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

Strong 4th Day post, MmeL and Alicia.

It's very weird that all Parties are focusing on the claimants of benefits, rather than the unemployment which put them there. As if the unemployed should resolve the crisis themselves.

Stagnant economies don't create jobs; neither do the poor, the sick or the helpless. Muscular economic policies create jobs.

"It's very weird that all Parties are focusing on the claimants of benefits, rather than the unemployment which put them there. As if the unemployed should resolve the crisis themselves"

Not really. The right wing media have demonised the working class and those on benefits so effectively even the Labour party won't be seen standing up for them. Looks like they want to distance themselves from the image that they are soft on 'scroungers'.

on that note this is a great book here

found this page when I was reading about legal aid reform on Shelter's page. Full of information on the proposals. Scary.

I agree with you garlic, sorry, thought the way I worded the post sounded like I didn't. I'm just sick of the demonisation. I had to hear 20 mins of crap about 'handouts' being spouted by complete strangers on the bus recently.

Interesting book!

"The chav stereotype, he argues, is used by governments as a convenient figleaf to avoid genuine engagement with social and economic problems, and to justify widening inequality"

I honestly never believed a democratically-elected government would view its own electorate as scum. :( Makes me froth a lot!

I've added a comment to Mouseface's post, based on what she said last night. If it's wrong at all, any of the admins can remove it (or I will).

Ah, it was Owen Jones who wrote that interesting article in the Guardian recently.

Here is an extract of Chavs

Might order it. Wish it were available on Kindle though. Trying not to buy books atm.

Hello,

I am about for a while, thanks for adding the comment garlic that helps it to read better. I wish I'd have edited it with you all watching me and guiding me, I just waffled it all out!

Nemo - DS - is a bit better today but still vomiting and losing his meds because of it, bit of a viscous circle today.

Last night was awful. I was in so much pain and that actually got me thinking about something..... who is there to help me when I get stuck in bed? Who is there to help me move my legs when they're dead and cramping? Yes, DH would be there any other day but when Nemo is this ill, I'm on my own nursing him in our bed.

What support do I have? DH is ill, he's been ill for weeks with a heavy chest infection and stinking cold. So he has to stay away from Nemo as much as possible. But then who can I rely on? Who looks after me?

:( I wish I could come and fix it for you, too, Mousey. I hope the woman from Carerwatch will be able to get you some assistance.

Just finished reading MmeL's link and feel at least as despondent as I did watching Thatcher's election speeches ... or possibly more so, as everything she hinted at is now happening. The advertisements for swanky gym classes, teaching you how to beat up chavs, beggared belief! Not least because the complaints were not upheld

I'm finally realising we are in a class war - and it's not the underdogs rising against the rich, as I'd somehow imagined it. It's the middle classes waging war against the underprivileged. How horrible. The author said the majority of Brits still self-identify as working class (it's certainly true of my circles, most of whom are quite rich and comfortable), which makes it all the more incomprehensible that the majority also despise the working class and consider us lazy/dangerous/subhuman. How come?

mouseface
Oh, that sounds horrible. Can you get his meds as suppositories? We used them when the DC were little if they were puking - totally normal in Germany.

It is shite that people like you are having to worry about basics such as food, water and housing on top of the stresses of having a child with health problems and your own health problems.

Garlic
Yes, that was an awful highlight (or should it be lowlight?) of that piece. I have tweeted the author to see if the book is available on Kindle.

I am trying not to order real books atm, partly because I already have so many books, and partly because of postal costs.

I wanted to order some vacuum bags from UK yesterday, and quickly cancelled the Amazon order when I realised that they were charging £40 for delivery. Of a packet of plastic bags!

Mme - he has fluid poos because his feeds are liquid. He's never had 'formed' stools so they would just come out when he poos, which is with every feed. And sometimes in between. Good idea though, thank you xx

£40 for vacuum liners!? What the actual feck? That's terrible. Can you not used plastic bags and put an elastic band around them to hold them into place? Or get yourself a man servant?

oh, poor little soul.

£40 was just the postage, Mousey. I expect they were flying to Switzerland business class at that price, with a manservant offering champagne and caviar.

Mme - I'd want them to be rolled on the thigh of a virgin boy, made from platinum and encrusted with the purest of diamonds for that price of delivery!

I can post you some if you tell me what you need and your address. That'll teach them!

Ha.

Thanks, that is kind of you but I have had them sent to my mum and she will bring them out in Feb. Hope she doesn't charge me £40 :o

Although, I am paying for her flights, so it will cost a bit more than that.

For that price I'd want them to do the hoovering.

Your blog post is going down well on Facebook Mousey

Am going to do the Olympics post now. Plenty frothing material.

Thanks Katie xx

I'm off to do the night shift now, be back tomorrow. Please let me know if there is anything else I can help with, to get the message across.

Night all xx

Thanks, Mouseface.

I hope that your DS has a better night.

Right. Fifth day done and I think we are pretty much set for the final days.

Morning Frothers. If anyone needs something to froth about today, then the news that 70,000 children are living in temporary accommodation might flick the froth switch.

I jumped on today's headline about soaring antidepressant prescriptions 'linked to economic gloom' - only to discover that antidepressants & sleeping pills have gone up by about 11m ... while barbiturates have gone down by 11m. So it's not that more people are depressed, it's that fewer doctors are prescribing tranquillisers.

I bet the govt will be saying it proves we're all spoiled wasters, though, and disqualifying depression sufferers from ESA. "Arbeit Macht Frei" and all that.

From your Guardian link, Scarlet: Every two minutes in Britain someone loses their home

Fuck me

Morning, Frothers!

Apologies for my absence. Family Christmas duties and a temperamental router means considered posts are out of the question at the moment. New router hopefully being installed tomorrow.

In fairness garlic, it was constant financial pressure that pushed me over the edge into needing anti depressants: I could cope with everything else and frankly it's amazing I didn;t end up on them years ago but sleepless nights on top of everything else just pushed me too close to the edge.