Too Many Cuts...come join the #Frothers and have your say

Hunty you can upload files at www.keepandshare.com

You'll need to register but it's fairly straightforward and you can make documents visible to the public. And it's free.

If you're downloading a pdf then I presume you're clicking on a link Hunty? You should be able to link the link I think

OK people - I Should have a little free time tomorrow at work (shhhh) and hopefully the abysmal broadband will be up and running so I'm going to attempt a blog post - The only problem is picking a subject.

Ah, I guess there'll be something on BBC Breakfast tomorrow morning that will set my little frothing heart alight, it seems that we're in a daily deluge of shite - why should tomorrow be any different?

Shirl

Tis the magic eye of blogs!

Let me get the Gingerbread link - it's under campaigns. I DID read that in a previous paper - but that was just a discussion RAISING this issue in the House of Lords - there was an amendment tabled but nothing to say it actually was amended IYSWIM.

The only problem I have with linking to two of the documents where I have seen this info is that they are online PDF files - and I don't know HOW to link to online PDF files. Showing my techy crapness yet again.

I should be able to link to the Gingerbread thingy, if I can find it again, and if anyone would be so kind as to tell me how to link to a PDF, it'd be greatly appreciated!

No, I can't find any reference to it except in Niceguy's link.

But every doc I look at is a list of amendments to a previous draft or bill, and when I go there, it's another list of amendments or a bill where the amendments clearly don't fit.

To be clear about what I'm looking for, the issue is the possible deduction of maintenance from UC?

Because I can't find mention of this on the Gingerbread website either.

I may just be confused - and certainly this evil could happen in the future, and I believe did in the past. Baroness Hollis says in the above Lords debate, "I remember defending our intentions on the 2000 legislation in front of the committee chaired at the time by the noble Lord, Lord Kirkwood. We found it difficult to persuade the Treasury to budge beyond a £10 hand-back to women, so we could never get women to co-operate in setting the CSA on their old partners, as there was little in it for them."

WTF? My Twitter looks all different, and I can't make head nor tail of it now. FFS! I'd only just learnt how to use it properly.

(I'm back from the carol concert btw, and my DS's sang beautifully ).

Erm - so is it written into the Welfare Reform Bill that they won't be taking maintenance out of Universal Credit pound-for-pound then? Because that's NOT what Gingerbread, the CAB and the IFS paper says? Tianc - have you found that info anywhere else other than niceguy2's DWP link?

I don't trust the DWP to give entirely accurate information, they're not going to want to make it public knowledge in advance that they will screw people over, are they?

And even if they aren't doing that straight away, if it isn't written directly into the Welfare Reform Bill - then they can still do it at ANY point in the future.

What do Gingerbread, the CAB, CSA Hell and the IFS know that the DWP aren't telling, if they are saying something different?

Just checked out the blog!

I can see screaming faces in the froth!!

LOVE. IT.

Thanks.

    Page Loads  Unique Visits  First Time   Visits Returning Visits 

Total 602 354 295 59

Okay, this is only since last night though, so not completely accurate in terms of returning visits.

Don't be daft you've done lots of stuff Font. Glad you like it.

I think if I had access to the stat counter I would never do anything but watch it so in the interests of my household income and sanity I am going to say no

Kate, have just seen it on the laptop, looks great, loads much better too. Well done. Sorry for being lame. Do you want the login details for the Statcounter account? I get a little addicted to watching the numbers!!

Will do :) It is one of my betes noirs (being one of those people who is trying to get off my arse in one of the most deprived regions of the UK)

just whooooooshing in to mark place

have been vair quiet, but am lurking

haven't time and can't work out how to blog as have Builders In and am covered in dust, mouseshit and paint

will check in properly soon

Hello again. Would it be any use if I were to write a blog post on how difficult this government have made it to be a single parent to try and become self-employed? It's tied in to benefit cuts and child poverty.

The government are allegedly trying to encourage entrepreneurship but single parents are pretty much excluded from doing it because they get fuck all support.

Shall I draft something after the weekend?

Feel free to redirect me if I've gone off at half cock. So to speak...

OK I've obviously missed a key part of the discussion here because I don't understand the lubey's post at 16:42. But here's a summary of state of play.

? HuntyCat's blog post is entirely about charges to use the CMEC/CSA, and attempts to coerce parents wrt to its use.

? Niceguy's DWP Briefing Note, dated 20 OCt 2011, is about Universal Credit and states: "The current approach of fully disregarding payments of child maintenance received by a claimant who is a parent with care, in order to encourage such parents to apply for child maintenance, will continue under Universal Credit."

Note this isn't the actual Welfare Reform Bill, which I can make neither head nor tail of in this respect, it's simply a briefing.

As far as I can see, both of these can be true. Gingerbread's campaign is all about the charges.

What may interest anyone with energy left is the debate in the Lords on 28 Nov 2011, for which Gingerbread had prepared material. Read from 6pm onwards: "Clause 131 : Supporting maintenance agreements. Amendment 113B"

Their noble Lords agree with Hunty that the charges are intended to deter PWC from using the CMEC/CSA. They ask for (and get) an amendment including: "The main objective of the Secretary of State in applying the provisions of this Act shall be to maximise the number of those children who live apart from one or both parents for whom effective maintenance arrangements are in place."

The point being to ensure this objective is put above the objective of the CMEC/CSA saving the govt money.

Or as Lord Kirkwood of Kirkhope puts it, "I will go to the great Parliament in the sky a very unhappy bunny if this one goes wrong as well."

Other supporters of the amendment:
Baroness Sherlock (formerly chief exec of National Council for One Parent Families)
Baroness Tyler of Enfield (chief exec of Relate)
Baroness Lister of Burtersett
Baroness Hollis of Heigham

Don't know if any of the above is any use to anyone.

I think I've done the background Font although it did disappear once but it's been up for a bit.

damn, got all happy then...

www.northamptonchron.co.uk/news/local/breaking_news_david_cameron_evicted_after_neighbours_complain_of_drunken_anti_social_behaviour_foul_language_and_urinating_in_the_street_1_3320519

It's all a bit complicated atm, but wanted to do something about cuts that don't save money - she's okay with telling truth for greater good but has to feel safe, so is her call depending how things pan out!

It is a question of v damming or theoretically I think.

evening all

just been looking at the blog, its looks great