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 assume you lot habe seen this? this I was utterly gobsmacked

yep.

I am not surprised tbh, it would have been nice and it was worth aiming for, but it wasn't likely. Some of the debates were though. They kept talking about being disabled as a lifestly choice. WTF chooses to be disabled??

The government still have to prove to the house of Lords that they have made concessions around the issues their amendments made, so the focus shifts back to the House of Lords and whether they'll accept HoC proposals.

I think they won't, because they're crap, which moves us to a deadlock type situation.

Deadlock should be good - wouldn't it make a total rethink more likely?

Yes, hopefully.

The only problem is that the government can choose to press through without HoL approval, I'm not sure what the qualifying criteria for that would be.

But if it needs as an example a high approval rate in the HoC then all this debate is helping to convince more people wrb is wrong, and damage their majority.

Labour just tried to offer a regional cap, but it was blocked by the tories.

Have you seen the front page of the Guardian. Amelia Gentleman has done an expose on the Work Programme.

Quote "Excuding kindness and energy Amanda encourages Mary 40 a single mum with children to accept an unpaid 12 week stint of work experience at a care home with a "possibility" of a job at the end of it.

The Govt does not now need Lords approval. It has asserted that this is a financial matter so the Commons takes priority (Lords can't get its way on money matters). So that's that.

I thought it did have to go back?

Nope not over - back to HoL tomorrow:

"7.55pm: We're wrapping up this liveblog now. But first here's a summary of today's developments in the Commons.

?The Lords defeat over plans to cut payments to disabled children was overturned by 324 votes to 255 ? a government majority of 69.

?The peers' attempt to prevent the so-called "bedroom tax" on under-occupied homes was thrown out by 310 to 268 ? a government majority of 42.

?The CSA charge amendment, the subject of a massive Tory rebellion in the Lords, was overturned by 318 votes to 257 ? a government majority of 61.

The bill now goes back to the Lords. However, due to the government's invocation of the Commons' financial privilege there is little scope for further changes."

Which means it isn't totally over. There's just going to have to be some extremely inventive policy work overnight by HoL

Invoking financial privilege will have annoyed the Lords but realistically there is little they can do now.

I hate this Govt.

Yup, they're definately pissed,

tbh, I don't know what 'little scope' means realistically, but the spartacus guys aren;t giving up, so am prepared to be positive for one more day.

They're morally banrupt shit-pedalers.

It is the lies that make me so angry. The public believe them because of all the fucking lies and double-talk and unequal comparisons.

There's a tweet and e-petition on twitter to cap MPs' salaries to £26k. Now that I would like to see!

Hello is anyone watching Newsnight? I hope Danny Alexander and the dark Lord David Willetts go over the shameful tax avoidance by the head of student loans company.

Btw, I am against capping of MP's pay to £26,000. I think that sort of money isn't worth doing the job for and living in London and all that will happen is those with other sources of income will stand. This happens already obviously, but it would make it harder for ordinary people to stand.

I'D stand for £26,000. I'd make a good MP. Oh no, hang on, I wouldn't. I'm not a heartless lying scumbag, and I CARE about the low paid and carers and those with disabilites. Scrub that thought, I'd obviously make a terrible MP. .

Seriously - This is just SHIT. I'm fucked off. What hope do I have of feeding my DD when she leaves FT education, but is not able to earn very much (catering is notoriously shit pay). I will lose CTC and child benefit overnight, AND they'll make deductions from my HB, even if she is still living at home. Which she will be. FFS. It only occured to me tonight, at her options evening, that finances might become a SERIOUS issue if she does the college courses she wants to do post-16.

Quote "Excuding kindness and energy Amanda encourages Mary 40 a single mum with children to accept an unpaid 12 week stint of 'work experience' at a care home with a "possibility" of a job at the end of it."

Carernotasaint - I saw that. And she already had experience in the sector.
Terrible that the people who most need a wage are being abused by this system. Bad for the individual but also a disaster for our economy as this depresses demand. But at least the care home owner get to keep a few extra pounds for his bank account.

I'd LOVE to be an MP, not at all heartless but willing to bash those bastards down. £26k would be enough.

Anyway.

Does anyone have any brain bleach? Dreamed last night I was Leader of Opposition, all good so far- and then had an affair with David C. YEUCCCCH! He was bored with SamCam whose sole appearance involved her serving a dinner of rice boiled in home made stock served with bullfrogs tinned whole! I kept evidence of said affair after ending it by injecting his blood into guinea pigs which I then ran around the country keeping safe whilst he tracked me down in his Green Landrover that turned rust coloured with a button-press. At the end of the dream I met a dishy Dr but then got woken up- dammit! Am now traumatised and about to descend into a well of self hate.

WRT to The Lords the Evils ahve scrored a double whammy

The reasonable question has arisen now that if the HoL has been able to be over ridden on a whim then what is the point of the expenditure...

letting the good people in the HoL know that they either shut the f up and get on board, or potentially lose their entire political income

Oh this is grim isn't it? The whole HoL stuff for example (although i do agree with reform but it must be for the better) and the dreadful consequences of the wrb still being pushed through.

As regards MP salaries I think that if it's not enough to pay for the cost of wrap around childcare for a single parent of two children, with enough left over to live on, then it excludes whole swathes of people and £26,000 per year is just not enough to do that. I'd like to see the unsociable hours cut and standardisation of hours of work too - including set days for sitting in parliament and set days for being physically available to see constituents.

Yes I know average wages are less than MP's salaries but it should be a well paid job. It has more responsibility than many, many jobs and we pay them to make the best decisions. If they are not doing that, we the electorate should address it. There's too much forelock tugging at the moment hence the likes of Cameron and other Bullingdon club boys.

Honestly, you would not work the hours alone for £26,000.

'I'd like to see the unsociable hours cut and standardisation of hours of work too - including set days for sitting in parliament and set days for being physically available to see constituents.

'

I agree, wholeheartedly

Childcare neds etc can surely be sorted out under the 'expenses' system? A basic £26 p[ackage with extra to cover the costs including childcare necessitated by work would be pretty good- however I admit not probably good enough.

There should be a limit though, when I worked in charity sector my salary was set in line with equivalent LA role- presumably there is something parallel to an MP that could be used?

I'd rather they had a fixed (reasonably generous) pay packet and no extras than the system they have now.

There isn't even an expenses allowance - which is totally normal company practice. The whole thing needs to be more business like basically.

(although I probably would do it for 26k tbh, but it's commutable from where I live and DH works very locally so childcare is not such an issue)

MPs wages are small beans compared to the amount we paid the bankers so that they could do approximately nothing at all.

Does anyone know, will we be getting all profits the bank makes? (or 83% of it /relative to the % of the bank we own). This worked quite well the last time we bailed out gamblers (except at that time it was the king, and in exchange we got the crown estates).

benefitscroungingscum.blogspot.com/2012/02/death-of-decency-wrb.html?spref=tw

Beautifully written.

being followed on twitter by a couple of members of the red Labour movement and have seta side funds to order their book next week; will be very interesting!