Discrimination in the workplace…..

Well, I hope James Purnell is reading this report.

In the first comprehensive survey of discrimination in the workplace, the commission found 11.6% of employees with a disability or long-term illness experienced physical violence at work, compared with 5.5% of other employees. It said 8.8% of disabled people sustained an injury as a result of violence or aggression at work, compared with 4.7% of able-bodied people.

And with the ongoing attacks on welfare through sanctions and penalties forcing people to get any old job this report is not surprising in the least. Employers aren’t exactly encouraging disabled people into the workplace and the statistics speak for themselves (from Labour Market Outlook).

1. 18% of employers say would exclude job applications from people claiming Incapacity benefit due to mental distress.

2. 10% would exclude people claiming IB because of physical health difficulties.

3. 90% of employers’ say it would be impossible or difficult to employ a visually impaired person.

4. 60% of employers’ discriminate against dependency issues such as people with a criminal record, mental health issues and incapacity.

So will NL put any penalties on employers? Sharpen anti-discrimation laws? Improve working environments? Encourage training and education? Somehow I doubt it… Because it is all about supply-side economics, productivity and people being mere drones, cogs in the wheel. Having a different set of ideas about work would help.Yes if work is the alienated and alienating waste of time that it often is at present would not a different view of how humans can make a productive contribution make a difference? What about democratic participation in deciding what needs to be done and by whom actually involve people on their own terms?

This may be utopian but we have got to start being able to think differently about these things. Otherwise being fit for work will always be about making yourself into an automation for corporate capitalism: a system at the end of the day that is built on bullying both subtle and not so subtle.

Richey Edwards: forever delayed

In the summer of 1991, I attended a gig in Brighton where a fledgling young band had previously courted controversy at an Oxbridge ball.

They gained notoriety and their picture was slapped on the front of the NME, with the catchy play-on headline, “Punt’s Not Dead”! The band from Blackwood, South Wales….The Manic Street Preachers had arrived.

I wasn’t impressed with them. Glam Rock, smattering of the New Romantic and Punk creation with an androgynous style (I kinda liked that). I think half the Left in Brighton turned up to see the gig and afterwards in the pub for the postmortem. I found the musicwanting and derivative. It had an edge in a trendy amateurish way though one of my favourite songs from that time was the angst punk, You Love Us. But in saying that I liked their raw edge angsty left-wing artistry. I liked their album covers. 

I remember Richey on front page of the NME carving “4 Real” on his arm. And as someone who had self-harmed (was self-harming at the time) it kinda exposed the state of his mind while spiralling out of control. Sometimes it is hard to find the language to comprehend your distress instead you resort to other forms of expression, a way of saying this is how bad I feel. The rest of the band thought, at the time, Richey’s self-harming was cool rock star chic but to me it reflected a distressed young man culminating with his “disappearance” in early 1995.

And now the case is closed. Richey Edwards is now officially dead. The Manics next album will feature lyrics Richey left behind. I remember when hearing their post-Richey album, Everything Must Go, blew me away with its polished style and upbeat music and it is still one of my favourite albums of the 1990s. There were the influences of Richey on that album such as the raw political passionate, Kevin Carter. I always wonder what happened on the day Richey went missing, part of me hoped he’d disappeared off to Goa but, in reality, he seemed to have simply jumped off the Severn Bridge. He should be remembered for writing some of the most creative, political emotionally raw lyrics and music of the early 1990s.

RIP Richey….

Holy moly: Batman RIP

Holy Greek mythology!

Batman has been bumped off by his…….dad. Holy Darth Vader!

In the latest issue of the DC comic, Batman RIP, Bruce Wayne aka Batman goes head to head with a mysterious organisation, Black Glove and its leader Simon Hurt. Simon Hurt, it transpires, is Dr Thomas Wayne, Batman’s ‘dead’ dad. And wait for it…. his death had been faked.

Holy Freudian undertones….

Batman tries to stop his devilish dad from escaping and the last we see of the Caped Crusader he’s engulfed in a fireball though we don’t see his body. But don’t you weep for the former Boy Wonder, Robin, will carry on the Batman tradition.

The story has been written by comic writer Grant Morrison, who incidentally, cites cats and vodka as his interests (a man after my own heart btw). And doubtless he will court controversy with this ending of an era.

People have killed characters in the past but to me, that kind of ends the story. I like to keep the story twisting and turning.

So is Batman Bruce Wayne truly dead?  Will Boy Wonder get over his grief and keep Gotham City safe from baddies?

Holy shmoly…..

And not complete without a pic of the indefatigable Catwoman…

The Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) and what it will mean for Iraq

The following is a post from the Justice for Iraq blog written by Sami Ramadani about SOFA (The Status of Forces Agreement), which is due to be ratified by the Iraqi parliament today……

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The Justice for Iraq campaign is based on five demands. This article addresses the first: an immediate end to the occupation.

Exit strategy: what exit strategy?
The Status of Forces Agreement stipulates the withdrawal of US combat troops after three years. Justice for Iraq asks Sami Ramadani if this could be the beginning of the end.
In the film “W” Oliver Stone has Dick Cheney reply to a question about an exit strategy: “There is no exit strategy – we’re staying”.

The Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), due to be ratified by the Iraqi parliament on 27 November, suggests that the withdrawal of US troops by 31 December 2011 signals an end to the occupation and a return to Iraqi sovereignty. But Iraqi exile and dissident Sami Ramadani says this is yet another deception in the long war on Iraq.
The Iraqi government and institutions are all located in the US-controlled Green Zone – it’s as if Iraqi soldiers were occupying Capitol Hill with Maliki dictating to Bush. To think that SOFA restores Iraqi sovereignty is ludicrous.”

The purpose of the agreement, he says, is to replace the UN Security Council mandate that runs out at the end of this year. “At the moment the UN has some say. What the US wants is an agreement that legitimises its presence and gets the UN out of the way.”

In fact, Ramadani explains, SOFA is part of a larger treaty that has no fixed timetable – the Strategic Framework Agreement (SFA).

SOFA, it turns out, is all about staying.

First, while SOFA talks of full withdrawal by December 2011, the SFA implicitly suggests that the US will demand a military presence. The SFA implies this by stating that the US would not ask for permanent bases: “How long is permanent or non-permanent?” Ramadani asks. Anything less than forever, it seems, could qualify.

Second, US military personnel will remain unaccountable to the Iraqi authorities: “If on duty, Iraqi law cannot touch them, and if off-duty soldiers or civilians are arrested by Iraqi security forces they must be handed over to the US authorities within 24 hours. Furthermore, off-duty US soldiers and civilians usually stay within their immune bases and facilities.”

Third, apparent concessions like the willingness of the US to relinquish Iraqi air space are worthless: “The US has completely destroyed Iraq’s air force so this is meaningless.”

SOFA then, merely adds a few details on security to the SFA. Signed by Maliki and Bush in March 2008, this all-encompassing treaty covers not only the political and military but also the economic and cultural future of the country. Iraq is facing a long-term relationship with the US that will penetrate every aspect of life.

To add to the sense of undiminished pressure on Iraq, the SFA provides for the negotiation of further treaties and, when the SOFA three year period for troop withdrawal has expired, the Iraqi government can ask the US military to stay longer. “And I daresay (they will ask, and) the US will oblige,” Ramadani adds.

Pronouncements by president-elect Obama do nothing to allay fears that the US occupation will continue, albeit in a modified form. “The SOFA and SFA treaties do not contradict anything Obama has said. Forget about interpretations – he (has gone no further than saying that he) is opposed to permanent military bases. And he has insisted on having ‘residual forces’ in Iraq.”

SOFA is likely to be ratified by the Iraqi parliament despite opposition from many quarters. Ramadani says that as far as he can judge, the population is overwhelmingly against it. “However, their wishes are not reflected in the government – there is a huge gap.

“In terms of the forces in parliament, the Sadrist block – about 30 members – is calling for immediate withdrawal, and the 15 members of the Al Fadhila party said they would vote against the agreement unless it is was amended to their satisfaction. Others are also contemplating rejection – quite brave when you consider that the guards and tanks outside parliament are all American.” he adds.

On the eve of the vote, Ramadani speculates: “The US might get its pact agreed if the Iraqi government succeeds in its manoeuvre to pass it through a simple majority rather than the two-thirds required by the constitution to ratify treaties.”

Some members of parliament plan to be absent when the vote is taken. “Those who agree to SOFA are seen as traitors, so they’re reluctant to support it. If you can imagine – it’s like trying to appease Hitler after WWII has started.”

Ramadani thinks that Britain too, could favour a SOFA to legitimise its presence in Iraq: “A document to show the British public that they are no longer in occupation, but are there because the Iraqi government has asked them to stay.”

If Oliver Stone is right that the US launched the occupation without an exit strategy, then the Iraqi people can only despair of a return to normality. Ramadani concludes: “To have even a semblance of normality, the troops must withdraw. The occupation is divisive – it commits and attracts violence; it is a poisonous presence.”

Sami Ramadani lectures in sociology at the London Metropolitan University.

From sick notes to fit notes…

If you ever go off sick, you go to see your GP who issues you a sicknote whether for your employers or for the DWP. The sicknote stipulates that you refrain from work until a certain time. Well, all that is about to change as NL wants to bring in electronic ‘fit notes’. 

It is all about GPs switching advice from what you can’t do to what you can do. And again, it is about keeping people in work as opposed to claim benefits. The proposals are based on Dame Carol Black’s Working for a Healthier Tomorrow  which was published last March and that NL have written their response to.

The electronic ‘fit notes’ will replace the paper sick notes from 2010. They have been tested in around 500 GP surgeries in the UK and the Dept of Health have received positive feedback. Apparently the BMA supports this measure and the mental health charity, MIND supports it as well (though when it comes to radical dynamic activism….MIND just can’t be relied on!).

Sick leave costs an estimated £100 billion per year – but helping people stay in work doesn’t just have an economic imperative, it has a moral and social one too. Poor health can prevent people fulfilling their potential, leaving them more likely to slip into poverty and social exclusion.

That is why we have set out a comprehensive framework to help support employers and the NHS encourage individuals back into the world of work as soon as possible. I’m particularly pleased to announce a review of the health and wellbeing of the NHS workforce, which will benefit staff and help drive up the quality of care for patients. (Alan Johnson, Health Secretary).

We back to this belief that work makes you healthy and the emphasis is also on those who are costing the state billions in sickness. No mention about making workplace environments habitable, flexible hours, training, and so on. The whole infrastructure needs to be changed where oppression and discrimination are taken seriously and not just lip service. Stress related illnesses are on the increase, longer working hours that lead to more alienation and atomisation. People becoming burnt out cos they have chewed up and spat out the system. And Alan Johnson wonders why billions is spent on sick leave?

On a personal note, I went off sick for 4 mths the summer of 2007. Fortunately I had a very good insightful GP who encouraged me to take time out of the rat race and to do positive things (I took up photography). She didn’t moralise or judge me, she was actually on my side (and to find a GP like that is sometimes like finding a needle in a haystack!). She didn’t concentrate on getting me back into work, her main emphasis was improving the state of my mind and included letting me rest on my own terms. Will this same quality of treatment happen under these so-called ‘fit notes’? With GPs probably under pressure with the incentive to save money you can bet who is going to come out of it the worst….

Lone parents: it’s all about choice…apparently

Don’cha  just love the concept of ‘choice’? It means a whole multitude of different things to different people. And NL’s understanding of ‘choice’ in regards to lone parents getting a job cos it’s all about ‘real choice about their future’. The rules came into force yesterday, which means more conditionality and sanctions for lone parents.

These changes will help lone parents, who can work, get closer to the labour market, opening up a range of opportunities to get training and skills. Specialist lone parent employment advisers will help lone parents prepare for work by building their skills and confidence, as well as offering practical help with CV training and finding appropriate childcare. This will give lone parents real choice about their future. At a time when we face global economic challenges, it’s essential that we give people more not less opportunity to find work and support themselves and their families.

So says Work and Pensions Minister Kitty Ussher. Again, the magic word ‘choice’ is thrown in. But lets not pretend that it’s about ‘choice’ and being on the terms of lone parents. This is about foisting a pernicious regime of sanctions and penalties onto people. Where is the choice in that?

Darling’s supa dupa giveaway pre-budget? Er…no

So what precisely has Alistair Darling offered the masses in his giveaway pre-budget? Not that much. The retail industry will be pleased as VAT will be cut from 17.5% to 15% that will be a little incentive to them. Yet child benefit will be increased by a piss-poor amount from £18.80 per week to £20 per week. And why oh why, Darling, do we have to wait until 2011 to tax the 1% of top earners? And by then there could be a Tory government. There is the political impetus to tax these top earners yet NL, as ever, haven’t got the courage to see this progressive measure through.

What about increasing welfare benefits and the personal allowance? Because the people who get this money will spend the money immediately and will reflate the economy. The rich don’t spend and neither do the banks. They will hoard to increase the power they have in this society whereas working class people will spend the money. And in parallel you could have a system of public works and training. These will inevitably benefit working class people. And no turbo-charged economy based on greed and huge accumulation of private wealth that distorts social relationships, instead an economy that is built on people doing things what other people need them to do.

Darling doesn’t want to upset the rich and powerful and certainly working class people won’t be benefiting from this billion pound giveaway, maybe a few crumbs here and there. Oh, and they spent more cash bailing out the banks and the banks have kept it.

Justice for Azelle Rodney: why an inquest is vital

I saw the Azelle Rodney banner on the UFFC demo this year.

There are parallels and similarities between Azelle and Jean-Charles de Menezes; both shot dead by armed cops and lies spun by the cops afterwards to excuse the shooting. The family want to know why Azelle was shot.

The reason there hasn’t been an inquest is because of RIPA Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000. Tomorrow the the Counter Terrorism Bill returns to the House of Lords to once more discuss amending RIPA to allow the inquest into the police shooting of Azelle Rodney to happen. The Lords introduced an amendment which would allow intercept material to be heard at inquests on the proviso that a High Court judge makes the decision and on the basis that the evidence is central to ascertaining how a person came to die. But NL has rejected these proposals even though they promised Azelle’s family a solution would be found.

Helen Shaw , Co-Director of INQUEST, said:

“Police shootings raise important issues of state power and accountability and should be subject to particularly close public scrutiny in a free and democratic society.  The need for a prompt inquest into the death of Azelle Rodney is important not only for his family but also for the wider public interest. Azelle’s family have been left in the invidious position of not knowing when or if at all they can have an inquest into their son’s death a result of a legal lacuna which could easily be resolved. We urge the government to support moves to ensure that RIPA is amended so that this inquest can take place”

 

 

 

Daniel Machover, solicitor for Azelle’s mother, Susan Alexander, said:

“Peers and MPs must champion Susan Alexander’s case. It is the very least she deserves. The government claims that a jury and Susan cannot be trusted to see intercept material, because it will put future intercept operations at risk, but this is wrong and scaremongering as juries can be vetted and they and Susan can sign agreements that prevent any risk of that kind – if parliamentarians understand that and vote on the proposed change to RIPA  according to their conscience then they can ensure the government’s promise to Susan is kept.”

Why the Observer editorial is wrong, wrong, wrong on welfare reform!!

I read this smug editorial about welfare reform in today’s Observer probably written by someone who has never engaged in the welfare benefits system and lives in their own bubble world. And, indeed, the article could have been written by the James Purnell fan club. Actually, reading it made me damn well angry. Why? Because of the continuning spin and negative propaganda spewed about the unemployed. A case of ‘can work, won’t work’..

Talking about people who prefer benefits to work is controversial even when the economic outlook is rosy.

Prefer benefits? People who are on IB have to go through stringent tests. Yes, stringent tests. So, these people pulling the wool over the DWP, doctors and civil servants? But again, it’s has become en vogue to attack the unemployed, fan the flames of hate and stigmatise them. And the editorial in today’s Observer is helping along NL’s ideology. Does it occur to these apparatchiks and hacks that maybe, just maybe… that people are, unemployed because they are too ill to work? No, it is easier to call them workshy scroungers. Lets attack the powerless in this society and attack them as well for being poor.

And lets look at the princely sums of money people exist on (no, not live exist!)… £60.50 a week (JSA/ESA) and between £63-£90 for those on IB. And even then there are stipulations and obligations. Yes, people living it up on the state benefits!

In reality, there is no clear boundary between inability and unwillingness to work. Joblessness erodes people’s self-esteem and deprives them of the skills and experience that make them employable.

Oh, and this creative editorial believes that NL is recognising the problem. Really? Punishing people by bringing in sanctions. Is that help, no that’s hindrance…. Pushing people into any old job because it is about supply side economics. Any old job makes you feel grand. Not about good quality jobs with good pay and conditions it is about….any old job. Good quality jobs with training and real support. What about putting the onus on employers? It has been shown that employers don’t wanna employ people with mental distress, for example, who have been on IB. And lets explore closely the so-called benefits of free market capitalism. Countless people have been chewed up and spat out by the system, where they have been damaged, and alienated. Where’s the emphasis on employers to improve working conditions and create a supportive environment. When people are found jobs, are there any follow-ups to check the person is doing ok? No.

If the government is serious about creating a new welfare bargain between the state and the individual, both sides must be clear about their responsibilities as well as their rights.

But somehow the private sector will be let off the hook when it comes to their side of the bargain and when it comes to accountability. And lets not forget that public money is being thrown at the private sector to entice them so that they can cream off the profits. The onus is on the powerless, no surprise there. Why isn’t it ever on the terms of the working class rather than the powerful dictating the terms. No good will come of these reforms, instead more misery, more vilification, more stigmatisation, more distress and more poverty.

Oh, and just finally…how about talking to people who experience the benefits system, the obstacles and stringent assessments they face just to get some meagre bloody benefits? The minefields of form filling and stress especially if the application is knocked back and then the appeal stage and so on. Ask them…rather than powerful politicans who are playing the politics of the workhouse!

Welfare reform ‘may’ cause poverty…. No shit!

So Richard Tilt (Head of the Social Security Advisory Committee) isn’t happy with these welfare reforms that attack lone parents and disabled people. From Monday those with children aged 12 and over will no longer be able to make a new claim for income support. Instead, they will be able to claim Jobseekers Allowance if they are actively looking for work.

Tilt believes that these reforms will push people into further poverty especially with the current economic crisis. He believes that the reforms should be delayed. Personally, they should be scrapped not delayed. But Purnell, along with the whole NL ideology is desperate to continue these pernicious attacks, economic crisis or no economic crisis.

We are not forcing people to work and leave benefits,” he [James Purnell] told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. What we are saying is people should take up the support which we know works. I think it would be wrong at a time when it may be harder for people to find work to provide them with less help.

Support? Help? The private sector will be offering that ’support’, where people will be either ‘parked’ or ‘creamed’ cos that’s what it will be about some contractor making a nice big profit. Sanctions and penalising people will cause immeasurable poverty and misery. And as the DWP’s own research shows sanctions don’t work. NL represents the politics of the workhouse by using methods of sanctions to penalise the poor. And even if NL lose the next election the Tories will continue with a more turbo-charged attack on the welfare state and benefits system.