cumulative impact of the benefit changes

We should circulate matters of practical importance to folks' life viability. The answer to the problem that it might make the blog appear politically biased, is to state a willingness also to post for any local aspie who wants to take the opposite view.

This is circulated by Liam Byrne the shadow minister for work and pensions, seeking for folks to ask their MPs, of any party, to support a parliamentary vote for a study of the total effect all the benefit changes combined. Not just of each single change in isolation, which can always be made to sound less. Some of the impact comes from combined effects:

After more than 3 years in power, it’s time for this government to finally come clean and tell us exactly what impact their changes will have on the lives of disabled people and their carers.

So on Wednesday 10 July, Labour will drag ministers to the House of Commons to debate the changes they have made that affect disabled people, and at about 16:00 we will force a vote to demand a Cumulative Impact Assessment by Oct 2013 at the latest – and we will be calling on MPs from across the House to support it.

I am asking supporters to help build pressure on the government in 3 ways:

• Write to your MP and ask them to back the motion
• Write to your local paper and explain why we urgently need a cumulative impact assessment
• Tweet your support using #MakeRightsReality – here’s the link to the motion (liambyrne.co.uk/?p=4534)

Please share this page with anyone who might be interested.

Here’s the motion in full: “That this House believes that the Government should publish a cumulative impact assessment of the changes made by this Government that affect disabled people (to be published by Oct 2013).”

blow out loud

Campaign mail from Peter Gregson, a council worker and campaigner for the council to have system for its workers to do whistleblowing on malpractices, anonymously so they can avoid getting victimised in their jobs for it. Started as an Edinburgh campaign but this petition applies the idea to the whole country, because why not? His campaign is at www.kidsnotsuits.com

Hi petition-signer, As well as the article, the Sunday Express opinion leader gave the petition a nice puff yesterday. If you want to add comments and sign the petition, be my guest. It's at www.scottish.parliament.uk/gettinginvolved/petitions/whistleblowing and has 38 signatures now. It's "Calling on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to support the introduction of staff whistle-blower hotlines to report mismanagement in Scottish local authorities, with reports overseen by councillors from each party."

Forward this e-mail onto others; folk who live anywhere can sign- there's no restrictions - and no minimum number needed to get the petition heard. Edinburgh Council, due to discuss the matter on Aug 29, proposes a weak whistleblowing policy - hiding behind the Scottish Government Councillors Code of Conduct which tells Councillors "not to engage in direct operational management of the Council's services; that is the responsibility of the Council's employees". Clearly this piece of legislation is being misread, and this is our chance to show that.