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

It's true, I tend to think while she's there we might as well use her!

It's not like our MPs are doing a great job of looking out for vulnerable but potentially unpopular people.

I don't believe she will overule parliament. But what this petition will do is make the voices of a very maginalised group of people heard in the highest echelons of the land. And that must count for something.

Same all over. All they can think of cutting are welfare programs.

Do we have a democracy when large swathes of the public have been manipulated and fed gross distortions of the truth?

I don't think so.

Choice is an illusion unless it is informed choice.

"I agree with the Frothers generally and hate this welfare bill but I find the idea that the monarchy would try and overrule the Government abhorrent. The ends wouldn't justify the means and would set a very worrying precedent that would threaten our democracy and constitution."

This is not the frothers official line. It was my decision alone to post it here.

I agree with lopine on this one. The monarchy is only tolerated because it doesn't interfere in politics. Imagine if Prince Charles had any political power

Sorry lopile!

toomanycuts.blogspot.com/2012/02/petition-queen.html

I have had a PM from a poster who has some info relevant to the WRB, but have no time to craft a blog post around it. If anyone has time, would you get in touch so that I can send the Poster your way.

Packing and painting continuing this weekend. Haven't had time to write any blog posts , the little free time I have is spent chilling while watching West Wing. I am no longer in possession of a functioning brain.

It is still there enough for me to say that I disagree with asking the Queen to veto the WRB. I have no great opinion of the royals, am quite happy to tolerate their existence but do believe that they should have no political influence.

Whether we like it or not, the nation voted and the ConDems were the result of that vote. That is democracy. We have the option of voting them out of office, and that day cannot come soon enough.

I also think that the blog is going to occasionally have some posts that not every contributor agrees with. This is fine. It is a blog that gives a voice to many who are concerned about the political directions that our country is taking. We don't all have to agree all of the time.

Brits don't usually erupt into mass Royal petitioning. I think the fact that this one's amassing signatories at such a rate says all that needs saying about how the WRB does not reflect the will of the people.

That fact alone makes me extremely angry. Governments make unpopular decisions with justification. Those decisions are usually opposed by interested parties, not by the electorate in general on principled grounds. The Government had to execute nifty turns against normal procedure to get their Bill through. They did not campaign on a platform of dismantling the welfare system. They have done nothing to improve welfare efficiency (it has declined in every area), choosing instead to attack the system as a whole.

I have more respect for the Lords and Bishops than I've ever had before, as they proved their purpose in maintaining parliamentary intent, albeit unsuccessfully this time. At this juncture, I'm surprised to find myself very pleased our government includes unelected authorities as balancers. The Queen is the highest authority now, and I'd be jolly interested to know how she reacts to this sudden outcry on a parliamentary matter!

I also think that the blog is going to occasionally have some posts that not every contributor agrees with. This is fine

Agreed 100%.

Good luck with moving, MmeL!

I agree too.

mme lindor good luck with the move.

I wish I knew how to link to a PDF file, but it won't let me. On one of the other politics threads, someone has linked to a DWP Impact Assessment on the benefits cap, that STATES that there will be people classed as disabled by the DDA and the Equality Act 2010 that WON'T be protected from the effects of the benefits cap UNLESS they meet the working hours criteria. WHich, if ATOS has assessed you as fit to work, will be 30 hrs same as everyone else, won't it. Despite the Government trying to tell us that oh, the disabled will not have to work so many hours - all the documents state that that is those who are in receipt of the work-focus groupof ESA, NOT those that don't get ESA or DLA, but are still classed as disabled by the DDA and the Equality Act 2010.

So, basically, I'm going to be SCREWED. I live in (what will be) a fairly expensive house in the SE, I CAN'T move even off the estate I'm on, or I lose custody of DS1, am classed as disabled by the DDA and Equality Act, but not by the DWP. CAN'T work 30 hrs, so will be subject to the cap, won't be able to pay my rent, will face the choice of moving somewhere cheaper and losing custody of DS1 or staying put and not being able to FEED my dc.

How much longer can I keep this lurking in the BACK of my head, rather than scaring me for every waking moment of the day? I'm SCARED. No matter how much I try to bury my head in the sand, I can see that I am going to be in the group of people that stand to lose the most from the UC cap. I think it might even be more than £100 a week I lose. I can't DO it.

I am bordering on hopelessness right now. It feels almost inevitable that I will have to move areas, and therefore lose custody of DS1. AND face being put in prison for breaching the court order - which would mean in turn that I would lose custody of the other 3 dc too. .

And it is starting to feel SCARILY real now. I have a work-focussed interview for my Income Support on the 7th, and I am actually going to have to ask the lady there to explain to me JUST how much I will be losing. And what sort of conditionality on work hours I will face, given both MY disabilities AND my dc's disabilities. I don't really WANT to know the answers though...

I'm sorry to hear that huntycat

I'm sorry Hunty. It's shit, but if anything I think you might be best to throw yourself at the mercy of some lawyers as a probono case to see if you can have your contact agreement with your ex changed. Or at least that he pay you more maintenance if he is demanding that you stay living there?

Have you still got a CAB running, I'm sure you know but they are usually the best place to start if you need a lawyer.

TeWi - The ex that has the order over me pays the sum total of fuck all maintenance now. . He was paying me a whole £1.36 a week before their latest baby was born. CAB won't take on family law cases or much else here, too overstretched. I couldn't get an appointment when I needed help filling in my DLA renewal form - I had 11 weeks to send back the form, CAB offered me an appointment in 14 weeks time....

The only way to get it changed is if Ex-H agrees. Which he won't. And I can't demand any more maintenance, because he and his OW have two babies together, AND the OW has a DS that SHE doesn't get any maintenance for, and they are on benefits. So at first Ex-H was giving me £5/wk, when he moved into the OW's house, it went down to £3.80/wk, to account for HER ds, then when they started having DS1 more often, it went down to £2.47/wk, then when Ex-H and the OW had their first baby it went down to £1.36/wk, and now they have had their newest baby, it's gone down to nothing.

But because contact and maintenance aren't linked, there's nothing I can do about getting him to pay ANYTHING. They can't make Ex-H pay more unless he starts working, and even then it would be a very negligible amount, what with reductions for overnight access, and then reductions for the 3 dc he has living in his house, it'd still be nearly f all. They can't change the order unless Ex-H agrees. Which he won't. Because being able to keep me in the shit will suit him, if he found out about how broke it will leave me, he will take the piss and laugh every time he sees me, and I will have the OW telling me that she WILL get her own way and get custody of my ds, if I can't afford to look after him, and blah blah blah.

My only hope is that they will be affected by the cap too. Which sounds bloody nasty of me. But then it begs the question of if THEY move to a cheaper area, will I HAVE to move where they are? I wonder if the courts could make me?

Sounds awful Hunty You're not up for chaining yourself to something, are you? (Am not making light, honestly - just thinking that individual cases might be a way to go, although probs with confidentiality/anonymity)

Very very shit then.

I think we're all going to have to hope that that discretionary fund does more than it says on the tin.

Oh Hunty thats Fuckin terrible and bloody disgusting what you are being put through. So the bastard pays you no maintenance but has a bloody say in where you live. And now this bastard unfeeling Government want to penalize you for this on top. Hunty i dont know if you would be prepared to go this far but i think the Guardian would be very interested in your story.
I THINK (im not 100% sure though) that they accept articles on their joe public blog and you certainly write well enough for that, more than well enough.

i think the Guardian would be very interested in your story

I agree. I can't quite see how you post to it, though? Is there a contact form tucked away somewhere??

You can always email one of the columnists direct, Hunty. Believe me, even the most innovative journalist is always looking for an idea.

I'll have a ponder. Just worried about ending up in the situation that Riven did...Which is why I haven't done it already. I don't know if I am mentally strong enough for that.

I understand that. However, if you:-
? don't have your own web site promoting your cause
? don't seek help beyond what the DWP and judiciary should provide
? do keep speaking in your own voice
I think you'll remain a lower-profile case.

Glitter hasn't become a media star afaik, but it must be helpful in fighting your battles. Things like getting your MP's attention, finding legal assistance and so on should be easier when there's some media involvement.

It always takes individual cases to make changes. When you think about it, that's exactly how our legal system is built.

Hunty, that's shit. Are there any charities who could help you with the DLA claims? Epilepsy charities? Have you contacted your MP? councillor? Sorry if I'm stating the obvious and you've tried these already.

And on a related note, http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/feb/05/benefit-cuts-fuelling-abuse-disabled-people made me . So predictable.

Just trying to catch up...