£53 a week?

       Almost half a million people signed the petition asking Iain Duncan Smith to put put up or shut up. Spouting he could live on £53 a week for a year, but so far he has refused to follow that through by actually doing it. He may find the adjustment somewhat difficult, as at present his daily income is slightly more than four times that  figure of £53 he states he could live on for a week. A part from his daily income of approximately £225, there is also the perks that go with being one of the boys in that millionaires' club, The Westminster Houses of Hypocrisy and Corruption. A nice little number if you can get it.

This from Change.org

460,000 people is a lot of people!

On Monday the Department of Work and Pensions found out just what that looks like when I delivered the petition calling on Iain Duncan Smith to live on £53 a week right to their doorstep.

Share the photos of the delivery with your friends on Facebook here. 

Iain Duncan Smith still refuses to respond to the petition but I have no doubt he felt its impact. In fact his department was so surprised by how many journalists turned up at the delivery they went into lockdown for 15 minutes before they conceded they had to open the doors and let us in!

When I started the petition I didn't think that he would actually take up the challenge, although there is nothing to prevent him from doing it. The point was to highlight the hypocrisy of our politicians living lives of real privilege while lecturing others on what poverty feels like.

This petition was about taking back the control of the debate -- and we did that! 

Last week the petition was reported over 250 times in national media. Press from every major outlet turned out to report the delivery. 

We gave a platform for people affected by the welfare changes to tell their stories. I want to say a special thank you to Heather Simpson, Eileen Short and Ian Mortimer Jones who accompanied me at the delivery. Eileen and Heather campaign with the anti-bedroom tax group and Ian campaigns for the WOW petition - please check out their campaigns. 

And finally I want to thank you and everyone who supported this petition. We brought the debate back to the doorstep of power, and even though they attempted to drag it into the gutter, their actions lacked conviction and confidence, reflecting an establishment rattled by a very modern form of democracy -- people power online.

Ten days ago I was at home getting frustrated about another out of touch politician saying something dismissive on the radio. A week later I was stood in front of five TV cameras getting a chance to tell a different side of the story -- all because I started a petition on Change.org. I sincerely hope this has inspired you as much as it has inspired me. 

I am leaving the petition open so people can still sign it. Iain Duncan Smith will be returning to Parliament next week -- it would be good to clock up even more signers before then!  

Thank you for your support,
Dominic

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IT'S FRACKING AWFUL!!

        The oil companies are increasingly looking at the technique of "fracking" as a source of oil, even although they are aware of the possible problems. Problems like poisoning the water table and triggering earth tremors. Recently there was a case in America where after "fracking" started methane found its way into the towns drinking water, which could be shown by turning on your drinking water tap and setting it alight, yes water on fire. In our own country the area around Blackpool suffered minor earthquakes after "fracking" started in that area. To the oil companies none of this is of any consequence when it comes to making money. Of course none of the oil executives live in the area where the "fracking" will take place. To the corporate world the destruction of the planet doesn't enter the equation when it comes to profit, the planet is there to be plundered to produce wealth for the parasites in control of this crazy system.

From Barry:

Friends,
        I just created a petition: The Scottish Government: Establish a moratorium on fracking in Scotland, because I care deeply about this very important issue. I'm trying to collect 1000 signatures, and I could really use your help. To read more about what I'm trying to do and to sign my petition, click here:
http://www.change.org/petitions/the-scottish-government-establish-a-moratorium-on-fracking-in-scotland?share_id=tsUrkrvWJI&

It'll just take a minute!       Once you're done, please ask your friends to sign the petition as well. Grassroots movements succeed because people like you are willing to spread the word!

Thanks Barry.

'the wisest man is the man who is most aware of his own ignorance'. Socrates.

*Business:* www.deargreenplanet.co.uk
*Blogs: *http://deargreenplanet.blogspot.com/
*Sign my petition: *
The Scottish Government: Establish a moratorium on fracking in
Scotland<http://www.change.org/petitions/the-scottish-government-establish-a-moratorium-on-fracking-in-scotland>
       <http://deargreenplanet-consumer.blogspot.com/>

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SAVE YOUR LIBRARIES.

        The cuts being bulldozed throughout the country by the Cameron/Clegg public school thugs will, as we all know, devastate the social fabric of our society. One of the services that will be decimated will be the libraries. Up and down the country 400 libraries are earmarked for closure. Of course who will this hit the hardest, why those who don't have fat bank books. Resistance is growing against what these cuts are doing to our communities, and tomorrow, Saturday 5th February, there is a national day of protest across the country. In Edinburgh, Scottish writers and illustrators will lead an organised protest in the city to hand in a petition to the Scottish Parliament at 11am.

      

 The petition reads;

"To: The First Minister and all Members of the Scottish parliament

        We would like to protest at the widespread cuts to the library service taking place throughout Scotland.

In addition to the promotion of knowledge, literacy, and information retrieval skills, a professionally delivered library service embeds the joy of reading in our young people, building self awareness, articulate self expression, confidence, validating their life and culture, and leads to social and emotional literacy.

       In a society experiencing a widening gap in household incomes, our libraries, in the great tradition on which they were first inaugurated and enshrined in the law of the land, provide access for all.

       The cuts to book budgets, library opening hours, mobile services, branches, and the drastic and unnecessary deletion of professional posts strike at those most in need of a library service and those least able to protest against the cuts in that service - the less affluent, the elderly, the frail, people who are challenged mentally and physically and their carers, those who look after babies and toddlers and, crucially, our children - who are our future."

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SELF DEFENCE IS NOT A CRIME- IS IT??

Unity statement -
Defend the right to protest - Defend Education

Now is the time for unity, more so now than at any point in our movement for a better world. The move to privatatise all areas of our lives and work will need maximum unity against their efforts to divide us.

SIGN THE STATEMENT ONLINE NOW AND FORWARD TO YOUR NETWORKS
http://www.petitiononline.com/st53231/petition.html

We need unity to defend education and break the Con Dems’ attacks. Stand with protesters against victimisation.
• Stand with the protestors against victimisation
• Hands off our students, our colleges and our universities
• Broken windows cannot compare to the broken hearts and dreams of a generation denied education and jobs
       Wednesday’s 10th November national NUS/UCU 50,000 strong national demonstration was a magnificent show of strength against the Con Dems’ savage attacks on education. The Tories want to make swingeing cuts, introduce £9,000 tuition fees and cut EMA. These attacks will close the doors to higher education and further education for a generation of young people. During the demonstration over 5,000 students showed their determination to defend the future of education by occupying the Tory party HQ and its courtyards for several hours. At least 32 people have now been arrested, and the police and media appear to be launching a witch-hunt condemning peaceful protesters as “criminals” and violent. A great deal is being made of a few windows smashed during the protest, but the real vandals are those waging a war on our education system.
        We reject any attempt to characterise the Millbank protest as small, “extremist” or unrepresentative of our movement. We celebrate the fact that thousands of students were willing to send a message to the Tories that we will fight to win. Occupations are a long established tradition in the student movement that should be defended. It is this kind of action in France and Greece that has been an inspiration many workers and students in Britain faced with such a huge assault on jobs, housing and the public sector.

We stand with the protesters, and anyone who is victimised as a result of the protest.
Initial signatories include:

Mark Bergfeld, NUS NEC
Sean Rillo Raczka, Birkbeck SU Chair and NUS NEC (Mature Students’ Rep)
Vicki Baars, NUS LGBT Officer (Women’s Place)
Alan Bailey, NUS LGBT Officer (Open Place)
Kanjay Sesay, NUS Black Students’ Officer
Matt Bond, NUS Disabled Ctte (Open Place rep)
Michael Chessum, Education and Campaigns Officer UCL SU
Jade Baker, Education Officer Westminster Uni SU
Cameron Tait, University of Sussex Students' Union President
Nathan Bolton, Campaigns Officer Essex University Students’ Union
Clare Solomon, ULU President
Jim Wolfreys, UCU NEC
Dr Marion Hersh, UCU NEC and Scottish Executive
Alex Gordon, President, National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers (RMT)
Lee Hall, playwright ‘Billy Elliot’
Hilary Wainwright, Transnational Institute
Alex Callinicos, Professor of European Studies King’s College London
Billy Bragg Songwriter
Noami Klein Author and Activist.
All in a personal capacity

SOLIDARITY.

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