RUGBY ANTI-CUTS PROTESTERS JOIN CAMPAIGN AGAINST WELFARE REFORM BILL

 Last Friday, members of Rugby Against the Cuts joined campaigners from across Warwickshire to protest against the Welfare Reform Bill which is going through Parliament this very week.  “This Bill is trying to make the poor and disabled pay for an economic crisis they did not cause,” Rugby Against the Cuts spokesperson Pete McLaren claimed today.  “A number of us from Rugby, including members of the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) and the Green Party, joined the protest outside the Constituency Office of Leamington MP Chris White.  It is his Government which is pushing through these attacks on the Welfare State,” he continued, “and protest organisers ‘Disabled People Against Cuts’ targeted Leamington because it is a Tory marginal.”

“In the event, Chris White cancelled the planned surgery, so we gave in a long letter detailing the adverse effects of the Welfare Bill, including:

• Introduction of Universal Credit which will bring compulsory workfare and caps on housing benefit and other payments, leading to increased poverty and homelessness.
• Moving people from Incapacity Benefit to Employment Support Allowance through punitive and unfair compulsory work capability assessments which are carried out by Atos, a ‘private for-profit’ company who are declaring that those who need 24-hour support, and those with terminal cancer, are ‘fit for work’ in order to meet government targets and reduce disabled peoples’ income drastically
• The introduction of a much stricter sanctions regime with the loss of benefits for up to 3 years, a risk particularly to people with learning disabilities or mental health needs who find it difficult to cope with the demands of looking for work at the same time as having little prospect of finding any.
• Replace Disability Living Allowance (DLA) with Personal Independence Payments (PIPs) with the explicit aim of cutting entitlement by 20%.”

 “The Welfare Reform Bill that Chris White and other Tory and Lib Dem MPs support has suffered a number of defeats in the House of Lords recently as people begin to realize just how draconian these cuts will be.  Whilst these cuts are being forced onto the poorest and most vulnerable, the richest people, whose banking friends helped cause the economic crisis, are actually seeing their wealth rise,” he concluded.

NOTES

§  Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC) can be contacted at www.dpac.uk.net/

• Rugby Against the Cuts was set up by local trade unionists and political activists on September 22^nd.  Officers were elected as above
• Rugby Against the Cuts meets on the second Thursday of every month, 7.30pm, at the Three Horse Shoes, Rugby
• Rugby Against the Cuts can be contacted on 07881 520626, at rugbyagainstthecuts@googlemail.com, or through our web site at http://rugbyagainstthecuts.blogspot.com 

  

 

PROTEST AT LEAMINGTON TORY MP OFFICES FRIDAY 20TH JAN AT 1PM - DEFEND THE SICK AND DISABLED FROM TORY AND LIB DEM ATTACKS!

The Tories and Lib Dem Government was defeated in the Lords last week on cuts to benefits for people with cancer and also general time limits to claim benefit – the CONDEM government intend to ignore this hindrance and go ahead with their plans anyway  – its clear this government needs to be put on the spot for such callous action.

Being disabled or seriously ill is not a life style choice unlike owning a yacht or having your home done up at the tax payers expense

Please bring your banners and placards and tell your friends to support this West Midlands protest organised by Disabled People Against Cuts.

As the Tories discuss arbitrarily removing 20% of disabled people from Disability Living Allowance and plan to finalise the introduction of Universal Credit which will lead to massive increases in poverty and homelessness please join us to tell Tory MP Chris White in his very marginal constituency what we think of the Condems policies. Please invite anyone else you know who would like to join us in a protest in Leamington Spa.

JOIN US TO PROTEST AGAINST CUTS TO DISABLED PEOPLE’S BENEFITS AND SERVICES AND THE DESTRUCTION OF OUR NHS ON WHICH ALL OF US WHO ARE NOT MILLIONAIRE POLITICIANS RELY.

SAY “NO” TO THE WELFARE REFORM BILL,THE DESTRUCTION OF OUR WELFARE STATE AND “NO” TO WORKFARE

What Cuts do Disabled People Face?

▼Closure of the Independent Living Fund supporting those with high support needs, proving that the government’s rhetoric of supporting disabled people is as empty as their souls

▼Movement from Incapacity Benefit to Employment Support Allowance through punitive and unfair compulsory Work Capability Assessments carried out by Atos, a private for-profit company who are declaring those who need 24-hour support and those with terminal cancer ‘fit for work’ in order to meet government targets and reduce disabled peoples’ income drastically

▼VAT increases and benefit rates linked to CPI not RPI which is likely to cost disabled people an extra £800 per annum.

▼Cuts to social care budgets, cuts to housing support, cuts to Access to Work programme (helping disabled people with any equipment they might need to compete on an equal basis with non disabled employees), constant attacks on disabled peoples’ integrity by the Tories and others suggesting we’re not really disabled but ‘just pretending’ to get meagre benefits which they’re going to abolish anyway.

Where – LEAMINGTON SPA, WARWICKSHIRE

At CHRIS WHITE, MP’s office, 43a CLEMENS STREET, OLD TOWN,  CV31 2DP, not far from railway station.

When – Friday, JANUARY 20^th, meet outside constituency office at 1pm.

www.dpac.uk.net,   mail@dpac.uk.net, http://twitter.com/Dis_PPL_Protest