Category Archives: Welfare Reform

The freedom to say appalling things

Posted on April 21, 2014 by ianchisnall

According to many people who lived through the last war, men and women died in order to ensure freedom for their children and subsequent generations. Others have given their lives to maintain freedom for those around them. However freedom is … Continue reading →

Posted in Charities, Journalism, Welfare Reform | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Good on their Lordships

Posted on April 17, 2014 by ianchisnall

Yesterday we heard some apparently conflicting news. Foodbank use is up by 30% and Unemployment is down to below 7%. The opposition parties were almost silent about the latter but the Government was equally silent about the former. The two … Continue reading →

Posted in Charities, Economics, Environment, Parliament and Democracy, Welfare Reform, Youth Issues | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Trust Dave to fix our national dramas?

Posted on April 16, 2014 by ianchisnall

Last week David Cameron spoke at a reception of Church leaders at No 10 Downing Street. He spoke about the Big Society and said “if there are blockages, if there are things that are stopping you doing more, think of … Continue reading →

Posted in Charities, Church Teaching, Parliament and Democracy, Welfare Reform | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

You couldn’t make it up!

Posted on February 21, 2014 by ianchisnall

The DWP is proposing to charge claimants for taking part in social security tribunals! This information has come from an 80 page document prepared by DWP (Department for Work and Pensions) Civil Servants for the Government. According to reports in the Guardian … Continue reading →

Posted in Justice Issues, Parliament and Democracy, Welfare Reform | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Send in the engineers?

Posted on February 20, 2014 by ianchisnall

In the last few days the tension between religious leaders and the Government has peaked over welfare reforms. The immediate catalyst for this was an interview in the Daily Telegraph last week with Archbishop Vincent Nichols in anticipation of his … Continue reading →

Posted in Charities, Church Teaching, Economics, Parliament and Democracy, Welfare Reform | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Are we ready for change?

Posted on January 24, 2014 by ianchisnall

Yesterday I attended two significant meetings each with a focus on the work of local statutory services in the period 2015-2020. Although substantial cuts have been made to many of our services (Police, Local Government, Health, Fire and Rescue) to … Continue reading →

Posted in Charities, Community Safety, Economics, Education, Parliament and Democracy, Policing, Welfare Reform, Youth Issues | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

A challenge for all of us!

Posted on December 24, 2013 by ianchisnall

According to Iain Duncan Smith, the Trussell Trust are scaremongering when they suggest that the increased use of foodbanks over recent years is in part linked to welfare reforms. As the Daily Mail reports, Mr Duncan Smith wrote to the … Continue reading →

Posted in Church Teaching, Justice Issues, Parliament and Democracy, Welfare Reform | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Donkeys pretending to be Lions

Posted on December 19, 2013 by ianchisnall

On the day the Queen held a Christmas lunch for her extended family and MPs received an advertisement from Fortnum & Mason for a range of Christmas Hampers, you and I could have gone online to witness the obscenity of our Parliament pretending to debate … Continue reading →

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Credit where it is due

Posted on November 16, 2013 by ianchisnall

An ongoing theme of this blog is my view that all MPs and Government Ministers should visit the myriad of foodbanks that have sprung up across the country. There cannot be many constituencies without at least one foodbank, and Wealden, currently the … Continue reading →

Posted in Charities, Lobbying Bill, Parliament and Democracy, Welfare Reform | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Lets put things right now!

Posted on November 14, 2013 by ianchisnall

It is easy to find fault with any government, the challenge of running a nation, even a small one like ours depends on decisions or statements made on a scale that can inevitably lead to failure in the margins. However any public failures … Continue reading →

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