Who Benefits From Austerity? Mechanics Institute Limerick, May 2013
Cwp pamela trevithick powerpoint 61 slides final
1. Confronting Women’s Poverty:
turning things around
A one-day event
International Women’s Day 2013 (8th March)
Bristol City Hall
Women’s poverty and the wider
picture:
an evidence-based journey
Pamela Trevithick
Feminist activist
2. Cutting Women Out
This presentation
builds on the report
produced by the
Bristol Fawcett Anti-
Cuts Group – Cutting
Women Out in Bristol
(2010 )
I do not propose to
cover issues highlighted
in Vicky Boroughs’s
presentation on the
impact of the cuts on
women’s employment
and low pay status
3. What I plan to cover
1 An overview of the impact of the
cuts on women
2 The poverty picture in the UK –
indicators of hardship
3 The price of inequality
4 Why cuts are not the cure . . . .
4. 1. The impact of the cuts on women
Government policy has a direct bearing on the extend to
which millions of people are forced to live in poverty.
The impact of these policies disproportionately affect
women in six key areas:
This has been summarised to
1. as workers by the Fawcett Society as the
2. as mothers ‘triple jeopardy’ that women
face in terms of –
3. as carers (1) slashed benefits
4. as benefit claimants (2) job loses
5. as users of key services (3) loss of core public services
Fawcett Society - http://www.fawcettsociety.org.uk/the-
6. as citizens triple-jeopardy-2/
5. 1. The impact of the cuts on women
Overview: Women’s Budget Group
An analysis by the Women’s Budget Group (2010)
shows that:
- the groups that will suffer the greatest reduction in
their standard of living due to cuts in public services
are lone parents and single pensioners, the majority
of whom are women;
- lone parents will lose services worth 18.5% and
female single pensioners services worth 12% of
their respective incomes;
Women’s Budget Group - http://www.wbg.org.uk/
6. 1. The impact of the cuts on women
Overview: Women’s Budget Group
- overall single women will lose services worth 60% more
than single men will lose as proportions of their
respective incomes, and nearly three times those lost
by couples
- the cuts will lead to hundreds of thousands of women
losing their job. 65% of all public sectors workers are
women whose pay and conditions of employment are
likely to deteriorate without our support
Women’s Budget Group (2010) - http://wbg.org.uk/RRB_Reports_4_1653541019.pdf
7. 1. The impact of the cuts on women
Overview: Women’s Budget Group
- cuts in welfare spending fall disproportionately on the
finances of women. Child Benefit is paid almost 100%
to women; while 53% of Housing Benefit claimants
are single women. Both benefits have been cut
significantly in real terms and eligibility has been
tightened
Women’s Budget Group (2010) - http://wbg.org.uk/RRB_Reports_4_1653541019.pdf
Cuts in public services will almost inevitably increase
women’s caring responsibilities and add further
barriers to the employment opportunities for women
8. 1. The impact of the cuts on women
Overview: Women’s Budget Group
Employment: and the public sector
Just under 40% of women’s jobs nationally are in the
public sector - in the NHS, schools and caring services
- compared to around 15% for men’s jobs
Women’s Budget Group (2010) - http://wbg.org.uk/RRB_Reports_4_1653541019.pdf
Within this picture UK childcare costs are rising at
more than twice the rate of inflation
Haroon Sidddique (2013) - http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2013/mar/06/childcare-costs-twice-rate-inflation
9. 1. The impact of the cuts on women
Income inequality hits women the hardest
Throughout the last decade, a much larger proportion
of women than men have been low paid
In 2010, around 3½ million employees aged 22 to
retirement were paid less than £7 per hour. 2⁄3 were
women and 1⁄3 were men
Among the low-paid part-timers, women predominate.
In total, in 2010 almost 2⁄5 of all part-time workers
were paid less than £7 per hour
The Poverty Site - http://www.poverty.org.uk/51/index.shtml
10. 1. The impact of the cuts on women
Childcare costs
According to a Daycare Trust Childcare Costs Survey
a part-time nursery place (25 hours) for a child under
two years rose to an estimated £106.38 a week and a
full-time place to £11,000 a year
A Daycare survey snapshot showed that a place at
Britain’s costliest nursery (£42,000) ran at 25% more
than a place at a top public school such as
Charterhouse (£30,574 a year)
Daycare Trust - http://www.daycaretrust.org.uk/pages/childcare-costs-surveys.html
11. 2. Poverty in the UK
Poverty statistics
2010–11 – the estimated UK population living below the
poverty line was 13.0 million (21.3%) when housing
costs are taken into consideration
Institute of Fiscal Studies (2012) http://www.ifs.org.uk/comms/comm124.pdf
Relative poverty
– indicates the proportion of individuals with household
incomes below 60% of the average (median) household
income in a particular year after income tax, council tax
and housing costs have been deducted
Institute of Fiscal Studies (2012) - http://www.ifs.org.uk/comms/comm124.pdf
12. 2. Poverty in the UK
Child poverty
The ‘End Child Poverty’ coalition, which is made up of
more than 150 organisations and groups, calculate than
4 million children – one in three – are currently living
in poverty in the UK. This is one of the highest rates in
the industrialised world
End Child Poverty - http://www.endchildpoverty.org.uk
Ian Duncan Smith and the schools minister, David Laws,
want to introduce a new range of indicators that include
family stability, worklessness and educational
achievement
Patrick Wintour (2012) - http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/nov/14/iain-duncan-smith-child-poverty
13. 2. Poverty in the UK
Child Poverty in Bristol
The ‘Ending Child
Poverty’ Map of the
estimated number of
children in poverty in
Bristol in 2012 =
21,366 children
The estimated
percentage of Bristol
children in poverty in
End Child Poverty - http://www.endchildpoverty.org.uk/why-end-chil
2012 = 25% of children
25
14. 2. Poverty in the UK
Other examples of the hardships
experienced by people on low incomes
or people living below the poverty line
covered in this presentation include:
fuel poverty
food poverty
homelessness
debt
15. 2. Poverty in the UK
Fuel poverty
What is fuel poverty?
A household is said to be experiencing fuel poverty if
it needs to spend more than 10% of its income on fuel
to maintain an adequate level of warmth. In England,
fuel poverty is modelled using the data from the
English Housing Survey (EHS)
It is estimated that around 6 million UK
households are currently living in fuel poverty
End Fuel Poverty - http://endfuelpoverty.org.uk/
16. 2. Poverty in the UK
Utility prices
Soaring gas profits. An announcement in March 2013
Gas showed an 11% increase in profits for British Gas and its
parent group, Centrica a staggering £1.3 billion promised to
shareholders
Terry Macalister (2013) - http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2013/feb/27/centrica-british-gas-increase-profit
Why? Poor regulation - Despite some new requirements
on companies to publish the accounts of their retail
businesses, the prices they pay for the gas they supply to
customers remains unknown, even to Ofgem (which
regulates the electricity and gas markets in Great Britain),
which does not have jurisdiction beyond UK borders
Tim Webb (2010) - http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/nov/26/ofgem-intervenes-electricity-gas-profits
17. 2. Poverty in the UK
Utility prices
Thames Water and Anglian Water
Water
paid no corporation tax on the
profits. Indeed, in 2012 Thames
Water enjoyed a £76m tax rebate.
As a reward, Martin Baggs, chief
executive, received a bonus of
£420,000 on top of his £425,000
salary
He is said to be in line for a further
windfall of £1m based on company
Daily Mirror › February 06, 2013
performance through to 2015
Daniel Boffey, Ian Griffiths and Toby Helm (2012) -
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2012/nov/10/water-companies-tax
18. 2. Poverty in the UK
Food poverty
What is food poverty?
The Department of Health has defined food poverty as
“the inability to afford, or to have access to, food to make up a healthy diet.”
Massive growth in foodbanks
2009: The Trussell Trust approved 28 food banks
2013: there are 325 foodbanks currently in operation + three
more added weekly
2011-12: foodbanks fed 128,687 people nationwide
The Trussell Trust - http://www.trusselltrust.org/foodbank-project
USA - an estimated 37 million people receive charity food
Canada - an estimated 900,00 people use food banks each month
Some eligible children denied access to free school meals
Patrick Butler (2013) - http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2013/mar/07/children-ineligible-free-school-meals-poverty
19. 2. Poverty in the UK
Food poverty
Bristol foodbanks - and other places - offering
hot food:
The Salvation Army - Bristol Citadel & Candle Community Centre
Bristol Methodist Centre
Bristol Soup Run Trust
Churches Together Watershed
Churches Together Broadmead Bus Station by subway
Churches Together, Queens Road
Julian Trust
Matthew Tree Project Carpenters Foodstore, The Withywood Centre
Matthew Tree Project Foodstore and central food hub
Great George Street Mission
Matthew Tree Project Foodstore, The Mede
NW Foodbank
20. 2. Poverty in the UK
Housing/homelessness
Homelessness on the increase
2012 - Dept for Communities and Local Government
data shows a 14% rise in people classed as homeless –
with 69,460 children/expected children are in homeless
households. Charities warn the figure is much higher
Simon Rogers (2012) - http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/mar/08/homelessness-jumps-repossession-unemployment
Centrepoint’s research estimates that roughly 60,000
young people are using hostels or sleeping rough - over
three times higher than official figures
21. 2. Poverty in the UK
Housing/homelessness
Homelessness on the increase
According to the National Housing
Federation, homeless families in Bed and
Breakfast (B&B) accommodation has
increase by 44%
20 councils warned by the government
about housing families in B&Bs for
Daily Mirror 18 February 2013 “unacceptably long time”
Randeep Ramesh (2012) -
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/sep/17/homeless-families-bed-and-breakfast
22. 2. Poverty in the UK
Housing/homelessness
Housing picture in Bristol
6,500 private tenants face cuts of £15 to £25 per week
in their Housing Benefit, forcing many into destitution
or homelessness.
Over 14,300 households are waiting on the Housing
Register
An average of nine people chase every private tenancy
Bristol Poverty (Housing) Action - http://bristolpovertyaction.wordpress.com/
23. 2. Poverty in the UK
Debt
UK Debt Statistics from Credit Action
January – September 2013 - 8,308 new debt problems
were dealt with by the Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB)
each working day
September - November 213 - 1,727 people were made
redundant every day
Every 16 min 4 sec - a property is repossessed
Credit Action - http://www.creditaction.org.uk/helpful-resources/debt-statistics.html
24. 2. Poverty in the UK
Debt statistics for Bristol
Clients seen by the Bristol Debt and Advice Centre
January – December 2012
Of the total clients seen, 55% were women
A breakdown of 1,140 female clients revealed the following: Note the number of
Female clients with a long term 285 women with long
illness term illnesses (25%)
Female clients with a priority debt 567 and the total number
Employment status of female Unknown: 21 in full and part-time
clients Carer: 4
Training/Education: 12
employment - yet
Other: 23 still in debt (31%)
Unemployed: 533
Retired: 46 Unemployment is
Self-employed: 29 key feature for
Unfit for work: 113
women seeking debt
Working full time: 137
Working part time: 222 advice and support
(46%)
(from Bristol Debt and Advice Centre)
25. 2. Poverty in the UK
Benefit changes
There are too many changes to describe in detail but the
following summary indicates the changes proposed/enacted:
Migration of existing claimants to Employment Support Allowance - continues until
April 2014
Increases to all working age benefits will increase by 1% annually until 2016. 10 million
households effected
Child benefit frozen for 3 years
Maternity Grant restricted to first child only
Taper on tax credits moved from 39% to 41%
Childcare element of Working Tax Credit (WTC) reduced from 80% to 70% of costs (up
to pre-set maximum)
Local Housing Allowance capped
Large increases of non dependent deductions for Housing Benefit recipients
Local Housing Allowance – rates set at 30th percentile not 50th
Educational Maintenance Allowance abolished
Single-room rent restriction extended from people under 25 to people under 35
(From Jane Emanuel, Bristol Advice Network)
26. 2. Poverty in the UK
Benefit changes
What’s been proposed from January 2013 onwards:
‘Affluence test’ for Child Benefit
Council Tax Benefit handed to local authorities
‘Bedroom Tax’ for social housing sector (under-occupiers will have reduced housing
benefit or have to transfer to smaller property)
Working-age Disability Living Allowance recipients must apply for Personal
Independence Payments
Crisis loans and Community Care Grants abolished, budget reduced then passed to local
authorities to devise their own scheme
Household Benefit Cap for all except Disabled Living Allowance (DLA) recipients and
war widows/widowers
Universal Credit – replaces Income Support, Income-based Job Seekers Allowance (JSA),
Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), Housing Benefit, Child Tax Credit and
Working Tax Credit
Pathfinders in the North to start this process which may begin in Southwest 2014?
(From Jane Emanuel, Bristol Advice Network)
27. 2. Poverty in the UK
Benefit changes: two insidious changes
1. Universal credit scheme
involves:
1 applying for benefits online
2 weekly payments being replaced with monthly payments
3 a single payment being issued per household
The Women's Resource and Development Agency said: “It is
estimated that in 80% of cases Universal Credit will be paid to the
male partner in the household”.
Rosa Prince The Telegraph - http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/9531622/Iain-Duncan-Smith-told-millions-will-struggle-to-
claim-universal-credit.html
This change is likely to impact negatively on women’s bargaining
position and status within the family, particularly for women with no
other independent income
28. 2. Poverty in the UK
Benefit changes: two insidious changes
1. Universal credit scheme
70 organisations submitted over 500 pages of evidence outlining concerns
about the government's plans
Benefits have to be applied for online
Yet “The new universal credit system risks causing difficulties to the 8.5 million
people who have never used the internet and a further 14.5 million who have
virtually no ICT [internet + communications technology] skills” (CAB)
Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) stated: “anyone without IT skills or
access to a computer will be fully supported and we have processes in place to
help them” but who will provide/fund this support?
Rosa Prince (2012)
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/9531622/Iain-Duncan-Smith-told-millions-will-struggle-to-claim-universal-credit.html
29. 2. Poverty in the UK
Benefit changes: two insidious changes
2. The ‘bedroom tax’
New rules state that housing benefit and universal
credit claimants deemed to have one unused
bedroom in their council or housing association
home will lose 14% of their housing benefit and
those with two or more will lose 25%
The ‘bedroom tax’ is likely to hit single parents and
disabled people hardest
Toby Helm and Tracy McVeigh (2013)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2013/mar/30/bedroom-tax-disaster-housing-chief
31. 2. Poverty in the UK
Other dangers – changes to the NHS
The Health & Social Care Act 2012
Clauses that lead to the privatisation of health
care could seriously reduce the quality and
availability of health provision for people living
in poverty or on low incomes
On some nights the NHS out- Back door privatisation
of-hours service in Cornwall, Britain's leading medical body, the
run by the private company Academy of Medical Royal
Serco, had only 1 GP to care
Colleges, has expressed grave
for 535,000 patients
(BBC News 29 September 2012 concern that the government is
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/u planning to privatise large sections
k-england-cornwall-19770029). of the NHS by the back door – in
breach of previous promises to
A recent poll surveyed by the limit the role of the private sector.
Royal College of General
This reneges on previous
Practitioners revealed that ¾ agreements with the profession
of GPs want health and Observer Sunday 3rd March 2013
social care bill withdrawn
The Independent Sunday 3rd March 2013 The Guardian 12 January 2012).
32. 2. Poverty in the UK
Danger posed by privatisation
It is worth remembering that the privatisation of social care has in places been disastrous. This
article from the Financial Times shows how 5 Southern Cross executives sold shares before
its value crashed and were legally able to walk away with £35m. Southern Cross provided care
homes for older people and its crash led to a crisis for people who were living in these homes.
33. 3. The price of inequality
The poorest 10% will suffer 15 times
more than the richest (False Economy website)
What we are witnessing is the break-up of the welfare
state
The so-called ‘economic recession’ and financial
‘deficit’ are being used to justify cuts in the welfare
budget and further privatisation of welfare and health
provision
36. 3. The price of inequality
This graph shows that greater the
income gap between the richest and
poorest 20% in a country, the greater
the likelihood of health and social
problems being intensified. This is
detrimental not just to people living in
poverty, but to the vast majority of
society. This research suggest that
many health and social problems, such
as high levels of mental illness,
numbers in prison, rates of drug and
alcohol use, weight problems, and low
levels of public trust tend to be worse
in less equal societies
http://www.equalitytrust.org.uk
This graph is from Wilkinson and Pickett’s (2010) influential text The Spirit Level: Why Equality
is Better for Everyone. London: Penguin. Wilkinson and Pickett are the founders of the Equality
Trust. Equality Bristol is a local branch of the Equality Trust http://equalitybristol.wordpress.com/
37. 3. The price of inequality
This ‘Infographic’ on The
Price of Inequality by Adam
Frost and Rosie Roche is
on the Equality Trust
website
http://www.equalitytrust.org.uk/
For an enlarged version of this
chart, see
http://i.imgur.com/Cufgf.gif
Or The New Statesman
http://www.newstatesman.com/economics/economics/2012/10/chart-day-price-inequality
38. 4. Cuts are not the cure
Cuts in Bristol
An overview of Bristol’s population: 2011 Census
Bristol’s population = 428,100 people
Bristol is the 7th largest city in England and is one of 8 ‘core cities’ (+
Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Nottingham, Leeds, Sheffield, Newcastle)
16% of Bristol’s population belong to a black/ethnic minority group
39. 4. Cuts are not the cure
Bristol advice centres and services
Advice agencies are overwhelmed and struggling cope
with the number of people seeking help
Legal Aid cuts have led to redundancies in many centres
Employment Support Allowance (ESA) appeals
currently constitute more than 60% of specialist advice
time. In Bristol area 85% of cases represented at
Tribunal are successful
40. 4. Cuts are not the cure
Bristol advice centres and services
Advice Centres for Avon (ACFA)
Age UK
Bristol Avon & Bristol Law Centre (ABLC)
Bristol City Council Welfare Rights and Money Advice
Service
Bristol Citizens’ Advice Bureau (CAB)
Bristol Debt and Advice Centre (BDAC)
North Bristol Advice Centre
South Bristol Advice Services
St Paul's Advice Centre
41. 4. Cuts are not the cure
The deficit
‘The deficit is simply the gap between what the
government spends each year and what it receives in
tax . . . UK debt has grown in the recession but is
much lower than in the past’ (from False Economy)
False Economy - http://falseeconomy.org.uk
This graph shows that for the UK,
the National Debt has been much
higher than it is today
Quick fact
Current UK national debt: 60%
Average UK national debt 1988
-2010: 112% (from False Economy)
42. 4. Cuts are not the cure
The deficit grew because tax income fell
If countries spend more than they get back from tax they normally have to borrow
money to make up the difference. If the government covers a deficit by borrowing
money, then that will increase the national debt. When times are good and tax
income is higher than spending, governments can pay back part of the debt and it
will come down.
Our UK national debt is lower than in many
other countries including France, Germany,
Canada and the USA (from False Economy)
43. 4. Cuts are not the cure
The UK is the 7th richest country in the world but
There is money . . . the allocation of resources and funding favours
certain groups or vested interests over others e.g.
Renewing Trident – experts state the UK's
Trident nuclear deterrent will cost a minimum
of £20bn plus £100bn to build and operate
Subsidising the arms trade - the level of
public subsidy (from taxpayers) is estimated to
be £700m per year according to research by
the Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT)
Subsidising private schools – the current
subsidy to private schools is estimated to be
£100m of taxpayers’ money
44. 4. Cuts are not the cure
Banks and bankers
A report from the London School of Economics
revealed:
London’s top 1,400 bankers take home an average
£2 million a year including £568,000 “basic” pay
London finance workers received 14.2% more in
salary and cash bonuses in 2011 than 2008
average workers outside the City got 3.7% over the
same period. This is equivalent to a 6% FALL
because inflation rose by (9.7%)
£1 in every £7 earned in Britain now goes to the
top 1% of earners
Brian Bell and John van Reenen (2013) http://cep.lse.ac.uk/pubs/download/occasional/op035.pdf
45. 4. Cuts are not the cure
Banks and bankers
Guardian 24 February 2013
Daily Mail online
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2093630/Stephen-Hester-bonus-Top-RBS-bankers-follow-boss-example-says-Vince-Cable.html
Taxpayers have a 83% stake in the Royal Bank of Scotland.
In March 2013, 26 EU finance ministers imposed curbs on bankers' bonuses as a strategy to curb bankers’
incentive to gamble and repeating the excesses that led to the financial crisis. The UK opposed these curbs .
46. 4. Cuts are not the cure
Tax avoidance and evasion
In 2010, the government, via Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs
[HMRC], let Vodafone off a £6bn tax bill
The tax gap
(1) tax avoidance (finding loopholes e.g. tax havens) is
estimated to be about £25bn per annum
(2) tax evasion (breaking the law) is estimated to be about £70bn per
annum according to World Bank data
(3)unpaid and late-paid tax – currently evaluated by
HMRC to be at least £26bn per annum
Together, these figures = more than £120bn, ‘enough, at least in
principle, to close the whole current government deficit’ (Murphy 2010)
Richard Murphy (2010) http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/aug/20/tackle-tax-gap-deficit-reduction
Tax Research - http://www.taxresearch.org.uk/Documents/FAQ1TaxGap.pdf
47. 4. Cuts are not the cure
Tax avoidance and evasion
Tax inspector job losses contribute to a failure to collect 1.1bn
in taxes
in 2004-5 staff were employed nearly 100,000
by June 2010 the numbers fell to 68,000
by 2015 the numbers are likely to fall to 55,000 (nearly half the 2005 number)
Experts indicate that staff were not being properly trained and
equipped for the job http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2012/jun/23/tax-revenue-tribunals-staff-billions
“Last year (2009) 5,000 frontline (tax inspector) staff went and
more still are to go. This makes no sense: each frontline
member of staff brings in on average 30 times in tax what it
costs to employ them. The result is that tax that is so badly
needed to keep services going is being given away” (Murphy 2010)
Richard Murphy (2010) http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/aug/20/tackle-tax-gap-deficit-reduction
48. 4. Cuts are not the cure
Tax reduction for companies
- Top rate of tax reduced from 50% to 45% on salaries of
more than £150,000
- No increase to Capital Gains tax, static at 28%
- A £2,000 employment allowance allows a third of all
employers to pay no National Insurance ‘ jobs tax'
- Corporation Tax steadily reducing from 28% in
2010 to 21% in 2014 - one of the lowest
corporation tax rates in the western world
The authorative Institute of Fiscal Studies estimate that the poorest 10% of households
will lose an average of £127 under the 2013 budget changes, while the richest 10% will
gain almost 10 times that figure - £1,265. Families with children will be hit even
harder, with the poorest 10% losing £236 a year
49. Why is this happening?
15,000 protesters march to save
Lewisham A & E and to stop the
downgrading of maternity services
The intention: to promote the breakup of
the welfare state and to divert funding in
order to support the profit motive and
private enterprise
50. Why is this happening?
15,000 protesters march to save
Lewisham A & E and to stop the
downgrading of maternity services
The strategy: to overwhelm and
overstretch public services with the sheer
number of policy changes being set in
motion
51. Why is this happening?
15,000 protesters march to save
Lewisham A & E and to stop the
downgrading of maternity services
The strategy: divide and rule by
setting people against each other
people on benefits versus ‘hard working people’
people on benefits versus ‘heroic’ soldiers
one hospital (Lewisham) versus another hospital (S. London Healthcare NHS Trust)
people who “deserve to be helped” versus “those who don’t”
52. Divide and rule The impact of stigma and other social
influences on applying for benefits –
some research finding suggest that the
public see claimants as less deserving
than they did 20 years ago
Negative reporting of benefit
claimants in newspapers. From
http://www.turn2us.org.uk/PDF/Benefits
%20stigma%20Draft%20report%20v9.pdf
http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2012/nov/20/benefits-stigma-newspapers-report-welfare
53. Unclaimed benefits
Community Links, a coalition of 27
charities co-ordinated by the Citizens
Advice Bureau, stated that in 2009 an
estimated £16bn in welfare benefits
and tax credits went unclaimed
Community Care
http://www.community-links.org/linksuk/?p=1531
BBC News 2010 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8494105.stm
54. The stigma of poverty
feelings of shame
self blame
guilt
secrecy
powerlessness
hopelessness
despair
injustice
55. UK cabinet 2009: 23 millionaires out of 29
Only 4 female cabinet members!!
56. Could Iain Duncan Smith (IDS), the current Work and Pensions
Secretary, survive on £53 a week or £7.57 a day - a 97% reduction
in his current income. As a cabinet minister, Duncan Smith earns
£134,565 a year, which is £1,581.02 a week or £225 a day after tax*
The Telegraph http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/9964767/Iain-Duncan-Smith-I-could-live-on-53-per-week.html
Mr Duncan Smith lives in a 16th-
century Grade-II listed Tudor house
in Swanbourne which is said to be
worth £2m. The property includes
Photo -
a swimming pool, tennis courts and
Independent three acres of grounds. It belongs to
Tuesday 2 April Mrs Duncan Smith's father, John
2013 Tapling Fremantle, the fifth Baron
Cottesloe, who moved out of the
house with his wife several years
ago. Mr Duncan Smith is technically
a tenant and living rent-free with his
wife and children.
The Independent
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politi
cs/george-osborne-mounts-fierce-defence-of-
essential-cut-in-top-tax-8556168.html
300,000 people signed the petition at www.change.org
