Friday 12th August 2011, 

At 2pm assorted trade unionists, claimants, UK Uncut activists and anarchists gathered outside the Parliament Street Job Centre in Nottingham.

The Anti Cuts Demo had been called by Notts Uncut to coincide with a visit of Baroness (Tina) Stowell, conservative peer of Beeston, to the city job centre. They wanted to express their opposition in the face of massive cuts to welfare and particular victimisation of disabled and ill claimants.

However, standing about for 2 hours, she didn't turn up!! Then to 'managage the situation' .... about 7 PC were in attendance, a police PSU, assorted other uniformed officers and cars passed by .... oh and and a Nottinghgamshire Police Chief Inspector. The job centre manager in his best suit waiting to greet and the usual G4S security staff hovering about the door.

After the first hour and growing impatient, a rang the local Conservative Office who knew nothing, other than the visit was planned. I was invited to ring Conservative Central Office about it ... but I couldn't really be bothered!

Anyway, with this amount of staff diverted from their duties to 'facilitate' this tory knob's visit, I imagine a Conservative Party official would like to apoligise for not telling anyone about her absence / change of plans.

But hold on, this is what responsible folks would do ..... innit?

Another report of the event: No welfare cuts! And no Tory Baronesses either!

http://nottingham.indymedia.org/articles/1993

Back to the object ....

In thier leaflet "Welfare: an alternative vision," the Public and Commercial Services Union PSC conclude:

Just as the welfare state emerged as a consequence of strong trade union and women’s movements, so the attacks on the welfare state occurred in a period of defeat for these movements from the 1980s onwards.

It is no coincidence that inequality and poverty have increased since the 1980s as trade union rights and the welfare state came under attack.

The unemployed today, just over 2.5 million in early 2011, are paying the price for that decade of ‘rolling back the state’. Until the late 1970s, the welfare state played a key role in making Britain a more equal society. Since then that process has gone into reverse and inequality has risen under the governments of Thatcher, Major, Blair and Brown.

British society has changed in many ways since the Beveridge report and the foundation of the welfare state in the 1940s; there have been major transformations in social attitudes, household composition, and in the jobs people do and the hours they work. 

But some things are timeless: unemployment, retirement, disability and illness remain major causes of poverty, and affect everyone.

We must rebuild a welfare state to give people the rights they need to live life with dignity in the 21st century.

What we need

A welfare state that ensures everyone has a decent standard of living free from poverty

A government that commits to full employment

A welfare system based on need not moral judgements

A government that acknowledges and respects the work of dedicated DWP staff

To end low pay that leaves people dependent on means-tested benefits.

PCS Welfare reform

http://pcs.org.uk/welfare

Welfare: an alternative vision [PDF]

http://www.pcs.org.uk/download.cfm?docid=195B90B7-93BA-4319-BE10C4B8762B1670

Notts Save or Services

http://nottssos.org.uk

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ALAN LODGE 

Photographer - Media: One Eye on the Road. Nottingham.  UK

Email:                 tash@indymedia.org

Web:                   http://digitaljournalist.eu

Member of the National Union of Journalists [NUJ]

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"It is not enough to curse the darkness.

                                   It is also necessary to light a lamp!!"

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