He has been living like this for over 2 years now and is totally reliant on the generosity of the wonderful homelessness charities like 'You're Not Alone'.
Eddie now has a few more convictions to his name, because he has been caught stealing food during the day to keep hunger away. I asked him for permission to take this photo and told him we'd blank out his face to hide his identity. He gave me permission for the photo but asked that his face not be hidden. He said, "If it helps to do something about the problem then I don't mind my face being shown". Before leaving Eddie to his fate, I got him another cup of tea, a bottle of water, 3 sandwiches and a bun for his breakfast... I know that I was letting Eddie and all of the other homeless people down when I left them to their fate... I'm ashamed of what our country has become and I know that at least 150 TD's need to pay the price for ignoring this desperate humanitarian crisis while purposely lying through their teeth and deceiving all of us with their bullshit about a recovery... This crisis is getting worse - and they know it!" ...................................................... Ken Smollen is chairperson at Irish Democratic Party. Looking at Ken's Facebook page it is easy to see he is a man who is actively campaigning to help others. Look at his post Monday December 12 "Thanks once again to the people of Offaly and surrounding counties who very generously donated to our last appeal for the homeless...It looks like we'll have another excellent response for our FOOD trip to Dublin on Friday next 16th December as many people have already donated and many others have been enquiring about what's needed... All kinds of non-perishable food such as tins of beans, peas, fruit, pasta, tinned tomatoes, packets of soup, rice, etc… Sweets, buns and bars of chocolate would also be gratefully received… Also much needed are toiletries such as toothpaste, brushes, face wipes, women’s sanitary products, etc… Thanks again everyone, Ken Smollen" ........................................................................ Support your local foodbanks and charities if you are able. Remember every item matters and could make a real difference. People are starving out there.
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Labour press release; It’s no wonder even Tory MPs are today calling for Chris Grayling to resign - Watson Tom Watson MP, Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, commenting on a leaked letter sent in April 2013 by Chris Grayling to then London Mayor Boris Johnson, said: “This is a disgraceful revelation that shows the Tories put party politics before rail passengers and it will leave commuters worse off. “Labour’s Mayor of London put forward a plan which would see commuters enjoy a better service and frozen fares. We now see the Tories have blocked this progress for their own narrow political interest. It’s shameful and demonstrates that for all their bluster about caring about working people they always put themselves first. “It’s no wonder even Tory MPs are today calling for Chris Grayling to resign: he’s in serious hot water. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/pa/article-4010022/Transport-Secretary-Grayling-quit-leaked-letter-suburban-rail.html
"But following the publication of the leaked letter, Bob Neill, Tory MP for Bromley and Chislehurst in south-east London, called for Mr Grayling to resign as Transport Secretary. He told the Press Association: "If you look at what he said about the business case, that doesn't stand true to me. "He took the decision which he had already taken beforehand on purely partisan grounds. "I think it's disgraceful behaviour." Mr Neill added: " He's done a great deal of harm to London commuters who would've benefited significantly. "I think he should go." Is Chris Grayling toast? MPs have voted to allow a new regulator - expected to be the BBFC - to censor legal porn websites. Amendments to the Digital Economy Bill were accepted by MPs during its third reading yesterday. This will mean that the the BBFC in its new role can instruct Internet Service Providers to block access to porn websites that don’t verify the age of their users, even though their content is legal in the UK.
In addition, sites that are not sanctioned must obey the regulator’s instructions and censor what is deemed unacceptable. The BBFC has indicated that:
Executive Director, Jim Killock said: “If the Digital Economy Bill is passed, the BBFC will have the power to instruct ISPs to block thousands of websites. This is unprecedented in the UK and the developed world. “In the short term, this is likely to disproportionately affect sexual minorities. However, there are wider implications for free speech. Once this administrative power to block websites is in place, it will invariably be used to censor other content. MPs have already asked why other material that is unsuitable for children is not being censored.” In addition, the proposals to demand that pornographic websites use age verification technology still have no privacy safeguards. Labour tabled an amendment outlining privacy duties for the regulator, but this was not adopted. The Government did not table any alternative privacy amendments. Killock added: “Websites could choose age verification tools that cause risk data leaks, tracking and even encourage credit card fraud unless the government place privacy standards into the bill. “This is incredibly irresponsible.” More than 11,000 people have signed an Open Rights Group petition calling for parliament to reject these plans: https://www.openrightsgroup.org/campaigns/digital-economy-bill-hub/stop-uk-censorship-of-legal-content Press release: Government departments could share personal health and financial data with energy companies
The Bill aims to make it easier for low income households to get discounts on their energy bills. To do this, it has been proposed that energy companies should be automatically notified if customers are entitled to discounts. Previously the Government has claimed that this would not involve the sharing of personal data with energy companies. However, as energy companies all have different criteria for who is eligible for a discount, this might not be easy to achieve. The proposals as outlined in the Digital Economy Bill do not rule out the automatic sharing of data. This would include data about households who are not even entitled to a discount. Executive Director of Open Rights Group, Jim Killock said: “Previously the Government has said that it won't hand over our data to energy companies but the wording of the Digital Economy Bill tells a different story. “Energy companies only need to know that a customer is entitled to a discount; it’s not necessary for them to know what they earn, how many children they have or whether they have a long-term health condition. “Under the current proposals in the Digital Economy Bill, we could see the wholesale transfer of personal information from government departments to energy companies. “The Government can’t automatically share our data just because their system for determining who gets help is a mess. ” Open Rights Group is calling on the Government to:
Pam Cowburn Communications Director https://lists.openrightsgroup.org/listinfo/org-press Related reading: DeepMind hits back at criticism of its NHS data-sharing deal Digital Economy Bill: Why the Tories want to police more of the online world Reacting to news that the government now supports blocking of websites that do not apply age verification tools, Jim Killock, Executive Director of the Open Rights Group said:
“This could lead to tens of thousands of websites being blocked, despite their content being perfectly legal. “In no way should this proposal be legislated for in this bill. There has been no thought or consultation, and the government has not even begun to define how blocking might be attempted. “They have no idea if it would work well or badly, or whether there is serious enough harm to justify such a massive restriction on UK adults access to legal material." “We do however know that over 90% of parents manage their children’s activities online, according to OFCOM, and that 70% of households do not have children.” Questions of accuracy, appeals, costs and extent versus efficacy of blocking have yet to be spelled out but we are expecting administrative orders rather than court-based blocking. CONTACT Jim Killock 07894498127 / press@openrightsgroup.org NOTES For details of mediation strategies used by parents, see https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-telecoms-and-internet/information-for-industry/internet-policy/internet-safety-measures and https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0020/31754/Fourth-internet-safety-report.pdf linked from there About Open Rights Group Open Rights Group is the UK’s leading voice defending freedom of expression, privacy, innovation, creativity and consumer rights on the Internet. Founded in 2005, we have over 3000 paying supporters and a movement of 36,000 activists. Winner of the Liberty Human Rights Campaigner of the Year Award 2012 https://www.openrightsgroup.org/about/ Letter from a real doctor not a spin doctor.
Mr Hunt Yesterday Virgin were handed a £700 million pound contract for 200 various NHS services in the south west of the UK. At the same time, you gave a speech saying that we need to look at the USA for inspiration when it comes to how to manage the NHS. (Despite the fact that they spend double on their health care and have much worse outcomes than the NHS does, especially for the poor) So can you clarify please. Are you still saying that the NHS is not being privatised? Because evidence suggests it is. And do you still stand by your previous ideological oposition to the NHS as shown by: 1) A book you co-authored in 2005 which called for the 'denationalisation' of the NHS 2) As Culture Secretary you tried to stop any mention of the NHS in the Olympic ceremony? I know that you have since said that you have changed your mind and that you fully support the NHS ( as shown by.....welll...the best evidence for your support is by your wearing of the NHS badge) but......... its just that actions speak louder than words. I am afraid that I find it hard to believe what you are saying when it comes to your support of a nationalised NHS free at the point of care run for patients and not profits. So please just be fair to the staff and patients. As I keep asking my toddler, please just tell the truth. If my nine year old and seven year old can tell the truth, please can you? At least then we would know where we stand. regards Rob (A worried A&E Dr) https://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/nov/11/virgin-care-700m-contract-200-nhs-social-care-services-bath-somerset |
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