Social Justice

The government has lost a record eighth vote in the House of Lords over its plans to severely cut and restructure the British welfare system. An amendment to the Welfare Reform Bill, overturning a move to cut payments to specific council tenants with one spare bedroom, was carried by ten votes. The bill is now due to go back before the House of Commons, with the government defiant but a huge swathe of political popular and public opinion - including charities and others making up Mr Cameron's 'Big Society' - wishing to see significant changes. Source Ekklesia

 

 

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The House of Commons debated the Welfare Reform Bill for the last time on 1 February 2012 following a record seventh defeat for the government in the House of Lords.  The coalition has a 70-seat majority at Westminster and the Prime Minister and his colleagues are determined to ignore the massive weight of opinion against them from parliamentarians of all parties, charities, churches, medical professionals, people living with disability and poverty, children's advocates, academics, researchers, community organisations, faith groups, public figures and many thousands of constituents who have been lobbying their MPs. (Ekklesia)   Read More...

A recent statement of the Bishops of the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Community (COMECE)  discusses options for the management of the EU rooted in Catholic Social Teaching. A European Community of Solidarity and Responsibility is a significant document  for consideration at a time when Europeans face difficult choices.   Read More...

In his 2012 message to the Vatican’s diplomatic corps, Pope Benedict said said that environmental protection and the connection between fighting poverty and fighting climate change are important areas for the promotion of integral human development   Read More...

Buoyed by a stunning victory in the House of Lords, disabled rights activists and their supporters are pledging to step up the campaign for welfare justice. Now Labour MP John McDonnell has tabled a Parliamentary Question asking for a statement from the Government in response to the 'Responsible Reform' report (also known as the Spartacus report) produced by disabled people themselves. This exposes what critics calls the 'sham' official consultation on Disability Living Allowance (DLA).   Read More...

Study refutes claim that foreign nationals are depriving British-born workers of jobs. There is no link between rising immigration and rising unemployment, independent economists have found - contradicting persistent claims from anti-immigration activists and politicians that an influx of foreign nationals into the UK in recent years has led to more British-born workers on the dole.
Ben Chu, Independent, 10/10/12   Read More...

Our world is filled with barriers between people. Barriers that prevent us from understanding one another. They are created by unfair benefits rules and inadequate wages. By the stigma attached to being poor or homeless. And by the growing gap between the richest and poorest people in our society. Churches and community projects can break these barriers. They can challenge prejudice, enable excluded people to live full lives, and build a fairer world. Work with us in Poverty & Homelessness Action Week 2012 to break the barriers that trap people in poverty and homelessness.
Let’s have a cup of tea day! for Scottish Churches Housing Action...during Action Week   Read More...

The online prayer calendar for Poverty & Homelessness Action Week 2012 has been released.  Visit the Action Week site to follow day-by-day, and explore the barriers that people face – barriers of Housing Benefit; silence; lack of support; stigma; inadequate housing supply; low pay; rough sleeping; and unjust taxation.  All these and more combine to prevent people in poverty and experiencing homelessness from full participation in 21st-century life.   Read More...

'Social theologian Fr Donal Dorr has an interesting perspective on the background and legacy of the Synod document 'Justice in the World' on its 40th anniversary'   Read More...

An amendment to the Welfare Reform Bill to protect the benefits of disabled children once Universal Credit is introduced has been defeated in the House of Lords. Three amendments were defeated altogether, as government supporters pushed ahead with their plan to make the poor and vulnerable pay for what critics say is the excess and failure of their allies in the City. The amendment was defeated by a very small margin (187 votes to 189), the closest vote seen so far - something which has given some encouragement to disabled rights campaigners over upcoming struggles.    Read More...

The Welfare Reform Bill is the biggest change to the welfare state for sixty years. It contains proposals and benefit cuts that threaten the wellbeing of children, women and disabled people. The House of Lords begins its Report Stage on the Bill today. This is when crucial votes will happen on the most controversial parts of the Bill. The votes will continue into January. Please take action by emailing at least one Lord   Read More...

'If you want to do something more than go with the flow of Christmas consumerism you could do worse than visit the CASC-Aid site for 50/50 giving. It gives ideas fort a radical redistribution of Christmas spending.'   Read More...

Two prayers for World AIDS day takes place on the 1st of December.   Read More...

Two prayers to commemorate World AIDS Day which takes place on 1st December.   Read More...

A joint report published by the Children's Commissioner's for Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland has warned that the Government's spending cuts as well as welfare reforms could push many families and children into poverty.The Commissioners expressed fears that the most vulnerable in society are facing disproportionate hardship.   

On November 8th, following Ethical Consumer's article on the ethics at outsourcing companies, a new Early Day Motion asking the Government to exclude companies with operations in tax havens from bidding for public service contracts was placed before the UK Parliament. The Motion has six sponsors: Caroline Lucas (Green), Jonathan Edwards (Plaid Cymru)), George Andrew (LibDem), Alan Meale (Lab), Adrian Sanders (Lib Dem) and Mike Weir (SNP).   Read More...

Church Action on Poverty says it is "delighted" at the first success of their campaign to 'Close the Gap' between rich and poor through fairer taxes. The government announced earlier this week that it is to close a tax loophole that has allowed retailers to avoid paying VAT by sending goods from subsidiaries in the Channel Islands. Low Value Consignment Relief (LVCR) will not apply to goods sent from the Channel Islands to the UK from 1 April.   Read More...

Representatives from 15 faith traditions gathered at the Sacred Land Celebration in Assisi, Italy from 31 October to 2 November 2011 for the launch of the Green Pilgrimage Network, organised by the Alliance of Religions and Conservation (ARC) in association with the World Wildlife Fund(WWF).   Read More...

The Pontifical Council for Justice & Peace has just published a document about Reforming the International Financial and Monetary Systems in a way that Responds to the Needs of all Peoples. It contains a good history of recent economics as seen through Catholic Social Teaching and would make an excellent basis for discussion by J&P groups old and new. The document can be read in under half an hour and gives a good non technical grounding to consider the present economic crisis.   Read More...

17 October
This day is marked annually in George Square at the site of the ATD Fourth World stone, one of a number around the world. This year's event is being organised by Bridging the Gap, supported in this by Givin' It Laldie, a community music project and Poverty Alliance plus other interested individuals. It will take place in George Square on Monday 17 October 1-2pm   

Saturday 1 October 2011
'WORK AND SOCIAL JUSTICE' Renfield St Stephens Centre, 260 Bath Street, Glasgow, G2 4JP Registration from 10.30.  Finishes 3.45. Speakers:
• Professor Greg Philo, research director of Glasgow University Media Unit
• Geraldine Donnelly and Susan Cassidy of Communitas
• Tim Duffy of Justice and Peace   Read More...

THE number of children being brought up in Scottish households where no adults are working has increased. Under-16s living in homes without adults with paid jobs rose to 145,000 (15.8 per cent of all under-16s) this year from 141,000 (15.3 per cent) last year.   Read More...

Please ask your MP to complete the poverty survey!
Ask your MP to complete the poverty survey To mark the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty (17 October) this year, the All-Party Parliamntary Group on Poverty are launching a survey of MPs and peers. They want to identify the key areas policy-makers should be focussng on to address the long-standing problems of poverty and social exclusion in the UK.   Read More...

Have you pledged to 'Close the Gap' yet?
This month Church Action on Poverty are calling on you to speak out about legal loan sharks where you live as thousands of low-income families are being charged 500% APR for credit.   Read More...

Scottish Churches Housing Action looks to historic target – and beyond
Scottish Churches Housing Action announced details of a seminar on 30 September 2011 to bring housing professionals and activists together to assess progress towards the Scottish Government's target of an entitlement to a home for almost all homeless people by 2012.   Read More...

The Bishop of Aberdeen and the Bishop of Menevia have issued their joint message for Sea Sunday on 10th July
The Bishops urge all to support the vital work of the Apostleship of the Sea. 90% of world trade is transported by ship, however the life of a modern seafarer can be dangerous and lonely. They may spend up to a year at a time away from home, separated from their family and loved ones, often working in harsh conditions.   Read More...

Please sign the petition, calling for action to share ownership and wealth in a co-operative way.
Church action on Poverty are working in partership with Co-operatives UK to promote this year's Co-operatives Fortnight. Co-operatives UK share Church Action on Poverty's concern at the scale of the growing gap between rich and poor. They're using Co-operatives Fortnight this year to call for action to narrow the gap, by sharing wealth and ownership in a co-operative way. They want 100,000 people to sign a petition calling for action.   Read More...

Since the recession hit, a third of families are now spending more each month than they have coming into their households. Four in 10 Britons are worried about their debt, five million are permanently overdrawn, and 22% will carry a credit card debt throughout 2011. The payday lending industry and other legal loan sharks are taking advantage of a lack of access to credit faced by many of these consumers as they try to make ends meet, lending them money on which they charge interest rates up to 4,000% or more.   Read More...

Government 'Big Society' rhetoric is toothless and may be used to wash ministerial hands of responsibility for the impact of spending cuts, the Catholic Archbishop of Westminster warns. Archbishop Vincent Nichols, spiritual head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales, said he backed an expansion of voluntary and community engagement, but not at the expense of proper societal and governmental responsibility.   Read More...

Closing Gathering 16 april 2011
The Closing Gathering of the Poverty Truth Commission took place on Saturday afternoon in front of an audience of more than 350 people. A full copy of the report is now available on line   Read More...

Contact details for candidates in the Scottish election and initial responses to the survey on Trident have been added to the Scotland’s for Peace website 

Churches vote Being responsible Christians requires us to assess the candidates who are standing for election and to do this in light of the values of the Gospel. The aim of this website is to assist Christians in that task by making known the policy positions of parties and by drawing attention to important teachings of Christianity

Scottish Catholic Parliamentary Office

Compare the Parties

Hustings Guidance

Ask your MSP candidates to sign the Citizens for Sanctuary Pledge

Stop Climat Chaos Scotland - A manifesto for climate action 2011 Scottish Parliament elections

  

Say Church Action on Poverty
George Osborne has completely failed to acknowledge the genuine hardship that millions of people in this country are now facing. The Budget speech did not make a single mention of people in poverty, or of the huge cuts which are about to affect the benefits system. The Government has not kept its promise to protect the poorest and most vulnerable from the impact of its spending cuts   Read More...

Planning an Election Meeting   Read More...

In a landmark case human rights activists hope will reduce a culture of impunity for sex crimes in the beleaguered central African country, a military court has convicted a lieutenant colonel in the Congolese army to 20 years' imprisonment for mass rapes committed on New Year's Day. Simon Akam, Independent, Tuesday, 22 February 2011   Read More...

Email Chris Huhne now
Help Stop the UK Poverty Rip-Off
If you think that poorer families - who are paying the poverty premium - should get the automatic rebate, take one minute to tell Chris Huhne now   Read More...

Email your MP today to stop legal loan sharks
There is a debate in Parliament on Thursday 3 February about consumer credit regulation. Britain is unusual in that we do not have a law capping the total cost of credit companies can charge. This debate is an opportunity to start changing that - and you can help.
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Poverty & Homelessness Action Week 2011 will run from 29 January to 6 February. 30 January is Homelessness Sunday and 6 February is Poverty Action Sunday. Raise your voice and make sure that everyone is counted!   Read More...

A Hung Parliament?   Read More...