Rhondda Records Home Page

NURSES TO STRIKE-BALLOT FOR FIRST TIME EVER

The UK government has been warned by the Royal
College of Nursing (RCN) to launch credible
negotiations on their pensions, or face a
nurses' "general strike" in January 2012.

The RCN union threatens to ballot its members
for industrial action unless the government
revise its policy on public-sector pensions.

This is the first time in UK history that
nurses are being balloted to go on strike
over government policies, say UK media reports.

The RCN is calling a ballot of its members in
January, if the Tory/LibDem government does
not engage in "credible" negotiations.

"Our members are very angry about the attacks on
their pensions. We as nurses would not take an
unprecedented step over industrial action
lightly, but the feeling is such that we will
now move towards a ballot of our members in the
new year if negotiations fail," says Professor
Kath McCourt, chair of the RCN's ruling council.

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HUNGRY? STARVING? EAT PASTA !

UK job centres have decided to refer benefits
claimants to charity-run food banks as the
needy are either to face starvation or to feed
themselves by begging or stealing.

Analysts assert that this is an unprecedented
move to refer hungry people to charities.

But increasing levels of food poverty, are being
made worse by soaring food prices & unemployment
rates, and leave few alternatives...

Under the plans, the UK government will send
those claimants whose benefits are delayed, or
whose crisis loan requests have been turned down,
to their local food bank. Every claimant can be
referred to the food banks no more than three
consecutive times. Then - nothing!

Claimants who are referred to the food banks are
to receive food that will suffice for 3 days.
They will receive basic food like tinned soup,
baked beans, and pasta.

The UK people's demand for emergency food has
been on the rise all over the country. The
number of people fed by the Coventry food bank,
increased by almost 700 between April and July.

Moreover, there will be a 40,000 increase in the
number of people in need of emergency food this
year from 61,000 in 2010. The number is predicted
to reach 500,000 by 2015. Meanwhile, statistics
have revealed that of the 2.4 million people who
have applied for crisis loans, only 1.7 million
were awarded the loan, leaving 700,000 without
any financial assistance.

The head of UK poverty policy at Oxfam, Helen
Longworth says, “It's shocking that more and
more people in the UK are being forced to go to
food banks to be able to eat ... In this day
and age, nobody should be forced to choose
between paying a bill or feeding their family.”

************************************************

UK CENTRAL GOVERNMENT SLASHES SCOTTISH BUDGET

The UK government's austerity measures are
being used to hit the Scottish people severely,
and the SNP is having to consider public cuts.

As the UK government has planned to cut the
Scottish people's budget by £3bn, Scottish
Finance Secretary, John Swinney, says that
the possibility of job cuts threatens Scots,
further raising an already high unemployment rate.

“Scotland has had to deal with deep cuts in
public spending, applied by successive UK
Governments,” says Swinney.

"Over the next three years, our budget will
shrink by £3.3 billion, or 11% below its 2010-11
level in real terms, while our capital budget
is being cut even more severely, with a 36%
reduction in real terms."

Swinney says that his government's policy is to
transfer resources from revenue to capital budgets.

He asserts that the issue of capital expenditure
is central to economic growth & economic recovery.

Referring to the budget cuts imposed on the
Scottish people by the UK government, he says:

“That is a malicious reduction in capital
expenditure and the Scottish government
will be doing everything in its power to
try to counter that.”

Yet the UK's Chief Secretary to the Treasury,
Danny Alexander, has the cheek to criticise
the Scottish government for reneging on its
pledges to “put more money into transport.”

Still, the Scottish government has announced
plans for establishing a single police force,
as well as a national fire and rescue service
in order to counter the effects of cuts.

Rise up, Scotland !

*************************************************

POLICE STRIKE OVER TORY CUTS

Unison says police forces up and down the UK
are making “massive” cutbacks as a result of the
20% budget cuts, and warns that this will cut
16,000 police staff and 1,800 police officers.

“There is no doubt that cuts on this scale will
see our streets become less safe. We are calling
on the government to think again,” Unison
general secretary Dave Prentis says.

“Police staff are dedicated public-service
workers - they do not want to go on strike,
but they have been left with little choice.”

Unison regional organiser Roger Young urges the
force to listen to its staff & talk to Unison
through ACAS, the conciliation service.

*************************************************
CUTS TO HIT DOMESTIC VIOLENCE VICTIMS

Nicola Harwin, chief executive of Women's Aid,
criticizes the new Tory/LibDem cuts to domestic
violence services for vulnerable women, and
the new means test requirements... designed to
make claiming any benefits much harder.

"Not only does this mean that fewer abused women
and children will be able to access local
services, but there are less staff to work with
those that do. In some areas there may be no
local services at all,” she says.

*************************************************

UK MPs EXPENSES SCANDAL BEING HIDDEN NOW !!!

The UK's parliamentary expenses watchdog says he's
not going public with the names of those MPs under
investigation, despite saying previously he would.

The scrutineer of the Independent Parliamentary
Standards Authority (Ipsa), established to deal
with the expenses scandal, now says identifying
the suspects is “unfair”, despite his earlier
suggesting that MPs under investigation would
be named, and all hearings be held in public.

Luke March, who's overseeing the compliance of
Ipsa, says now that "details" will only be made
public after all the investigations end, because
an MP may be suspected, and later, cleared.

Based on the compliance officer's guidelines,
“particulars” of any probe into an MP's case
will now only be disclosed to the public, if
it enters the "substantive investigation" stage:
that is, when there is "reason to believe that
the MP may have been paid an amount under the
scheme that should not have been allowed".

Luke March says that although several substantive
cases are being investigated, he is changing the
guidelines to keep details of the cases secret.

"The reason why I am not (publishing) now, is
that we are doing all this for the first time."

"One of the things that makes me nervous, is the
lack of proportionality. Compared to the previous
world, some of the things we are looking at, are
relatively small. But the system doesn't make any
distinction between major problems & trivial mistakes."

March also defends his decision by saying that
"many" of the allegations against MPs could have
been based on mistakes in entering data by MPs,
or by Ipsa, but fails to explain whether recent
substantive investigations haven't already taken
that aspect into account.

*************************************************

JUSTICE IN UK NOW VISIBLY CORRUPT

Lord Justice Leveson, appointed by the UK Prime
Minister to judge the phone hacking inquiry,
was entertained by Rupert Murdoch's son-in-law,
at his in-home parties.

Leveson attended two parties at the London home
of Matthew Freud, the PR executive married to
the daughter of media mogul Murdoch.

MPs are questioning the shock news of Leveson
being linked with Murdoch's family, as well as
his social connections with News Corporation.

The Lord Chief Justice, Lord Judge:

“In his capacity as Chairman of the Sentencing
Council, and with the knowledge of the Lord
Chief Justice, Lord Justice Leveson attended two
large evening events at Mr Freud's London home:
these were on July 29th, 2010, and January 25th,
2011,” Lord Judge says in a statement.

Leveson's office claims that Prime Minister David
Cameron was aware of his attendance, but did not
express any opposition.

“Lord Justice Leveson wasn't involved in that meeting
and he has neither met nor spoken to anyone from
Freud Communications since January 2011.”

“There is, in any event, no continuing relationship.
Prior to his appointment to the inquiry, Lord
Justice Leveson ensured that these matters were
brought to the attention of the Prime Minister,”
his office adds.

Meanwhile, Labour MP Chris Bryant is expressing
his outrage over the news, saying that it is
really very difficult to see Lord Leveson as
an independent figure, because “in practice he
will have to bend over backwards to have a go
at Murdoch, or be accused of giving him an easy time."

“If this had been known from the start, it might
have been fine, but with every step, transparency
has come by dragging it out of them.”

************************************************

TORY CUTS TO MEANS TEST ALL THOSE ARRESTED

The UK is to lose the “cornerstone” of its
justice system under Tory proposals to limit
the universal right to a free solicitor upon
arrest... based on means-testing the detainee.

The Ministry of Justice (sic) is now tabling
proposals to force people earning above a
certain threshold or those with a certain level
of savings, to pay for being granted access to
a solicitor in police stations.

Legal experts, including the former Director of
Public Prosecutions (DPP) Lord Ken Macdonald QC,
raise their fears over the controversial plans:

"There are issues of principle here. When someone
is arrested they are in the power of the state,
subject to the mercies of the police officers
involved,” says Richard Miller, head of legal
aid policy at the Law Society.

"The purpose of having a solicitor acting for
them is to ensure their rights are respected,
that they are not physically abused, that their
confessions are not forged and they are not
detained for longer than legally allowed.”

Miller warns that the right to a solicitor has
been “a cornerstone of our justice system for
the last 25 years and the idea that it should
be changed is entirely wrong”.

The move is also attacked by Macdonald, who says
the right to representation at police stations
introduced in the 1984 Police and Criminal
Evidence Act, is “there for a good reason”.

"This is a critical part of the apparatus of
protection that we have… I think the government
should be very cautious about interfering in any
way with the absolute right to representation in
police stations. It's there for a very good reason.
When we didn't have it, we saw the consequences."

The introduction of the right to a solicitor in
1984 was a response to a string of abuses of
regulations against unrepresented defendants,
back in the 1970's and 1980's.

The government has set out the plans as part of
a bid to cut almost £350 million off the legal
aid budget, but officials say that the means-
testing requirement for a solicitor, is not
"currently" being considered.

But a Ministry of Justice spokesperson, however,
confirms that "the provision in the bill to
permit means-testing, ensures future flexibility
over the operation of the legal aid system...
should it be needed".

Justice Sec Kenneth Clarke justifies the decision
by saying England & Wales (sic) have "the most
expensive legal aid system in the world", a
claim challenged by Sound off for Justice, which
is a campaign run by the Law Society.

Critics of the proposals say the new proposals
will be MORE expensive to implement, than keeping
the right to universal representation.

"Often it is more expensive to administer means-
testing... Who's going to ask you what your
earnings are, or how much your mortgage is?

"We are talking about having to ask these
questions in stressful situations. The whole
thing will be very unwieldy," Macdonald says.

************************************************

UNISON: "NOT THE MINERS STRIKE - WE'RE GOING TO WIN!"

The UK's biggest union, Unison, is threatening
this Tory "coalition" government, with the most
persistent industrial action in almost a century,
to stop wage cuts posing as pension "reforms".

Dave Prentis, general secretary of Unison, which
represents 1.4 million public sector workers,
says a campaign unseen since 1926, will disrupt
public services in different sectors and regions
- and on a daily basis.

"It will be the biggest since the general strike.
It won't be the miners' strike. We're going to win."

Prentis, who chairs the TUC public sector group,
says that the government's decision to freeze
public sector pay, has deepened workers' anger.

The Treasury's new pensions reform plan wasn't
even mentioned during talks with unions, and this
is drawing loud condemnation from other unions,
including Unite. Unite's assistant general sec.,
Gail Cartmail, says the move is “tantamount to
bombing the talks”.

Against this government's bad faith, Prentis
promises a tough response... if negotiations
fail to bear fruit.

"I strongly believe that one day of industrial
action won't change anyone's mind in government.
We want to move towards a settlement.

The purpose of industrial action isn't industrial
action; it's to get an agreement that's acceptable
and long-lasting. But we are prepared for rolling
action over an indefinite period,” he states.

Under the new government plans, public sector
workers will have to pay 3.2 percent in pension
contributions, while getting lower payments after
retirement, and will have to work six years more
to the age of 66, before they reach retirement.

Unions say the pensions policy is an additional
tax on public sector workers, while the rise in
contributions is a disguised pay cut implemented
to cut the deficit, rather than to fund pensions.

The unions say all this, coupled with forced
redundancies, pay freezes and controversial
plans - including those for the NHS - are
a disproportionate burden on public workers.

"You can't just look at what's happening around
pensions as a single issue. All our members
provide public services. You look at what this
coalition has decided to do to reduce the deficit
- and it's decided that most of the deficit
reduction programme will be at the expense of
our public services.

"The people we represent are facing redundancy,
a two-year pay freeze, while inflation is 5%
and gas prices are going up 20%, and they are
desperately worried about privatisation of the
services they have committed their working lives to."

Prentis is calling on the Labour party to help
his unions push to scrap these pension "reforms".

"We want our Labour party to be the voice of
opposition. We're worried that some of the
senior people in the party still have to make
statements as if they're in power, not opposition."

“If the Labour party STAYS quiet, that will be an
issue. This isn't a kneejerk reaction, this will
be a long programme of action - and we expect
the Labour party to support that."

*************************************************

EXPENSES MPs ARE CRIMINALS

A former Tory peer is facing jail after being
found guilty of fraudulently claiming £14,000
- in the latest parliamentary expenses trial.

Lord Hanningfield, 70, joins four ex-MPs and a
fellow member of the Lords already convicted of
dishonestly obtaining thousands of pounds from
the taxpayer by falsely claiming for allowances.

The jury of nine women and three men took just
four hours to find him guilty of six counts of
false accounting, after an eight-day trial at
Chelmsford Crown Court.

Do YOU know that your local MP is a crook?

Then YOU are actually colluding in HIS crime,
unless YOU press for his arrest and trial.

NOW! MAKE A 'PHONE CALL TO PUT HIM (or her) AWAY.

***********************************************

MARCH TO SAVE THE NHS

Anti-NHS bill protesters say Tory plans will
break up the health service, and hand it
over to private healthcare companies. They
claim that to save the NHS, we all need to act,
since the Tories/Lib Dems are now playing politics
with the future of the UK's health service.

Massive public objections have already made
Cameron and his deputy Nick Clegg, delay the
Health & Social Care Bill. The protesters
say on their Facebook page that:

“we need to pile on the pressure to make sure the
Bill is dropped & to stop our NHS being destroyed.”

Keep Our NHS Public, Unite Health Sector National
Committee, Health Workers Network, and NHS Direct
Action, are all sponsoring protests.

*************************************************

FIGHTING TO STOP 'DEGRADING' DISABLED CUTS TESTS

The new work capability assessments, campaigners
say, is seeing thousands of people, often with
serious health conditions, denied all benefits.

Scores of organisations working with disabled
and vulnerable people, plus those opposed to
the government cuts, support more protests...

Linda Burnip, of Disabled People Against Cuts:

"We're delighted to have so much growing support
for our campaign from groups and networks from
as far afield as Glasgow, Truro and N Ireland.

"This shows how strongly disabled people feel
about these unfair and degrading assessments
and how angry they are that these assessments
are being forced on them by the Government."

Siobhan Endean, national officer of Unite:

"It is clear that the disabled will be hard hit
by these changes. Their lives will become worse
as a result. So much for the derided mantra...
that we are all in this together.

"The Government plans to make savings at the
expense of disabled people. More than 800,000
people will be adversely affected by these
proposals which will drive them further into
poverty. We would like ministers to radically
rethink their proposals and not target some of
the most disadvantaged in society."

*************************************************

WE MARCHED AGAINST THE CUTS - NOW WE STRIKE !

PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka:

“We marched for the alternative, now
we have to strike for the alternative.”

NUT deputy general secretary, Kevin Courtney:
“We're in talks with the government about pensions,
but are under no illusions about their plans.”

The unions are organizing demonstrations in every
town across the UK, & will "support all strikes".

*************************************************

DEMAND JUSTICE !!!

Thousands of marchers can now sue the police
for 'kettling', a protest "containment", first
used by police with G20 climate change protesters
in April 2009. The UK's High Court judges say it
is "unjustified" - as used so far - particularly
given the peaceful nature of most protests.

Mass detentions for up to five hours is, say
the High Court judges, an illegal deprivation
of liberty, under article 5 of the European
convention on human rights.

***********************************************

DEMAND JUSTICE FOR PENSIONERS!!!

The National Pensioners Convention (NPC)
held its biggest nationwide protest
- against government spending cuts -
in front of the pension offices.

An estimated 1.5 million protested at
the Tory plan to freeze pension credits
and make huge cuts in our vital services.

The protests were held in London, Southampton,
Walsall, Newcastle, Warrington... etc...

The 'coalition' government cut the fuel allowance
by £100 per household for the elderly in March,
and many councils are yet to cut a lot of their
transport subsidies for pensioners across the UK.

Over 170,000 retired people are to lose almost
£45 per week from their housing benefits due to
the Tory's plan to cut their allowance by 20%.

Dot Gibson, NPC general secretary, says the
abandonment of the pensioners on behalf of
the government is "breathtaking."

One in every four pensioners lives below the
poverty line in the UK, while millions more
struggle to earn a bit more than £178 per week.

"We already have one of the least adequate state
pensions in the developed world and since coming
to power the government has made the situation
even worse by changing indexation from the retail
price index to the consumer price index,” Gibson says.

"Our pension system is in a mess and these plans
won't do anything to solve that situation. The
answer lies in a universal state pension paid to
all existing and future pensioners set above the
poverty level of £178 a week," she adds.

*************************************************

Anti-cut campaigners have demonstrated in London,
Bristol, Brighton, Leeds & many other cities & towns.

Is YOUR city or town joining this united fight?

*************************************************

MONEY FOR WAR AS "A LIFESTYLE" NOT CUT AT ALL

The attack, "Odyssey Dawn", against the forces
of Muammar Gaddafi in Libya, shows that in the
UK and West, their budget 'problems', are not
affecting the launching of more military attacks.

While social expenditure is cut, and wages and
pensions frozen, citing "unavoidable" financial
difficulties, military operations just go ahead
with a simple calculation of the costs involved.

The largest debtor on the planet, the US, says
the cost of missiles fired in just one day, is
"approximately $100 million"; and a prolonged
operation will cost "several billion".

In the UK, living under the shadow of one of the
most drastic budget cuts in the EU, it's estimated
that each missile costs around $700,000, while
one take-off by a Tornado fighter is $40,000.

"It’s an absurdity. There is a kind of taboo
when speaking of the cost of a conflict. The
priorities of the ruling class in many countries
are deplorable," Chris Nineham, spokesperson of
the Stop the War Coalition in London, states.

The UK's cuts of $130 billion are a part of the
legacy of massive financial deficits that is now
leading many EU governments to dismantle various
pillars of the European inclusive social model,
because they are "financially unsustainable".

UK PM David Cameron, who has led the operation
against Gaddafi on the diplomatic front, still
justifies cuts announced last year ($120 billion
over the next four years), by saying that
"our lifestyle is going to have to change."

"These cuts are presented as inevitable.
There is 'no money in the bank'. But it
would seem that there IS money... for an
intervention in Libya," Chris Nineham notes.

"It’s being said that the state is too big and
has to be downsized, but it would seem that
the state is big enough to militarily impose
its will in the Middle East, and too little
to save a public library from cuts."

*************************************************

WHEN WE TALK ABOUT CORRUPTION

The centre for the fight for a better life is,
as we Welsh say, a 'Calon Lan' - a pure heart.

That's why Rhondda Records says our main enemy is
corruption in "high places"... including lawyers.

A UK Crown court judge, Douglas Field, is accused
of clearing a paedophile suspect of all charges
while “influenced by alcohol”.

The mother of the alleged rape victim has lodged
a complaint with the UK's judicial watchdog,
complaining that Field only examined one of the
charges the defendant faced, and did not allow
the jury to announce a verdict on 2 other charges.

Field reportedly got drunk at a leaving party in
an "extended lunch break" during the trial, and
returned to the court room ordering the jury to
acquit the 55-year old man accused of raping an
8-year-old, as they had not reached a consensus
over the verdict after five days of hearings.

Field then "forgot" that the man also faced two
other charges and did not allow the jury to give
their verdict on those alleged crimes.

The victim's mother says in her complaint, that
Field acted like “a person influenced by alcohol”
upon his return to the court, The Sun reports.

The complaint also says the judge had his “head
in hands, resting his elbows on the table” when
the hearing resumed after lunch break.

The defendant faced charges of raping a girl
aged under 13, along with provoking a child
into engaging in sexual activity.

The defendant was formally acquitted of the
remaining charges last November after the
Crown Prosecution Service ordered a retrial.

The Office for Judicial Complaints says the
complaint is "under investigation".

"A complaint has been received about His Honour
Judge Field in relation to a trial at Swindon
crown court in June 2010. This is being investigated.
It would be inappropriate to comment further
at this stage," an OJC spokesperson says.

***********************************************

A drunk Captain would lose his ship.
A bank robber would be put in prison.

We say corrupt MPs, bankers, and lawyers
must bow to Justice in the same way...


CORRUPT EXPENSES MPs "MUST BOW TO LAW"

Another Labour MP, ex-Minister Elliot Morley,
has pleaded guilty to criminal offences and
dishonesty in claiming over expenses.

Morley pleaded guilty to claiming about £30,000
in parliamentary expenses involving a house.

He was accused of making false documents over
mortgage costs between 2004 and 2007 and also
false claims on paying off a loan on property.

The former minister resigned as an MP at the last
election. He 'represented' Scunthorpe from 1987.

Morley is the fourth British lawmaker to face
the music over illegal expenses claims. However,
there are others, who still hide from Justice.

Do YOU know of a local MP who claimed
expenses on a house, who should face Justice?

*************************************************

HALF A MILLION SAY NO TO CUTS BY TORIES

The London protest march was one of the biggest
public demonstrations in Britain since 2003,
when antiwar rallies were held across the country
before the illegal invasion of Iraq.

Organizers say up to 500,000 people attended the
march, whose carnival-like atmosphere was briefly
marred by black-clad anarchists who smashed a few
shop windows, flung paint bombs & attacked luxury
icons, such as the Ritz Hotel.

The protesters gathered from all corners of the
UK, with a large contingent from the Rhondda &
Wales, to express their outrage at the whopping
£81 billion pounds in cutbacks that the government
insists are necessary to tame a budget deficit.

"It's our right to march, and to say we don't
accept any of this," said Corinne Drummond,
37, a nurse from East London who joined several
colleagues for the demonstration, which began
in the morning... and lasted for many hours.

The protesters included civil servants, Co-op
workers from Tonypandy, Treorchy and Ferndale,
environmentalists, prison officers, academics,
feminists and young parents with toddlers.

"Don't believe in the deficit," some placards
called, while other signs and T-shirts demanded
a "general strike now", while others exhorted
Britons to "make tea, not war."

In Hyde Park, the leader of the opposition Labour
Party mocked Cameron's vision of a "Big Society"
full of citizen volunteers who plug the holes
left by cuts in government spending.

"You wanted to create a Big Society. This is the
Big Society, the big society united against what
your government is doing to our country," Ed
Miliband said, addressing the protesters.

"We stand today not for the minority. We stand
today for the mainstream majority of Britain."

The Labour Party, which was kicked out by voters
in May after 13 years in power, acknowledges
that some cuts are unavoidable, to shrink a
deficit built up largely under its watch.

But it says the scale and pace of the austerity
plan put forward by the Tory-led government will
strangle Britain's fledgling economic recovery,
and hurt the most vulnerable parts of society.

Effects of the belt-tightening will begin to be
felt more acutely next month, when libraries
start closing down, youth programs disappear,
social workers are laid off and far fewer buses
ply the streets in a 'cut to shreds' UK.

Analysts say the cuts will change the fabric of
UK society in a way not seen since Thatcher...

"It's changing the whole ethos of everything,"
says nurse Rikke Albert, 37, on the march.
"That's not what I signed up for when I did my training."

************************************************

UK POLICE MOVING TOWARDS SYMPATHY WITH PROTESTS

In a joint statement, Warwickshire Police Federation
and West Midlands Unison voice their strong
opposition to the "coalition government" cuts.

Federation chair Simon Payne refuses to rule out
strike action, saying that his organization is
"considering all future options to ensure that
our members are protected."

"The perfect storm is now taking place within
the service," he adds.

Meanwhile, Unison regional organizer Charlie
Sarell says that his members in the police sector
no longer have confidence in the government.

"The bond of trust between them and those we
represent has been broken," he says.

"Warwickshire Police have had a massive cut to
its budget which will mean fewer police officers
and PCSOs on the streets and huge redundancies
among my members,” he states.

"My members will be attending the demonstration
in London.. in support of all public services."

Earlier, the chair of the Police Federation Paul
McKeever said that the police are growing more
opposed, questioning the speed and breadth of
the cuts, while at the same time, increasingly
feeling sympathy with people from other walks of life.

*************************************************
CONTINENCE CARE 'SHAMEFULLY INADEQUATE'.

A number of British elderly care hospitals
are "shamefully inadequate” and need radical
changes, Wales' older people's commissioner says.

Some patients at elderly care hospitals are being
so humiliated and degraded, that Ruth Marks, the
commissioner, is calling for "fundamental change"
in discharge times and patient privacy.

A public consultation run by Dame Deirdre Hine,
a former chief medical officer for Wales, shows
a "lack of timely response to continence needs"
in hospitals throughout Wales.

"Too many older people are still not being
discharged in an effective and timely manner
and this needs urgent attention,” the
consultation report states.

The report shows that elderly people now expect
less respect, while in hospitals.

“Attitudes and practices that assault the dignity
and self esteem of older people at a time when
they are most anxious and vulnerable, must be
stopped,” Hine says.

The report recommends a caring culture change,
which could work by empowering ward managers,
and by "prioritising continence care".

Marks says, "Fundamental change is needed to
prevent what is sometimes shamefully inadequate
care and treatment. Poor practice must never be
tolerated. The attitudes, behavior & sensitivity
of staff on the wards are crucial.

“We need strong, positive leadership at all
levels and a system which builds on dignity and
respect as the cornerstone of high quality care.

There are examples of effective leadership and
good practice, and it is vital these are built
on... and become the norm.”

*************************************************

LIB DEMS 'ConDem-ned'

National sec of 'Right to Work', Chris Bambery:

"..working people cannot, and will not, accept
these ConDem attacks on our services, jobs and
standards of living."

"If they can topple a dictator in Egypt, we can
topple this ConDem government,” he adds.

************************************************

TAX OFFICE STAFF IN SWANSEA FIGHT CUTS

Swansea tax office staff are protesting against
“drastic” frontline services job cuts, by cutting
their own work every week, union leaders say.

According to union leaders, Swansea tax office
is going to be open for just three days a week.

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) say people now
contact the tax office online, instead of
going to the office. However, it says changes
to the tax office regime aren't yet confirmed.

The Public & Commercial Services Union suggests
that many people prefer 'face to face' advice.

Steve Donoghue, West Wales PCS spokesperson says:

"Enquiry centre users often travel miles to visit
the office. We're worried that when they get here
... they'll find it closed.

“We're also concerned that, with opening times
reduced, customers may have to wait some time
for an appointment. Many of these people rely
on tax credits or are pensioners, and can't
afford to wait or spend more to get here.”

Donoghue says over 300 HMRC positions have been
cut in west Wales since 2003, and that staff are
now facing very heavy workloads.

An HMRC spokesperson: "Fewer customers are using
our face to face service at inquiry centres, as
our customers increasingly use our telephone and
online services. However, we are very much aware
that there are customers who need face to face
support to pay what they owe, and claim what is
due, and we will continue to offer an inquiry
centre service to meet that need."

**********************************************

WHITEHALL CUTTING AND CUTTING... so,

Tony Benn: "We're here to build a coalition of
resistance to the cuts. The welfare state
means pensions and public services, and the
National Health service, and these are the very
things this government is trying to destroy."

"History shows us that when people are determined
to take a stance they DO influence public opinion.
Whenever the cuts are discussed in pubs or clubs
... people must know our view."

********************************************

ACTION TO FIGHT BACK GROWS ACROSS UK

Hundreds of people demonstrating in Swindon town
centre, listened to speakers representing local
unions and community groups, shedding more light
on the objectives behind the government's cuts,
which aim to widen the gap between poor & rich.

Activists distributed leaflets to passers-by and
staged direct action outside Vodafone & Topshop,
to highlight their tax-dodging activities.

In Middlesbrough, anti-cuts activists converged
on the town hall to criticize local councillors
meeting to vote on proposals to slash the
authority's budget by £50 million.

Public-sector union Unison supports them, with
its Middlesbrough branch secretary, Brian Maloney
describing the cuts as, "too savage".

"Many council employees are low-paid women and
they are being hit extremely hard," he states.

In Southend-on-Sea, Southend Against the Cuts
campaigners demonstrated against the coalition's
cuts, which threaten both services and jobs.

In London, health-care workers joined by student
nurses, marched through the capital against plans
to cut hundreds of NHS jobs in the area.


*************************************************

THERE BUT FOR FORTUNE... WHAT 'REACTION' MEANS:

UK students opposing UK cuts might look to
the struggles of those in other US colonies(!)

The University of Puerto Rico’s Río Piedras
campus has been occupied by police and is under
curfew. The first semester ended with strikes
and student demonstrations against increases
in tuition fees, and this situation is ongoing.

Shock troops are facing students with brutal force.

Without explanation agents are arresting students,
and treating them like criminals, when their only
crime is defending their right to further education.

The Student Representation Committee (CRE), a
coalition resisting the increase in tuition fees
to $800 at the University of Puerto Rico (UPR),
says that approximately 10,000 students will have
to abandon their education.

According to some, the students’ conflict has
turned into a fight to determine the educational
future of Puerto Rico, a US colony.

UPR Professor Raúl Cotto is calling on all
opposing the government to take action in
the face of these abuses, because that is
their responsibility. People cannot remain
indifferent to outrages committed against
the students and their protests, he states.

A number of social organizations have condemned
acts of torture and sexual aggression on the
part of the police and the shock force unit.

"It is unacceptable that an administration
which presumes to defend law and order,
should allow the torture of young people
with their arms handcuffed behind their backs,
and the humiliation of detaining students in
front of everybody, & flaunting their impunity,"
a release from these organizations states.

They demand an immediate response from Fortuño
and José Figueroa Sancha, chief of police, and
an investigation... to charge perpetrators.

Ana R. Guadalupe, UPR rector, has banned student
demonstrations or gatherings on campus, but the
conflict does not appear close to a resolution.

The university authorities pretend dialogue,
but really they're trying to wear down, divide
and de-legitimize the student mobilizations,
and proceed with plans to increase the cost of
university tuition - in the face of unanimous
opposition from students and professors.

The conflict isn't confined to high tuition fees.

The Fortuño-PNP administration acts are intended
to inflict damage on the University by countering
its prospects for growth and social inclusion,
either through privatization or a dissolution.

The current administration of the US colony, is
violently opposed to the spirit of participation,
inclusion and social commitment in the country,
which is flourishing as genuine autonomy grows.

Sounds like Wales!

************************************************

TORY SALE OF FORESTS "DEFERRED" - PROTESTS WIN!

The UK government had to defer the controversial
plan to sell off 258,000 hectares of England's
public woodlands to the private sector.

Their proposals to sell 15% of publicly owned
forests, triggered HUGE public protests.

The Sec of State for Environment, Food and Rural
Affairs, Caroline Spelman, was forced to say that
"until a new review", the forests won't be sold.

“In light of the Government commitment to
increase protection for access and public
benefit in our woodlands, the criteria for
these sales will be reviewed, so that protection
is significantly strengthened, following the
inadequate measures that were applied to sales
under the previous administration,” she says.

What? A LABOUR government privatising?
That couldn't happen - could it?

Ministers had expected to provide the Environment
Department's budget with £100 million, through
selling 15% of all state-owned woodlands.

Labour's shadow environment secretary Mary Creagh:

"This partial U-turn will not be enough to silence
the protests. This Government has not scrapped
its plans to sell off public woodlands" she adds.

Creagh urges people "to send a very clear message
to this Conservative-led Government" by joining
the 'This Land Is Our Land' campaign.

FORESTRY "PART OF WELSH GOVERNMENT"

Wales is unique, in that the Forestry Commission
is legally part of the Welsh Assembly Government.

So why worry about any Tory plans to sell off
"parts" of Forestry Commission land to private
developers? We're safe in Wales, aren't we?

A YouGov survey shows 84% of the UK public against
any plans to sell forests to the private sector.
Only 2% agreed with it.

In the Forest of Dean, 'Hands Off Our Forest',
gathered on January 3rd, to protest against the
forest's probable sale to private business.

Labour's shadow minister for environment, Mary
Creagh, calls the Tory-led government's plans
an "act of environmental vandalism," and "a
loggers' charter. Private companies will cherry-
pick sites for commercial development, and
voluntary groups will be left to look after
ancient woodlands without a budget. The true
value of England's forests will never be
reflected in the price the Tory-led government
gets from selling them," Labour's minister says.

Opponents of a public forests' sale are also
worried about the loss of 850 jobs related to
the Forestry Commission and England's woodlands.

*************************************************

Wales just follows, as England raises fees.

The Higher Education Funding Council for Wales
has declared that only six universities are
needed in Wales by March 2013; 2 per region.

The director of the Teachers and Lecturers
Association in Wales, Philip Dixon, says
that the universities are likely to set
the highest tuition fees.

“The race to the top of the fees league by Oxford
and Cambridge is not surprising - but all the
other institutions will find themselves between
a rock and a hard place”, says Dixon.

If the Wales' Assembly had more power, it could
start to build the kind of society it's been trying
to coax down English throats for over 100 years.

As fast as the Welsh create co-operative institutions
like the NHS, the Co-operative movement, the Women's
Institute, and so on, the faster the "home counties"
try to abolish them! Isn't it time we stopped
trying to play a losing game, as the UK sinks
into Thatcherism plus, and focus our thoughts
on building a shining example in our real home?

WALES can give our youngsters a better life NOW !

************************************************

DO YOU KNOW AN MP WHO's CORRUPT?

In yet another example of escalating scandal in
the UK, another MP pleads guilty to fiddling his
parliamentary expenses, say media reports.

Justice Saunders, the trial judge, grants ex -
Labour MP Jim Devine, 57, unconditional bail,
and says he'll be sentenced "in due course".

Devine, who held the Livingston seat, submitted
false invoices for cleaning and printing work,
totalling £8,385 pounds.

He's found guilty by a jury at Southwark Crown
Court, of two charges of false accounting, but
is cleared of one count relating to cleaning
work, of £360 pounds.

The former backbencher, of West Main Street,
Bathgate, West Lothian, was the first MP to
stand trial in the wake of the expenses scandal.

Peter Wright QC, the prosecutor, described the
case against Devine as "very straightforward".

The former MP made the fraudulent claims "with
a view to gain for himself, or with an intent
to cause loss to another - the public purse".

The prosecutor says a guide known as the Green
Book was readily available to MPs and clearly
set out the rules and regulations on submitting
expenses, that must relate to parliamentary duties.

It lists the fundamental principles MPs should
adhere to when making expenses claims, Wright
told the court.

"These are based on concepts of selflessness,
integrity, objectivity, accountability,
openness, honesty and leadership," he said.

"We say these are qualities of which Devine
demonstrated a woeful inadequacy." Speaking of
the Green Book, he added: "We say it's wholly
unambiguous. It couldn't be clearer."

Simon Clements, head of the Crown Prosecution
Service special crime division:

"Jim Devine submitted invoices for services that
he had neither paid for nor received. In doing
so, he took advantage of the trust that had been
placed in him by virtue of the public office he held.

"Submitting a false invoice is plainly dishonest,
regardless of why it has been done or who has
done it. We say there is no excuse for such
conduct and, with today's conviction, it is
clear the jury agreed", added Clements.

The divorced MP divided his life between Scotland
and Westminster, buying a one bedroom flat in
Elephant and Castle, south east London, to make
parliamentary life easier.

Meanwhile, another former Labour MP, Eric Illsley,
has been sentenced to a year in prison, for
dishonestly claiming parliamentary expenses.

Illsley pleaded guilty to £14,000 of expenses
fraud last month, over second home claims made
between 2005 and 2008. He becomes the second
former MP to be jailed for expenses offences.

Former Labour colleague David Chaytor, is serving
an 18-month jail term, after pleading guilty to
making bogus claims.

Disgraced Eric Illsley quit as an MP, just weeks
after being convicted of fiddling his expenses.

Treasury sources confirm that Illsley has been
"granted the ceremonial post of Crown Steward
and Bailiff of the three Chiltern Hundreds of
Stoke, Desborough and Burnham" - the only and
"traditional" way of resigning from Parliament.

EX-LABOUR MP Illsley was sentenced on Thursday,
after admitting dishonestly claiming £14,000
in "expenses". Some MPs are known to trade on
the almost impossibility of getting rid of them.

Do you know of an MP near you, who smarms
up to local groups (that's known as being: "a good
constituency MP"), while corrupt, and will refuse
to let go of the gravy train - by resigning?

If you do, it is your duty to report them to the
police, or Crown Prosecution Service... or know
that you are contributing to the sort of corrupt
behaviour that brings dishonour to your party or
community. Wales deserves better than this.

Please don't collude in crime.

*******************************

LABOUR's Lord Taylor of Warwick is convicted of
making false claims of £11,277 in allowances,
as part of ongoing investigations into MPs expenses.

Southwark crown court gives Taylor a guilty
ruling, despite his earlier denial of six charges
regarding expenses fraud between 2006 and 2007.

Taylor is now free on conditional bail, pending
a sentence at the next court session; the date
of which is to be announced later.

Taylor's charges relate to registering a false
accommodation in Oxford as his residence, and
claiming travel and overnight subsistence costs
while his true residence was in Ealing.

At the court session, Taylor claimed that, as
there have been no checks on the addresses
peers have designated as their residence, the
practice is now “widespread” in the Lords.

The prosecution says Taylor knowingly misreported
his expenses, despite arguments by his defence
that the expenses system is “unclear, ill-defined
and, most crucially, treated by MANY... as a
remuneration in lieu of salary”.

The seven-day trial ends with the jury finding
Taylor guilty on all six charges, with a majority
decision of 11 to 1.

Perhaps YOU know of another criminal near you?

************************************************

GOVERNMENT BY DIKTAT

Wales' driving test centres are to be closed
- as are Scotland's and all England's -
and examiners are to be located in a variety
of private firms, such as supermarkets, says
the Driving Standards Agency.

The DSA, apparently, has studied the plan to axe
test centres and transfer them to private firms.

The plan also affects motorcycle testing facilities.

Angus SNP MP Mike Weir:

“Those whom it will impact have had no chance to
make their views known. They are being faced with
a diktat from an uncaring government agency.”

According to the Public and Commercial Services
union, the DSA is to cut costs. It also says
that the idea of driving tests to be conducted
by other private firms "has been discussed".

General Secretary Mark Serwotka:

"These new documents shed more light on the plans
being hatched behind closed doors by senior
managers and ministers. Worryingly, it is the
latest evidence of the creeping privatisation of
the agency's work, which puts ideology before road safety."

*************************************************

KILLING OUR ELDERLY THROUGH DEHYDRATION

Critics slam the deaths of hundreds of elderly
at UK care homes due to dehydration as
“scandalous” and “absolutely shocking”.

According to figures by the Office for National
Statistics, 667 residents at care homes have
died of thirst and 157 of malnutrition over
the past five years.

Figures also show 1,928 more died of superbugs
Clostridium difficile and MRSA.

Analysts fear the number of reported deaths is
only the tip of the iceberg, as it does not
include patients who pass away in hospitals.

"The fact that people are dying from these sorts
of causes is absolutely shocking in the 21st
century," says Neil Duncan-Jordan of the
National Pensioners Convention.

The statistics were compiled based on information
from care home resident deaths in England and
Wales between 2005 and 2009.

The results of the survey by the Office for
National Statistics are especially alarming
as they reveal the number of elderly dying
from dehydration has doubled since 1997 and
those linked to superbugs grew seven-fold.

"What it [the survey] shows is that a significan
number of older people in our care homes are
getting substandard, third-rate attention.

Yet the cost of staying in a care home is huge….
And yet for that, no one helps you eat your meals,
no one ensures you are properly turned in bed,
and no one makes sure you have had enough to
drink," Duncan-Jordan tells the Daily Mail.

This comes as Care Services Minister Paul Burstow
blames the shortcoming on the former Labour
administration, saying "Labour let people down
by failing to reform the way we pay for care".

"They kicked it into the long grass for nearly 13
years and failed to deliver a settlement” Burstow
adds, promising to reform the social care law
and funding in the current parliament."

One cup of tea a day saves time and money.
It also kills, as - on medication - many
elderly find their kidneys collapse.

*************************************************

TORY GOVERNMENT "AT WAR WITH YOUNG PEOPLE"

Lecturers' union leader Sally Hunt accuses the
government of being "at war with young people".

UNITED AND HAPPY !

Len McCluskey pledges to keep working with student
protesters, to fight this government's austerity
measures and build a broader anti-cuts campaign.


************************************************

UK TORIES STILL VERMIN...

100,000 UK jobs go IN SIX WEEKS!!!

The Tories "achieve" this through "cost cutting"
... in the Health Service. Wake up! Wake up!!!

Build a new economy now in Wales, as the UK follows
the US into a nightmare world of unemployment.

*************************************************

TORY COALITION CUTS EMA - REVERSES DREAMS OF YOUTH

Labour's bid to prevent the EMA being ditched is
defeated in Parliament, following an afternoon
of demonstrations in which central London was
filled with the shouts of students demonstrating
in favour of keeping the EMA for their good.

The allowance is a weekly payment of between £10
and £30 given to the poorest 16 to 18-year-olds,
in households earning under £30,800 a year, to
help them attend education courses.

The Government has now closed it for applicants.

Campaigners warn that scrapping the grant will
affect thousands of youngsters who rely on the
money to help fund their studies.

Labour is defeated by 317 votes to 258,
that's a majority of 59, as the Lib Dems
betray their student supporters again.

During the debate shadow education secretary Andy
Burnham warns that human & social progress made
since the 1980s will be "thrown into reverse"
if the allowance is ditched.

Mr Burnham says there is a compelling case to
keep the EMA for educational, social, economic
and democratic reasons. It had already helped
650,000 young people and sent out an empowering
message of hope, allowing many young adults to
have a realistic dream of going to university,
he says during the debate, called by Labour.

***********************************************

WALES' COURTS TO CLOSE

Closing due to cuts:

Magistrates' courts:
Barry Magistrates' Court, Aberdare Magistrates'
Court, Llwynypia Magistrates' Court, Ammanford
Magistrates' Court, Cardigan Magistrates' Court,
Llandovery Magistrates' Court, Denbigh
Magistrates' Court, Pwllheli Magistrates' Court,
Flint Magistrates' Court, Chepstow Magistrates'
Court, Abertillery, and Llangefni.

County courts:
Chepstow County Court, Aberdare County Court,
Rhyl County Court, Pontypool County Court.

Retained: Abergavenny Magistrates' Court,
Llangefni County Court.

************************************************

"STOP PROTESTING OR FACE BAN ON PROTESTS IN UK"

Met Police Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson
says he does not rule out banning all future
protests across the country, the Independent reports.

"It is one of the tactics we will look at
and something we will keep under review,
and if we think it is the right thing to do
then we will do it," says Sir Paul Stephenson.

The head of the National Union of Students (NUS)
dismisses the police chief's idea as in clear
opposition to civil freedoms:

"Peaceful protest is an integral part of our
heritage and it is the responsibility of the
police to help facilitate that", says the
NUS president.

Speaking about the suggestion that water cannons
could be used to control crowds in the future,
Sir Paul says the force ruled that option out
three years ago, but that officers were taking
advice from colleagues in N Ireland about its
efficacy in London, if protests continue.


************************************************

TODAY, BRIGHTON & KETTERING... TOMORROW?!?

Of course, Scotland & Wales don't pay fees, as
their Assemblies are defending them, but that
didn't stop Scottish students...

Robin Harper, a former Rector of Edinburgh and
Aberdeen Universities, says:

“Scottish students do not pay tuition fees, but
are marching in support of students in England
facing dramatic increases in the cost of higher education.”

“They are also concerned about the effect on
Scottish students choosing to study in England,
and about the potential knock-on effects for
Scottish education of general UK spending cuts.”

*************************************************
*************************************************

SCOTS START TO MOVE

Unison is meeting with other unions, including
the GMB and Unite, about the possibility of a
consolidated one-day strike across Scotland.

“Our Scottish council passed a resolution to
the effect that, with other public sector
trade unions, we should be considering
industrial action in opposition to the cuts.”
says a spokesperson for Unison.

"The debate reflected the growing anger amongst
our members at the impact of the austerity measures."

The call for a strike comes as the UK government
pushes ahead with plans to make the deepest cuts
to public spending in decades. As a result, the
Scottish Government will next year suffer a £1.3
billion cut to its budget.

*************************************************

THIS GENERATION FIGHTS FOR ITS FUTURE NOW

A fourfold increase in youth unemployment
is triggering the UK student protests...

A report by the Prince of Wales' Trust & RBS reveals
that the number of youngsters claiming jobseeker's
allowance jumped from 5,840 in 2008 to 25,800+ this year.

This huge increase leaves the UK with the highest
youth unemployment rate in Europe, and is costing
the UK economy up to £155 million a week.

"With job cuts instead of job creation from
business and government alike, what is the
future for young people?” asks Youth Fight
for Jobs chair, Ben Robinson.

"It is this worry that is also one of the major
spurs for the movement of students currently
protesting against education cuts. This is a
generation that's being forced to fight for its future".


TUC general secretary Brendan Barber:

"A million young people lost their jobs in the
recession, crucial education and job support
schemes have been scrapped, and they'll soon
be priced out of going to university.

"It's no wonder young people are angry about
being left high and dry by this government."

************************************************

AUSTRIAS's STUDENTS GAIN MASS BACKING

In the UK students - until recently - have
organised nearly on their own, yet 11O
organisations including trade unions, are
with Austria's students, as they march in
all their major cities, to demand that cuts stop.

The lesson from the Austrians - UNITY !
(don't let enemies divide you)
Good for you, Austria!!!

*************************************************

ALL AGAINST THE CUTS!!!

Women are to be twice as badly hurt by the cuts
says a House of Commons report, as news breaks
that women's unemployment hits over 1 million.

**********************************************

UK SCHOOLS ACTION - THE START !

The NCAFC says on its website

anticuts.com

that they hope more students will register for
future protests, as more savage cuts are due to
be announced over the coming months.

************************************************

CALIFORNIA STUDENTS JOIN IN TOO!

Protests occur at the University of California
over fee rises of 8%. Protesters are sprayed
with gas, as they paint grafitti on walls.

************************************************

ITALIANS JOIN EU STUDENT REVOLT

Over a hundred marches and rallies are staged
in major Italian cities by students demanding
that the government reverse its planned cuts.

Italian students express their outrage at the
decision by Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's
centre-right government to cut about $12 billion
and slash 130,000 jobs in the education system.

The students demonstrate in front of the
parliament building in central Rome and
call for the prime minister's resignation.

*************************************************

WHAT TO DO AS THE CUTS HIT?

Lolly-pop ladies are all losing their jobs in the
Rhondda, & pupils, parents & members of a Swansea
school are reduced to marching around for three
miles in their reaction to being warned about
"their" school's closure plan.

The council says closing Swansea school with 600
pupils will "help". But campaigners say now is
not the time to close it - just as a brand new
management team, which came in under special
measures in April, is "turning it around".

Pupils, parents and members of the community
march from Stembridge Avenue in Portmead,
to Bishop Gore School in Sketty, says the BBC.

Campaign spokesperson Nicky Symons says that
if the school closes, students will have to
either walk or pay for their transport, since
only students who live within three miles can
have a free bus.

"We are living in one of the most deprived areas
in Swansea, where many parents are already
struggling to cope financially… The time to get
to school will be longer and many families who
are on very limited incomes will face even more
pressure”, he says.

The school's closure plan was announced in
September 2010, as part of large-scale cuts to
primary, secondary & sixth-form provision in Swansea.

Mike Day, education cabinet member, says the aim
is to cut extra places and improve the standard
of education in Swansea.

"It'll help cut the number of wasteful surplus
places that divert much-needed finances from
pupils and teachers on the front-line."

But why are cuts, cuts and more cuts happening
while wages have halved in the last thirty years?

Could it be because working people have stopped
trying? Remember:- quitters never win, and winners
... NEVER QUIT !!!

Those who see working people as less important
than their ambition, will grind you into dust,
& stamp on your collective heads, if you let them!!!

************************************************

NO VIOLENCE !

In "The Hill" starring Sean Connery, violence
ruins a legitimate grievance and will be used
increasingly by the government to stop progress.

Yes, students are angry. Yes, the media ignore
huge numbers of peaceful marchers. Yes, anger
is justified in the face of betrayal. But the
answer is LOVE... which breeds patience.

The press are focussing now on the idiots...
(agent provocateurs?), who're violent...

But lecturers at Goldsmiths University are right
to issue their statement, calling for mass action
to continue to stop this "Coalition" - saying:

"The real violence in this situation relates not
to a smashed window but to the destructive impact
of the cuts and privatisation that will follow...
if tuition fees are increased & massive reductions
in higher education funding are implemented."

************************************************

IT'S A POLITICAL CHOICE - FREE OR CATTLE !!!

Huge numbers of people have now marched to
Westminster to demand that the UK's "Coalition"
government stop their plans to cut the UK state,
forcing a million more out of work.

Nearly a million have joined the marches, amidst
warnings that the Comprehensive Spending Review
will lead to job losses, pay cuts & huge reductions
in public services..... and will make the whole UK
a much "nastier" place to live in.

These cuts are NOT the only option...

TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber says the
Government's cuts programme is a POLITICAL
choice, not an economic necessity, that will
make the whole of the UK "a more unequal,
more squalid and nastier country".

He asks people to have more confidence:

"The UK is a hard working country that CAN
generate the tax that CAN fill the deficit gap,
that CAN create the jobs that a lost generation
of young people need, & that CAN meet the challenges
that we face as a society - from moving to a low-
carbon economy, to eliminating child poverty.

"The Government is announcing unprecedented cuts
in public spending - deeper than any of us can
remember. They will bite deep into our social
fabric - and hit some of the poorest and most
vulnerable members of our society.

"They want us to believe that they have no choice
& that this is economic necessity. Yet economic
experts across the spectrum warn us that the cuts
are too deep & too rapid. The warnings come from
the White House, the US Treasury department,
Nobel prize winners like Paul Krugman and Joseph
Stiglitz, key members of the Bank of England
monetary policy committee, the chief economics
commentator on the Financial Times, and yes,
even the Mayor of London.

"At worst the cuts will plunge us back into
recession, and at best they will condemn us
to lost years of high unemployment and growth
so weak, that the deficit may well stay high."

The mass demonstrations have brought together
a broad coalition of union members, community
leaders, campaign groups & users of public services.

Please use your power!

************************************************

WALES PRIDE AND JOY DYING BY A 1,000 CUTS

Wales introduced the UK's NHS to the world,
and - ever since - unscrupulous politicians
and managers have cut away at its strength.

The NHS has now forced elderly people and whole
groups of patients to PAY for medical care, the
new chair of the 'Common's health committee says.

The elderly, dementia patients, stroke victims,
and those with Parkinson's disease, are today
included in a long list of those patients who
now have to pay for their medical treatment.

Stephen Dorrell, who was health secretary towards
the end of John Major's time as prime minister,
says that, despite the growing aged population,
the number of places for them has fallen by
nearly 80% in the UK over the past 20 years.

He says this has pushed people into social care
systems where they are charged for treatment.
Dorrell believes the NHS has turned its back
on whole groups of patients.

"People are being charged for care that they
would have got free from the NHS 20 or 30 years ago.

"Unfortunately, it has been ignored because both
politically and financially it is tricky for
politicians to face up to it. But because it has
not been done in a planned way there is great
unfairness in the system. We see examples of cost
shunting & bureaucracy that cause individuals problems.”

Age UK policy adviser Stephen Lowe backs Dorrell,
& says he's right to call attention to the issue.
He says the NHS has "unilaterally retreated" from
its responsibilities.

Ruth Sutherland, interim chief executive of the
Alzheimer's Society, says: "There are hundreds
of thousands of people missing out on valuable
financial help because they don't 'tick the right boxes'."

PROTEST OR DIE !!!

A major change tabled by Health Secretary Lansley
proposes that the NHS hand over distribution of
80% of its services (worth £80 billion), to GPs.

Lansley's plan, which also increases the private
sector's involvement in providing NHS services
is triggering outrage among unions & health staff
who say the coalition is “rushing it through”.

This comes as a YouGov poll, commissioned by
public services union Unison, shows only 27%
of the UK's public support a stronger private
sector role in the NHS, & 50% oppose it.

The survey also shows Lib Dem voters with 56%
against it & 30% who approve. This is while
Tories are backing it by 46%, to 32% against.

Says Unison general sec. Dave Prentis;

"The fact is there is very little support for
this Bill from anywhere. Many GPs are opposed
to it, as are patients, NHS staff, clinicians,
charities, think tanks, MPs and unions. The
Government's vanity project is undemocratic,
unaffordable and unnecessary,” he adds.

Prentis warns that this “titanic reorganization”
of the NHS threatens to “sink” the whole system,
calling on the government to announce the Bill
“DOA - dead on arrival”.

Britain's biggest union, Unite, which has
presented the Commons with “new and forensic
analysis”, says MPs will have little time to
grasp the whole idea of the reforms, due to
the “enormity” of the proposals.