speye.wordpress.com/2013/03/14/bedroom-tax-why-and-how-all-tenants-should-appeal-and-the-impact/">http://speye.wordpress.com/2013/03/14/bedroom-tax-why-and-how-all-tenants-should-appeal-and-the-impact/</a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">).</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Thanls to @speyejoe for details.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">combatbedroomtax@gmail.com</span></i>Combat Bedroom Taxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04396124953751678478noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1743527335093559021.post-19335415591494438002013-03-16T16:43:00.000-07:002013-03-16T16:43:28.680-07:00Combat the Bedroom Tax in Liverpool - Saturday 30th March<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span itemprop="description"><span class="fsl">On Saturday 30th of
March, Liverpool grassroots anti-bedroom tax campaigns will take to the
streets of Liverpool to combat an all out attack on working class
people.<br /> <br /> We have seen that Government, whatever suit it wears,
does not support working class unity and it is up to us to work together
and smash this bedroom tax outright.<br /> <br /> We are not just faced
with the attack on working class people disguised as the bedroom tax:
the benefit cap, personal independence payment, council tax support cut,
the benefit up-<span class="text_exposed_show">rating bill will all decimate the working class.<br /> <br /> The bedroom tax is pushing people to the edge, and there are far more cuts to hit people who are both in and out of work.<br /> <br />
The Labour Party have used the anger of the working class for political
gain. They cannot be trusted. They've even said they will continue the
bedroom tax and workfare.<br /> <br /> It is up to us, our friends, our
neighbours, our communities to stand together in working class unity,
without politicians or councillors, and combat this attack on working
class people, on what it means to have a home and to be a human being.<br /> <br />
Tenants have reached the point now were they are swerving the
disempowering and ‘traditional’ methods of protest --And we don’t need
parliament stooges calling us to action. We’ll do that ourselves.<br /> <br />
The following groups will be taking action on the 30th of March. These
are tenant-led community groups organising for themselves:<br /> <br /> Dingle: (with Canning): 7:30pm, 19th March, Tuesday, The Florrie, Mill St.<br /> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/621604334521498/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/<wbr></wbr><span class="word_break"></span>events/621604334521498/</a><br /> <br /> Croxteth: 7pm, Tuesday 19th March, Croxteth Sports Centre, Altcross Rd.<br /> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/407077996054093/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/<wbr></wbr><span class="word_break"></span>events/407077996054093/</a><br /> <br /> Garston: 7pm, Wednesday 20th March, Methodist Church Hall, Banks Road.<br /> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/171990246285054/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/<wbr></wbr><span class="word_break"></span>events/171990246285054/</a><br /> <br /> Clubmoor/Norris Green: 7pm, Thursday 21st March, Broadway Pub, Newhall Lane.<br /> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/149699518527768/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/<wbr></wbr><span class="word_break"></span>events/149699518527768/</a><br /> <br /> Granby: 7:30pm, Thursday 21st March, The Greenhouse, Tiber Street.<br /> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/150168538481226/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/<wbr></wbr><span class="word_break"></span>events/150168538481226/</a><br /> <br /> Kirby: 7pm, Tuesday 19th March, Sacred Heart Club, Briery Hey Ave.<br /> <br /> Wallasey: 7:30pm, Wednesday 27th March, Park View Social Club, Liscard Rd<br /> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/345521168881416/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/<wbr></wbr><span class="word_break"></span>events/345521168881416/</a><br /> <br /> There are also several other groups in Merseyside, including 2 in the Wirral and the large <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/465656960162353/">Stand Up in Bootle</a> campaign. <br /> <br /> Lets combat the bedroom tax and the rest of the attacks on our welfare on the 30th of March.<br /> <br /> Community resistance, without politicians, is the only way to combat the bedroom tax.<br /> <br /> <b>(details to follow)</b></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span itemprop="description"><span class="fsl"><span class="text_exposed_show">Facebook page<b>: </b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/140101822832148/">https://www.facebook.com/events/140101822832148/</a><br /> Spread this far and wide. Invite your friends, neighbours, family & community.</span></span></span>Combat Bedroom Taxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04396124953751678478noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1743527335093559021.post-37305990891508823752013-03-16T11:02:00.001-07:002013-03-17T04:53:36.650-07:00Grassroots campaigners challenge Labour at Liverpool bedroom tax demo<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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Labour and Labour Left tried to <a href="http://combatbedroomtax.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/labour-party-astroturfs-tenants-revolt.html">co-opt</a> the grassroots
bedroom tax campaign at a bedroom tax protest in Liverpool on the 16th of March, which was
hastily changed from Labour Against the Bedroom Tax to Liverpool Against the
Bedroom Tax a few weeks ago. </div>
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Absolutely no mention was made of the hard work that
continues to be done by tenants in communities, such as Dingle, Grandby,
Toxteth, Garston, Kirkby, Bootle, Norris Green, Croxteth, Wallasey, Birkenhead,
Vauxhall, Leasowe.</div>
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Instead the organisers, who have continually tried to
hide their Labour credentials, gave the platform over to Labour councillors and <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mps-expenses/5336468/Maria-Eagle-bathroom-renovated-on-expenses-before-flat-was-flipped.html">Labour MP</a>s, who
used every trick in the book to distance themselves from the bedroom tax and turn the crowds anger into party publicity. One of the organisers constantly reassured everyone that this was a 'non-political' rally, whilst standing next to a cabal of Labour politicians.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Not Political?!</i></td></tr>
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Lets not forget: LABOUR WERE THE FUCKERS THAT BROUGHT IN THE
BEDROOM TAX TO THE PRIVATE RENTED SECTOR IN 2008!</div>
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They also planned to bring it to social housing in 2010, but
the tories pulled a fast one with the Libdems at the election</div>
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They even announced last week that they'd <a href="http://youtu.be/AO-91baVvHI">keep the bedroom tax</a>!</div>
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One Labour councillor even had the cheek to say that Combat
the Bedroom Tax should "start working in communities" such as
"Norris Green". We have! And Tenants are! What a vile bastard, who clearly
has no comprehension of what has been going on in Liverpool communities resisting the
bedroom tax.</div>
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Instead, the organisers allowed the councillors to reel off
stories of tenants affected by the bedroom tax, quashing any challenges that
were being made by tenant campaigners in the crowd.</div>
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2 of the Labour councillors are longstanding board members
of housing associations in Liverpool, Paul Brant & Louise Baldock. They've
known about the bedroom tax for years, and with less than 2 weeks to go before
it's implementation suddenly turn up at a demo!? The organisers actually
THANKED them. These are board members who will oversee the administration of
the bedroom tax and the evictions & arrears to follow! Not to mention the multi-million pound cuts they have passed!</div>
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Instead, the organisers allowed fascists to go unchallenged
in the crowd, and stewards even protected them at one point.</div>
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Instead, the organisers actually tried to turn the crowd
against grassroots campaigners, many of whom are tenants going to be hit by the
bedroom tax.</div>
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Combat the Bedroom Tax worked hard throughout the demo to
let people know about the grassroots community campaign against the bedroom tax
and the myriad of meetings (see below) that people can attend.</div>
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Today was overwhelmingly a talking shop for Labour and their
acolytes, apart from one moving account of a <a href="http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-news/local-news/2013/02/01/grieving-liverpool-parents-told-dead-son-s-room-will-be-hit-with-bedroom-tax-100252-32722535/2/">Liverpool family</a> who will be hit
by the bedroom tax. It showed the depths that they'll go to capture votes in the run-up to the 2015 election. Riding off the back of public outrage is what politicians, local or national, do best and it is clear that they've identified the bedroom tax as a potential winner for their treacherous aims. We just have to show them that it's community resistance, without politicians, that will combat the bedroom tax.</div>
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Solidarity to all those who shot Labour down —exposing them
for the working class traitors they are— and to everyone involved in Combat the Bedroom Tax!</div>
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<b>Upcoming Combat the Bedroom Tax meetings</b>:</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Dingle</b><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">: (with Canning)<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">: 7:30pm, 19<sup>th</sup> March, Tuesday, The Florrie, Mill St.</i></span></div>
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/621604334521498/"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">https://www.facebook.com/events/621604334521498/</span></a></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Croxteth</b><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">: <i>7pm, Tuesday 19<sup>th</sup> March,
Croxteth Sports Centre, Altcross Rd.</i></span></div>
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/407077996054093/"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">https://www.facebook.com/events/407077996054093/</span></a></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Garston</b><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">:</span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">
7pm, Wednesday 20<sup>th</sup> March, Methodist Church Hall, Banks Road.</span></i></div>
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/171990246285054/"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">https://www.facebook.com/events/171990246285054/</span></a></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Clubmoor/Norris Green</b><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">: <i>7pm, Thursday 21<sup>st</sup> March,
Broadway Pub, Newhall Lane</i>. </span></div>
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/149699518527768/"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">https://www.facebook.com/events/149699518527768/</span></a></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Granby</b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">:
7:30pm, Thursday 21<sup>st</sup> March, The Greenhouse, Tiber Street.</span></i></div>
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/150168538481226/"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">https://www.facebook.com/events/150168538481226/</span></a></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Kirby</b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">:
7pm, Tuesday 19<sup>th</sup> March, Sacred Heart Club, Briery Hey Ave.</span></i></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Wallasey</b><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">: <i>7:30pm, Wednesday 27<sup>th</sup> March,
Park View Social Club, Liscard Rd</i></span></div>
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/345521168881416/"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">https://www.facebook.com/events/345521168881416/</span></a></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">There are also
several other groups in Merseyside, including 2 in the Wirral and the large
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/465656960162353/">Stand Up in Bootle</a> campaign. </span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">A Public Assembly
will be held on April 6<sup>th</sup> to bring all the various bedroom tax
community groups together. Details to follow.</span></div>
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combatbedroomtax@gmail.com</div>
Combat Bedroom Taxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04396124953751678478noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1743527335093559021.post-53933059014838602592013-03-14T05:08:00.000-07:002013-03-14T05:15:41.930-07:00Tenants' Revolt Combats the Bedroom Tax<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span class="usercontent">This Saturday there will be protests
in towns and cities across the country against the proposed bedroom tax. In
Liverpool & Merseyside <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/555921791103090/">tenants groups</a> have grown from the bottom up in a
very short space of time, in Dingle and Bootle, Granby, Garston, Huyton, Speke,
Wallasey, Birkenhead, the City Centre, Croxteth... there is a meeting tonight
in Norris Green. There have already been protests at housing associations, 300
marched in <a href="http://infantile-disorder.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/explosion-of-class-anger-at-bootle.html">Bootle</a>, and budget cuts meetings at both <a href="http://infantile-disorder.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/furious-liverpool-demonstration-scares.html">Liverpool</a> and Sefton town
halls were met with disruption and sizable protests.</span><br />
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<span class="usercontent">Its worth mentioning all this because many of the
protests on Saturday have been called by those referring to themselves as the
'Labour Left'. They have <b>NOT</b> been involved in the grassroots campaign and many
of them will have known about the bedroom tax for over a year, indeed Labour
councillors sit on the boards of the housing associations. In the case of
Riverside Housing a Labour councillor is the chair of the board. Not to mention
they oversaw the disastrous 'Pathfinder' housing scheme that saw swathes of
housing demolished, long-standing residents moved from their homes, and failed
'gentrification' empty communities.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1mTsZ-GPA-rRUxPChnF293mwyTwGuEJp7q1kR1biRWiwNl9wbZnN1W9ty3T3nTRZ-SfX4jSBHPIwkKDmxDH7jCAoZBLmzuao4x-9IJo669cdue6nd7hxH9ZW-D5lV760TBc6S0zBvGQ/s1600/labourleft.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1mTsZ-GPA-rRUxPChnF293mwyTwGuEJp7q1kR1biRWiwNl9wbZnN1W9ty3T3nTRZ-SfX4jSBHPIwkKDmxDH7jCAoZBLmzuao4x-9IJo669cdue6nd7hxH9ZW-D5lV760TBc6S0zBvGQ/s320/labourleft.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Labour admit it would keep bedroom tax </i></td></tr>
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<span class="usercontent">The government is under massive pressure and have
pretended to give a <a href="http://combatbedroomtax.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/dont-be-fooled-by-bedroom-tax.html">few concessions</a>: for severely disabled children, for armed
forces personnel who live at home but are away on duty, and to existing foster
parents BUT not even future foster carers. Its obvious this is a distraction,
over 1.5 million social housing tenants will still be affected. </span><br />
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<span class="usercontent">We need to keep up the pressure and we need to keep
matters in our own hands. Labour want to ride the wave of anger into office
where they can take the baton from the Tories. Let's not forget Labour
continued the privatisation of council housing, they opened the gates of the
NHS to corporate vultures, they introduced tuition fees, they took us to war
and they are doing the work of the government by implementing budget cuts
(point any of this out on the facebook event and you are banned immediately).</span><br />
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<span class="usercontent">Liverpool Bedroom Tax Protest</span><br />
<span class="usercontent">Sat 16th March, 1pm</span><br />
<span class="usercontent">Meet outside Liverpool Crown Court, James St</span></div>
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<span class="usercontent"><i>combatbedroomtax@gmail.com </i></span></div>
Combat Bedroom Taxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04396124953751678478noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1743527335093559021.post-42799875288649313512013-03-12T11:50:00.001-07:002013-03-12T14:07:39.045-07:00Don’t be fooled by bedroom tax concessions<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNJ9BqSVivK8Kux9p0v8mQS4UfBbWKLahOncfefvO6ZH7Pr7fu5BEwZC27oe7xxs4L3WCiJJD5rIzlmRZQqW5H1O23gaP5RZEFRtMOrSADzvb2WpNd98EOJ8lbL9IoqXMj75bg0QYBEg/s1600/idsl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNJ9BqSVivK8Kux9p0v8mQS4UfBbWKLahOncfefvO6ZH7Pr7fu5BEwZC27oe7xxs4L3WCiJJD5rIzlmRZQqW5H1O23gaP5RZEFRtMOrSADzvb2WpNd98EOJ8lbL9IoqXMj75bg0QYBEg/s320/idsl.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>IDS lying, again.</i></td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">So, Iain
Duncan Smith has announced ‘concessions’ to the bedroom tax, which
mainstream/social media have conflated into a “U-turn”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">On closer
inspection of the bedroom tax concessions, as Joe Halewood reveals,
particularly on the foster carer exemption, it only “<a href="http://speye.wordpress.com/2013/03/12/bedroom-tax-it-aint-what-ya-say-its-the-way-that-ya-say-it/">applies to existing foster carers and not the new one!!!</a>” </span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">It now looks like IDS has taken </span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">£1.35m OFF foster carers in today's bedroom tax concession --see <b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><a href="http://speye.wordpress.com/2013/03/12/bedroom-tax-it-aint-what-ya-say-its-the-way-that-ya-say-it/">Further Update</a> </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">from Joe Halewood </span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">And also
the bedroom tax statement released by IDS states that “<a href="http://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons-vote-office/March-2013/12-3-13/6.WorkandPensions-HousingBenefitreform.pdf"><b>Adult children</b> who are in the armed forces</a>” are exempt, well their parents anyways, from the
bedroom tax. Erm, does anybody know a definition for <i>Adult children</i>? How many 'adult children' are in the armed forces?</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Although
this might provide some respite for existing foster carers (<a href="http://t.co/sBRNlIjdLg">but NOT new carers</a>)
and some armed forces families with “Adult children”, it hardly makes any dent
on the 1.6million people to be hit by the bedroom tax in April. In fact it’s
neglible: 1.6 million, less 5000 existing foster carers and a tiny proportion of
armed forces personnel (lets say another 5000) = chaos for 1.59 million social
housing tenants, many of whom have complex disabilities.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">This minor
adjustment to the bedroom tax is most likely a result of Government <b>a)</b>
anticipating pressure from various campaign groups and legal challenges, and <b>b)</b>
factoring-in bedroom tax concessions to the legislation to diffuse and divide
any outrage building against State attacks on working class people. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">It’s
possible more concessions are on the way, particularly to disabled tenants, to
weaken working class unity closer towards the tax’s inception. And then once
the public outrage over vulnerable people is out the way, they can ramp up the
scrounger rhetoric again to settle the public’s remaining concerns on the bedroom tax.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">That's why it’s
vitally important that we stick together and <b>smash the bedroom tax entirely</b>.
We’ve seen in the bedroom tax concessions, today, that they are not all that
they seem and any future ones will have the same DWP illusions running through
them.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Let's not be fooled by <a href="http://johnnyvoid.wordpress.com/2013/01/01/2012-a-year-of-lies-and-blunders-at-the-dwp-part-1/">lying ratbag Iain Duncan Smith</a> or his faltering Bedroom Tax. </span></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">combatbedroomtax@gmail.com</span></i>Combat Bedroom Taxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04396124953751678478noreply@blogger.com4