WTF are Frothers? Have you seen them around and wondered? Not a quiche, but a protest group. Tory, Labour, Lib Dems - Common Goal - Protest Against the Cuts

[MmeLindor.]

What are the Frothers?

The term "Frothers" came about one dank and dismal November day in 2011. A frustrated user of the parenting forum Mumsnet started a thread about her dismay at the cuts that the Conservative/Liberal Democrat government was inflicting on the British public.

She stated that she was not "quite a frothing berserker but I am getting rather cross with our government messing with the good stuff".

The good stuff - policies, benefits, institutions that had taken years to achieve were being cut for no good reason, often leaving gaping holes in the fabric of British society.

The NHS, with which we Brits have a love-hate relationship, but like a favourite sibling, we wish to protect from harm.

Sure Start, a successful scheme that supported parents who were struggling and offered children from deprived backgrounds a better start in life.

Universal Child Benefit was cut for those families who had one earner bringing in more than £44k a year. If both parents each earn less than £44k, they keep their UCB payments. This obviously hit single parents and families with a single earner hardest.

Disability Living Allowance and Employment and Support Allowance - which enabled those with disabilities to live a decent life, without feeling that they were begging for assistance or were a burden to the taxpayer.

Student Fees, the introduction of which, contrary to Lib Dem pre-election promises, means that a whole generation of young people will have to think carefully before applying to higher education.

These and many other cuts are being made in the name of austerity. We are "all in this together", but some of us are deeper in this than others.

We all understand that there are sacrifices to be made but why should these sacrifices be borne by those who already have so little?

The general public seems oblivious of the dangers being faced, they are unaware of the injustices being wrought on the already disadvantaged.

The government is winning the war of the headlines. They have blasted the recipients of DLA and ESA as scrounger and cheats so often that the general public believe it. They misinterpret data to "prove" their points. Teachers are painted as being irresponsible and greedy, while the bankers rake in the money.

The poster on Mumsnet was not alone for long. Within a few days, a group of over 30 posters had formed. They asked themselves, "What can we do?".

The idea of a blog was born. Three days later the blog had over thirty authors signed up, a Facebook page and a Twitter account.

The Aims:

• to open the general publics' eyes to the injustices being created by the governement

• to inform those who are facing cuts about their rights

• to link with other activists and charities, in order to put pressure on the government

Are you a Frother?

Come and join us.

BLOG

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

Fregley. I am a Lone parent with 4 dc. I have been a Lone Parent for just 7 months. Out of my 4 dc, two have disabilities. Neither of them are eligible for any disability benefits. My 13yo DD has Autism, two leaky heart valves that will require open-heart surgery in two years time, she is partially deaf, she has learning difficulties and Global Development Delay, she has mild epilepsy and Hypermobility Syndrome. My 9yo is healthy and is expected to pass his 11+ and go to one of the best Grammar Schools in our town, and will without doubt become a higher rate taxpayer. My 8yo also has disabilities - he has Chronic Brittle Asthma that has seen him almost die 6 times, he has something called EDS type II, Hypermobility Syndrome, and Hypotonia.

Oh - and just for a whole barrel of laughs, I am also disabled. I was diagnosed with Epilepsy after the birth of my third child 8 years ago. Up until that point, I was a high rate taxpayer. But my previous profession is now BARRED TO ME BY LAW due to my disability, and I can't afford to retrain. The first year after my diagnosis, my family survived by living off my Ex-Partner's wages (which were low, I was the main wage earner in our couple) and our £20K savings. Eight years down the line, every penny of savings has gone, I am still unable to work, and the financial pressures lead to my Ex-P walking out and leaving me as a Lone Parent to 4 dc. I no longer receive any disability benefits, either.

I can reassure you, Fregley, that no-one with a modicum of common sense would think that trying to survive on unemployment benefits is preferable to being employed in a job that would now be paying me in the region of £65k pa. No-one would be stupid enough to give up that sort of income voluntarily to live off £67.50 a week . Disability can happen to ANYONE. As can having a disabled child, or an accident.

If you wish to start a thread talking about 'benefit scroungers' and the 'lazy' or 'workshy', then go and start a thread in AIBU, where it will be well received, rather than trying to derail our thread, please.

Not all of us are 'workshy'. I TRIED to go out to work, in September, I managed to secure a job (no mean feat, when you have uncontrolled epilepsy) in a clothing store. After 3 weeks, I HAD to give up. Because on my first day, no less, the Special Needs Childminder that was caring for my Autistic 13yo DD gave me notice, and told me that she was unable to look after a 13yo with Autism, as she was used to 3yo's with Autism that she could pick up and put in the pram if they refused to comply with instructions such as crossing a road safely etc. You can't do that with a 13yo. So I was without childcare for a disabled child that is unable to be left safely at home alone. Unless SN childcare is 1) More available and accessible for ALL who need it, and 2) Affordable on minimum wage, then there are a hell of a lot of people who just CANNOT work.

Oh - and one more note - last time a new supermarket opened in my town, there were 133 applicants for EVERY JOB available. in total, the store had 40,000 separate applicants for just 300 jobs. People here WANT to work - but there are so few employers offering jobs that people can get childcare for that it is almost impossible.

Just in case you're still here, Fregley, how about you thank me for your education, your childhood medical treatment and dentistry, the police and fire services that kept you safe, the sanitation services that kept you healthy and supplied clean water, the motorways you drive on and the airports you fly from?

Because, if it's all about what you get from your own contributions, you should be paying me back! I was paying in when you weren't, and am pretty sure I've paid more in total than you have.

It's not about that. Everybody pays what they can afford so everyone gets a half-decent life. It's like the 'float' in a business. I'd like to thank you, though, for reminding us why we are #Frothers.

Royal Jubilee Yacht.
DLA cuts.
That is all.

My opinion? The money saved by pushing poor people further into poverty is directly being spent on the Olympics and HS2. Says a lot for the Governments priorities.

I'm beginning to wonder how long it will be before DC turns round and tells us to live on gruel tbh.

I am getting slowly more annoyed the olympics, and since we got tickets to go to the paralympics (they were really cheap - which makes me a bit sad tbh!) it is spoiling my excitement.

When we one the bid we were in a better position - that's fine, I don't think we should cancel. But what is wrong with an austerity olympics if everyone else is getting mullered? Nobody in the entire world would think it was weird to cut a few corners and have less fireworks in the middle of a global recession - I doubt we even had any fireworks last time we hosted ffs.

Yes, agree Te. No shame in putting poor and vulnerable above the quick bang of fireworks for a half hour spectacle.

Stella Creasy is very active on the payday loans issue

A third of payday loans are taken out to pay off other payday loans.

Someone is getting very rich.

I am back. Hunty for the shit from DWP etc but nice to see you again.

I am having trouble with laptop charging (I thought it was dead at one point but like Lazarus it rises again) which means I'm mainly on my phone so I find opening this thread difficult because it's so big. Also tapping out replies with one finger is challenging.

Would it be easier if we started a new thread, Kate?

When we do the new thread I was going to suggest we had one thread in blogging for specific blog stuff, and one in politics for generalised frothing/taking inspiration/inviting people to blog...

not sure if it would work.

You're alright at the moment. I have managed to get laptop charger to stay in place in loose port but cunting Dell refuse to replace as apparently the fact the machine isn't working properly at 12.5 months old is to be expected. Grr.

if you've got a local computer/games console fixing guy I'd speak to them - ours is really good (and cheap) for that kind of thing.

Te
Yes, I thought about that about half a thread ago. Not sure whether it would work though cause we would have two threads to check back and forth on.

Interesting thread on NMW Great to see others talking about this.

Hello - just marking my place, am starting from the beginning....

Attention frothers!!

www.mind.org.uk/blog/6275_tweet_to_defeat_new_pip_will_fail_people_with_mental_health_problems#tweets

Mind want people to tweet how PIP will fail people with mental health probs on the house of lords. Just look at link and suggested tweets. It explains it all.

what a knobhead

Councillor suspended after calling disability protesters retards.

That's a v.good thread, MmeL, I'm glad to see the real issue being discussed on AIBU :) Thanks for the link!

I've been tweeting & emailing Peers nearly all day. I'm off to do what Mind are asking, then I'm gonna watch brainless TV and eat chocolate (not with bacon bits ... though that might be quite nice ... hmmm) Need the time off!

I saw that mind page yesterday - it's a bit annoying though because clearly they know what those specific amendments are and haven't said, and I've failed to find the details anywhere else.

Yep, not awfully well done (the links don't work properly, either) but I assumed the amendments were the right ones! Heh, hope so anyway, otherwise I've spammed 20 Peers with the wrong stuff

As I've lost the location for the official list of Lords, here's mine (they're all on it I think) twitter.com/#!/frothingangri/peers

ooooooooooooooh, look at this

Article by Polly Toynbee

Christ I know I need to lose weight but that photo just makes me look even bigger than I am!!!

It's the dress - and the fact they've got you squinting into the light. Newspaper photographers seem to have a deep-seated urge to make everybody look as peculiar as possible. You should have seen the one of me having a beauty treatment in the Mail! He had a thousand opportunities, but chose the most excruciating scene. Still, I got a free treatment and my colleagues got a laff ... I thought Toynbee's article was very compassionate & well-informed. Were you satisfied with what she wrote?

(I'm assuming you're Em - I'm rubbish at tracking nicknames.)

I am indeed. But ooooh I look faaat
Thanks, I do love the article. Unfortunately people are seeing my kids' therapies as 'treats' - these therapies could actually mean the difference between them being able to work when they're adults or being reliant on benefits for the rest of their lives.

How short sighted.

What a thought-provoking article. I only hope it helps to provoke some rethinking in the Lords tomorrow.

Every time I lose my urge to froth, I read something like this, and hear something like the Gove Boat plan and I feel like frothing all over again.

Have tweeted some Lords and will plague write to my Lib Dem MP again. Not that I expect her to listen, as she is seduced by a tiny droplet of power....

Night frothers.