Jeffs posts
Perhaps the most shocking aspect of this Canary story is the fact that this situation has been ongoing for four years now – This Site reported that then-Chancellor George Osborne was going after hairdressers rather than tax-avoiding corporations, way back in 2013.
I wrote: “HM Revenue and Customs’ list of tax dodgers… is the list compiled by HMRC in response to public outrage against the tax-dodging schemes of large corporations like Starbucks, Amazon, the water companies mentioned in this blog before Christmas, Vodafone, Arcadia group and so on.
“Who do you think this list marks out as public enemy number one?
“A hairdresser from Liverpool.
“Apparently this person was scalped of £17,000 for deliberate default. Others include a knitwear firm, a wine firm and a pipe fitter.
“Meanwhile the amount of cash seeded away in offshore tax havens by the UK’s super-rich is estimated at £21 trillion. That’s 21 TRILLION – more than enough to pay all of our debts and put us back into surplus.
“There is only one conclusion to be reached: The Chancellor is using the HMRC list to laugh at us. He’s mocking the poor, who have to pay tax no matter what. He’s not going to level the playing field because that would harm his own profits and those of his friends.
“The Chancellor of the Exchequer is deliberately harming the UK economy.”
In the words of the current (God help us!) prime minister: Nothing has changed.
On Wednesday 25 October, The Financial Times reported [paywall] that big business potentially underpaid£25bn in UK taxes last year. And on the same day, HMRC released a report into another group of people it claims don’t pay the right tax. But these people could be your mobile hairdresser, your gardener, or even your friend who sell items on eBay.
This is because the government wants to crack down on what it calls the ‘hidden economy’. But when you compare this to the amount of tax corporations potentially underpay by, it seems like the government’s resources could be better allocated elsewhere.
Posted by jeffrey davies on 28 October 2017
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jeffs posts
The West Midlands have long been a bastion of the least pleasant face of right-wing Labour. Birmingham’s nominally-Labour council has been at the heart of the ongoing dispute over the city’s refuse collections, having made a deal with its workers to then renege on it, threaten them with redundancy and lose its court battle humiliatingly in an attempt to block a union injunction.
Birmingham Labour board tried hard to exploit the rules to prevent the city’s new, pro-Corbyn membership majority having a vote in the selection of council candidates for 2018, until it was effectively overruled by Jeremy Corbyn – and even then it slipped through a measure to block an extra six months’ worth of members.
Birmingham Labour MPs formed a core of the ‘chicken coup’, with many publicly calling on Corbyn to resign after the referendum and claiming he was ‘leading the party into oblivion’ – which, after the General Election and the continuing ‘Corbyn surge’, shows how out of touch they were, not only with Labour members but with the electorate.
It hasn’t been a warm and welcoming environment for the influx of new members inspired by Jeremy Corbyn, to say the least.
But things may be turning.
Hodge Hill is the constituency represented by Labour MP Liam Byrne. Byrne is now back on Labour’s front benches, but was, according to the Huffington Post, among the MPs who participated in last year’s shameful post-referendum meeting of the PLP (Parliamentary Labour Party), when MPs attacked Corbyn and, in the words of his ally Diane Abbott, tried “to break him as a man”.
Last night’s meeting of Hodge Hill CLP (constituency Labour party) didn’t go well for Byrne, with members going against his pleas on a number of issues.
First, a motion was proposed by Corbyn-supporting councillor to nominate the 3 ‘left-slate’ candidates for Labour’s ruling National Executive Committee (NEC). Byrne apparently opposed it, saying it could be done at the next monthly meeting – but nominations close before the next meeting.
Byrne then objected saying there was not enough information insisted on a vote being held on whether a vote would be held – and lost that convincingly.
Mr Byrne then said he would speak on the nominations, asking members to vote for the slate of Eddie Izzard, Johanna Baxter and Gurinder Singh, who are supported by the right-wing Labour First on the grounds of unity.
Bu when a vote was taken on the nominations, all but a handful of members voted for the left slate, with a few others abstaining.
Next up was the matter of accepting union affiliations to the CLP – left-wing CLP members were wanted to stand as union delegates. Byrne had previously proposed having the Fabian Society affiliate, which was rejected by the CLP. The union affiliation passed.
After that, there was a motion to support the Royal Mail workers. This passed unanimously and a photo taken of members supporting the CWU workers. Members now expect Mr Byrne to make a public statement in support of the strikes.
The Chair of the CLP (right wing), who is the father of Shabana Mahmood – who was one of the MPs calling on Corbyn to resign – confirmed he was moving and would step down. He was asked if he was going to the Birmingham Board on behalf of Hodge Hill CLP and immediately stepped down. The CLP now has a left-wing Deputy Chair representing it.
The CLP was also told it would come out of ‘special measures’ in a few days’ time – after over twenty years. Local members allege that Byrne had been using his influence to stop it. He was described as looking ‘worried’ when questions were asked about the process and the communications that had been sent to the NEC about the special measures – questions which went unanswered.
According to local members, this is the first time in a very long time that left candidates have been nominated in Hodge Hill CLP. With Hall Green also said to be moving left, there will be some consternation among the city’s right-wing die-hards/blowhards.
About time, too.
Posted by jeffrey davies on 27 October 2017
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jeffs posts
Another story outside a English job centre are we so blind that we allow this government to treat people this way wake up before it affects you
Today was extremely busy, mainly because we now have a new influx of people needing help that had previously been signing on at Stalybridge Jobcentre which has recently been shut down. The impact of a Jobcentre shutting down is massive and it can’t be underestimated, especially in rural areas. How on earth can they expect claimants to walk miles to their nearest Jobcentre is beyond me. But i do know that this is a calculated and cruel move by the government to make it extremely hard for a claimant to fulfil their Jobseekers Agreement, therefore resulting on more sanctions etc.
Here is an awful case that shows that combined with bad advice, a lack of compassion and Universal Credit can and does ruin a persons life.
Please note that this is a true, honest account, and nor am I passing on any personal details as requested.
As soon as I arrived I saw a man shuffling out of the Jobcentre, I could see that he was unhappy and needed help. After four years I’ve learnt to recognise the signs.
As soon as I said hello to him, he started to tell me about his problems. He will remain nameless for respect for him and also so that he doesn’t get any repercussions from the DWP.
He told me that he had been sanctioned again, he didn’t know why and his advisor wouldn’t tell him either. He was told to phone up the 0345 number which at the moment costs a person up to 55p a min to phone. He waited for ages to speak to someone and then he ran out of credit, so now he can’t use his phone.
He had always worked since the age of 15, until he had a heart attack five years ago. this left him unable to work so upon advice given he then claimed ESA. This was going ok for a while until he attended an ATOS medical, when they declared him fit for work. He clearly wasn’t. So he appealed this decision, won his appeal and reclaimed his ESA.
The stress of this didn’t do him any good so he became ill and had to be admitted to hospital for a heart related illness. The consultant advised him to stay away from stressful situations. Easier to say than do though, especially when he was called up for another ESA medical.
They declared him fit for work so he then went to the Jobcentre to try and claim Jobseekers Allowance until his appeal was accepted. However his advisor told him that he had to claim Universal Credit. He had no choice and nor could he appeal the ESA decision. We know that this is wrong, but this is what they are doing to people folks.
He then went ahead made his claim and was told that he had to work, he had no choice. So against his consultants decision he found a 16 hour a week job, which was supposedly topped up by Universal Credit.
He ended up far worse off financially because the way that universal credit is worked out it actually makes a person worse off in work and he was effectively working for 33p a hour.
Then his hours were reduced to 10 a week. He knew that he couldn’t survive on this, and he also knew that he would be punished by the Universal Credit system for the decision that was made by his employer. He was told to find more hours to work or there was a possibility that he would be sanctioned.
As a result he became ill because of the stress and couldn’t cope. He has subsequently been sanctioned and has had no money for a few weeks.
Straight away I reassured him that we are here for him, that we can help him. He told me that he was close to committing suicide, and was serious about it, but our kindness has made him rethink this. He didn’t think that anyone would help, because no one cared. I told him that we do care and that we would help him to sort this out.
I gave him a food parcel which he was overjoyed at recieving, I don’t think that he has eaten anything decent for a while. I then telephoned his local MPS office and asked his team if they could see him asap. Because his case is complicated, and there is more to it than I have explained above, seeing his MP is essential. There’s nothing like a letter from an MP to get things moving, because if there is one thing that the DWP hate is an MP becoming involved in a case. I did also inform him of other local organisations, but he said that he wasn’t ready for them yet but maybe he will be after he has spoken to his MPs office.
I know that he will be treated with the upmost respect when he meets them, and they are a great team. Remember folks, go and see your MP if you can. Even if they are Conservative, because they need to hear your problems, even if some won’t deal with it then need to hear them. I’m now confident that his life will improve.
A massive thank you to Andrew Gwynnes office for helping.
I was then stopped by two gentlemen, they both looked undernourished and unwell. They asked for a food parcel each, and they told me that they had been sanctioned. I gave them both a food parcel and advised them to go to a local organisation that can help them further, and help them to reclaim their life’s.
I spoke to a person who had had their ESA stopped because they had asked to change their appointment, they agreed to do so and they then stopped their ESA. This is clearly wrong, so I telephoned my local MPS office and they is now getting the advice and help that they need. I also gave them a food parcel.,
Many thanks to Angela Rayner’s team for their help. Because this is also a complicated case it was appropriate that they get help from our MP.
I spoke to a man who had been sanctioned, he wasn’t very clear on why, but he was clear about the fact that he isn’t getting the help that he needs. Because he is getting some support from one organisation, another organisation is refusing to work with him because they don’t want to cross paths. But here is the problem, he cannot access a food parcel from them now. So I gave him a food parcel, some advice and signposted him to a local organisation that will work with him, and he will gain some confidence. Sometimes bureaucracy is our biggest battle.
I then spoke to a man who’s wife had recently died. He had never signed on before and had always worked. I had a good chat with him, reassured him, gave advice and signposted him to a local organisation where I know he will enjoy.
We then spoke to a young person who was 10 minutes late for their appointment due to their bus being late. They were aware of the possibility of being sanctioned, so we advised them, had a good chat and hopefully they will stay in touch.
We also spoke to many more people, most confused or angry, some both. We offer help, advice and foodparcels but we never ever just put a sticking plaster so to speak over their problems. We need to help them constructively and empower them. I then campaign, and do a lot fo work to challlenge this system and those in charge of it. Because it is just as important to do this.
We will be back next week and thank you to everyone for your kind messages and tweets of support. You all, and the team who are nothing short of amazing, keep me going.
Please share, tweet, talk about my blog and our campaign as much as possible. This is very important, because unless we tell the world about this no one will know how awful this system is.
Posted by jeffrey davies on 22 October 2017
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jeffs posts
America’s Private Prisons: Capitalism’s Forced Labour Camps?
In this clip from the Jimmy Dore Show, the American comedian and his co-hosts, Ron Placone and Steffi Zamorano, the Miserable Liberal, discuss the use of convict labour supplied by the American prison system by businesses and the state. Many of the fire fighters now tackling the fires raging in California were female cons. Dore points out that this is skilled, dangerous work. But nevertheless, these women were sent to do it, and some of them have been killed doing so. He goes on to discuss Kamala Harris, who repeatedly refused to release prisoners when their time was up and they were due to go back to civil society. Eventually, she was sued and said in court that the reason she wasn’t releasing them was because they were too useful as workers. Now Steve Prettor, the sheriff of Caddo County in Louisiana, has appeared to tell the American public why he doesn’t like releasing good, Black prisoners either: because they’re too useful as workers for the prison system.
Dore calls this system exactly what it is: slavery. And there is a whole slew of firms using unfree, unpaid convict labour. These include McDonald’s, Walmart and a contractor for Starbuck’s. Dore makes the point that this is what used to happen in Communist countries like North Korea, which we – the West – denounced. Now it’s being done by capitalism in America.
In one of the many interviews with the radical American journalist Chris Hedges on YouTube, Hedges talks about the massive poverty and unemployment created by capitalism and neoliberalism. He states that in American towns which have particularly suffered, the prison population has expanded immensely. This is because the state and capital have no use for these men in normal business. However, they are immensely valuable as a source of contracts for the private prison system.
And Dore is exactly right when he compares unfree convict labour in America with the forced labour systems of the Communist bloc. I’ve blogged about this before. Stalin industrialised the Soviet Union using the forced labour of millions of Soviet citizens. Businesses and enterprises needing particular types of worker would send shopping lists of how many they needed to the KGB, who would then round them up as traitors and enemies of the Soviet state, and then send them to the Gulags. Where they would be put to work building some new industrial plant.
The Nazis also had a similar system using Jewish slave workers in the concentration camps. Skilled Jewish craftsmen were put to work in a company owned and operated by the SS producing luxury products. They even produced a catalogue.
As neoliberalism privatises and takes over more of the functions of the state, so contemporary capitalism increasingly takes on the features of the totalitarianisms of the 20th century.
I don’t think we in Britain have any cause to be complacent about this, as I can see the same system easily taken over by the outsourcing companies like G4S and Serco in Britain’s privately run prisons.
This is not justice, not punishment nor rehabilitation. It is simply capitalism and slavery. And needs to be stopped.
Posted by jeffrey davies on 21 October 2017
