WTF are Frothers? Not a quiche, but a protest group. Fighting for the "basic line of British decency" against fiscal brutality.

[garlicfrother]

What are 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

I killed the previous thread, making HuntyCat lose a long post about Housing Benefit. Sorry, Hunty.

morning

morning from me too

Morning Garlic. Good work on starting the new thread. Join me at the brazier for a

I tried to say thanks for the link garlic but hit the closed thread, gave up and went to bef, only to be up for most of the night soothing eldest who has picked up my tonsilitus which,coupled with her glue ear, gave her a difficult night...

So anyhow, thanks. I will go prepared next time I end up in one of those discussions! I do so wish people wouldn't make sweeping comments generalising vast swathes of society!

Anyhow, will continue my efforts to encourage my peers to think before they judge!

That would be bed. not bef. clearly. darn mobile..

I lost a huge, really good post about HB last night when the thread filled. Am here and starting to feel a bit more frothy, thanks to that stupid thread in AIBU though. . Have tons to do today, but will be popping on and off between jobs.

Signing in.

Thanks for the advice re ATOS. I do have times I am better but they rarely last weeks and never months - I've always been confused as to whether to let DLA know whether I am better as I have exacerbations at any random time so it's just impossible to say.

One more question. I'm a bit scared that if I am turned down for ESA this will go through to my DLA and I will lose that too - is that possible? I'm starting to panic somewhat about it all.

I don't like to be the bearer of bad news, but here goes. If you fail an ATOSsers assessment, it's not MEANT to have any impact on your DLA, in theory. In practice, however, if you are the situation I was in, where your DLA renewal is only a few weeks after your WCA, and you haven't been awarded ESA - it is possible that your DLA won't be renewed. Mine wasn't.

I had been getting IB, and DLA for uncontrolled epilepsy. The DWP have magically cured it. (NOT). I now don't get ESA or DLA.

That is just awful Hunty :( Would love to know how the DWP cured your uncontrolled epilepsy. Wow! Get the news out! :( It's just shocking though. What are you supposed to do?

I have an indefinite DLA award so not up for renewal, but well aware when PiP comes in I'll be hauled over the coals in any case. Never mind my condition has progressed worryingly over the past couple of years.

Have you seen that news item today where Ian Duncan Smith tells us all that 'no one is suffering because of the welfare cuts?' What planet is this man inhabiting? I just have no words left.

I received this today from Nick Clegg.

Dear [ChickenLickn]
Nearly two years ago, Liberal Democrats chose to do the right thing in the national interest at a time of crisis. We put tribalism aside and the good of the country first.
We didn?t come into politics to make cuts, but with the economy on the verge of collapse we knew we had to take the difficult decisions necessary to get the deficit under control and the country back on track.
[and to stop the economy from falling on our heads]
And how did the Labour Party react?
They attacked us viciously. They refused to apologise or take responsibility for the mess they created. They opposed every cut and they indulged in cynical scaremongering.
In Sheffield, David Blunkett warned of ?post-Soviet? meltdown with people fending for themselves. It was the politics of fear and it was a disgrace.
But now, after nearly two years of opposing every cut, Ed Miliband and Ed Balls say they won?t reverse a single one. Yet they still say they oppose them.
Confused?
They have gone from being in the wrong place to being all over the place. From denial to disarray.
Many of our excellent councillors lost their seats last May because of the vicious attacks of their Labour opponents. [not because of the vicious attacks of the cuts on ordinary people?] We must not let them get away with it again.
Liberal Democrats approach this May?s elections with a track record of proud, progressive achievements in Government:
Lifting a million of the poorest workers out of tax and cutting taxes, not for the rich but for 23m basic rate taxpayers;
Making the well off pay their share by raising Capital Gains Tax, a new £10bn bank levy and keeping the 50p top rate of tax;
The most generous rise in the state pension for a generation;
A revolution in the way we support the children who need help the most when it matters the most, in the crucial early years and throughout their school lives;
More apprenticeships than Britain has ever had before;
And from this April, the Youth Contract, an ambitious £1bn programme to make sure every 18 to 24-year-old has the opportunity to earn [but less than minimum wage] or learn.

[^ok those are good things, but I also quite like the NHS, an unpenalised university education, a decent welfare safety net for the vulnerable and disabled. These are IMPORTANT things, the fabric of our communities. Don't you agree? Why are you not defending them?]

Clearing up Labour?s mess is not easy, but right. Let?s take the fight to them as May approaches.
You can see my interview on this morning's Andrew Marr show here.
Yours,

Nick Clegg MP
Leader of the Liberal Democrats and Deputy Prime Minister

I dont know Nick, I am losing faith in you and feeling disillusioned. I am amazed that you support an arbitrary welfare cap when it results in this

CUT right to a fair trial

CUT university education without paying a lifetime penalty

CUT right to necessary healthcare without charge

CUT fairness

CUT sensible, evidence based policy making

CUT a fair days work for a fair days pay (instead, we need unpaid forced labour, like prisoner of war camps, nazi germany and slavery. Because of the economy, init.

CUT affordable housing

You won't get an actual reply to a specific question just the usual spiel.

D'you know what, I believed Labour had messed things up until I got frothy and started checking facts for myself. I've been disillusioned with party politics since I realised what Blair was up to and simply accepted what the papers said about the economy under Brown. It isn't true. Brown got the interest on our national debt down to the lowest it's ever been; Labour kept its promises over NHS waiting times; community-based initiatives were making visible improvements to childcare, mental health care, other disabilities and public transport providers were being forced to act responsibly.

Since the last election our interest rates have gone up, the debt's increased, Sure Start and all the other initiatives are being closed down, NHS waiting times are so abysmal that people are dying in the queue again and the education system's in the hands of madmen.

They all just seem to be treating us, the electorate, as disposable counters in a game where the only thing that matters is the points they score. I can't conceive that they have the tiniest interest in how the average citizen lives (or even whether the citizen lives!)

missed the new thread.

getting incresingly annoyed with mps running around yelling "it won't affect people"... erm... yes it will. Have you done the maths? Because we have!

I read yesterday that Gove is married to a Times journalist. Explains how much he was being touted by them in the urn up to the election...

I shall sign to the blog when I get home. Perhaps Frothers and Occupiers should come together?

*sign up to even.

I have on;y just realised you can't have too many posts on a specific subject. I spent 10 minutes on the past one. i thought you had all got bored of my ramblings and locked me out

That's not actually possible, VM (otherwise I would have done mwaaah-hahaha-haaa!) Mumsnet threads accept a maximum of 1,000 posts. Until then any member can post on any thread.

I was getting all worried lol.

i signed in and then out again in case i had the wrong details. feel like a right muppet now

Frida, I didn't click for ages that Occupy's message is so rational - get the rich paying their fair share instead of pulling the rug from under the rest of us - despite the publicity it gets. It's still very much a task of education, I think. Which is unfortunate, since the government's pulling that rug so fast.

May I recommend contacting your local anti-cuts group if you are called to ATOS? unitetheresistance anticutsprotest campaignagainstfeesandcuts falseeconomy coalitionofresistance
You may well ask - 'Why so many? Why not have one united campaign?' I have no real answer.

Occupy has got evicted now. But will rise again.