[OccupySheffield] Thanks for helping spread the word about the Spartacus Report

[Rick B]

Dear reasonable people,

Below should be a letter of thanks from 'Going to Work' re the Sparticus
Report and the House of lords debate from Wednesday night.
I guess, if there's a moral to the story, then it's 'every little bit
helps'.

Thanks
Rick
 Dear Rick, We'd like to thank everyone who helped to spread the word about
the Spartacus Report<http://action.goingtowork.org.uk/page/m/1f11b314/3ab86ca6/5443f2a8/5407587b/3587153987/VEsH/>on
the government’s proposed cuts to disability benefits as part of the
Welfare Reform Bill.

There’s some good news to report after Wednesday night’s debate and vote in
the House of Lords. The government suffered three major defeats, with
amendments passed that meant:

   - The Bill’s limit on Employment Support Allowance will be increased to
   at least two years (not one as planned).
   - Cancer patients will be exempt from the ESA time limit.
   - Young people disabled before they are able to build up qualifying
   contributions will not be denied access to ESA.

These three unexpected defeats for the government give real hope for more
progress in winning changes to this hugely damaging Bill. As crossbench
Peer Lord Patel said in the debate:

*"I am sympathetic to cutting the deficit, but I am highly sympathetic to
sick and vulnerable people not being subjected to something that will make
their lives even more miserable."*

We’re glad we could help support this important work by a group of
committed and resourceful campaigners. Disabled activists have moved
mountains on this through their own hard work and organisation, and deserve
huge credit for what they’ve achieved so far.

Sue Marsh, one of the lead authors of the Spartacus Report *has a good post
on her blog*<http://action.goingtowork.org.uk/page/m/1f11b314/3ab86ca6/5443f2a8/54075878/3587153987/VEsE/>,
explaining where these victories on amendments and the Spartacus report fit
into the wider concerns with the Welfare Reform Bill for disabled people.

The threat is far from over though, with proposals still on the table that
will lead to very real hardship for many disabled people and other
vulnerable people who need support from our benefits system.

If you contacted a Peer about the Spartacus report, have a look at the *voting
record on the amendments*<http://action.goingtowork.org.uk/page/m/1f11b314/3ab86ca6/5443f2a8/54075879/3587153987/VEsF/>to
see how they voted. If they supported amendments, why not drop them an
email to thank them for their help?

If you helped spread the word online, please help get out word of this
initial victory. Making sure everyone knows about the government’s
comprehensive defeat in this first skirmish in the Lords will help greatly
in setting the tone for the next debates and amendment votes that are
coming next Tuesday.

Going To Work is a project of the Trades Union Congress (TUC)

This email was sent to:
soisthesun at gmail.com

You can unsubscribe from our email updates at any time, just go to:
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