A song for the Bedroom Tax protesters

Here’s something we can all enjoy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bik9299kA0c&feature=youtu.be

Tomorrow – Saturday, March 30, 2013 – thousands, maybe even hundreds of thousands, of people will be heading out to organised protests against the Bedroom Tax.

You know why.

The government has dreamed up a financial device, called variously a ‘state overoccupation charge’ or a ‘spare-room subsidy’. Under its back-of-a-fag-packet rules, anyone in social housing with more bedrooms than the government says they need will lose housing benefit – 14 per cent for the first extra room; 25 per cent for two or more.

The government thinks it is more fair to deprive people of the money to pay landlords for their homes than it is to cap rents.

The government thinks it is fair to take money from people who cannot move into smaller accommodation, more appropriate to their needs, because it simply hasn’t been built.

But then, the government thinks it is fair for MPs like James Clappison (Conservative, Hertsmere) to have 24 homes and yet still claim £100,000 in second-home expenses between 2001 and 2009. That’s £12,500 per year. People on Housing Benefit get less than £100 per week, meaning less than £5,200 per year.

Do YOU think it’s fair for Mr Clappison, with his 24 houses, to be taking so much of our (taxpayers’) money while forcing so many of us into rent arrears on the only homes we have?

Nor do I.

So please, if you live in one of the towns where a protest is taking place, go. I hope you have a great time, meet similarly-minded people, build alliances, plan future protests.

I would. But I live in Mid Wales, where there don’t seem to be any protests. Not only do all roads turn to dirt tracks before you get here; political thinking devolves to feudalism as well.

So, to all you protesters, I send you this song. It’s not mine, but the link was sent to me so I’m going to use it. I think it sets out the facts of the situation – eloquently.

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5 Comments

  1. rainbowwarriorlizzie March 30, 2013 at 12:06 am - Reply

    Ty Mike is an awesome rebellion song have share far n wide. Do you how \i can find out if there are any protest down here in Winchester, as we have noot heard of anything happening here as yet. In Solidarity!

    • Mike Sivier March 30, 2013 at 12:58 am - Reply

      Okay, if you go to the ‘Green Benches’ link on the blogroll at the top left of this very page, Eoin Clarke has posted a list of Bedroom Tax events across the country. Winchester is not on the list, but I hope you can find one near you.
      I get the choice of Cardiff or Swansea, both of which are many many miles away.

  2. rainbowwarriorlizzie March 30, 2013 at 12:07 am - Reply

    Reblogged this on HUMAN RIGHTS & POLITICAL JOURNAL and commented:
    In Solidarity!

  3. Thomas M March 30, 2013 at 3:48 am - Reply

    I live in a small town and have a cough and cold, so I doubt there are any protests I can go to. Also I don’t want to infect my fellow protesters.

  4. Phil The Folk March 30, 2013 at 2:25 pm - Reply

    Nearest one to me I think is in Barnet..will find out more! For those of you who haven’t heard my protest song, “They’ve Got The Whole Thing Wrong” actually written in 2008 but even more applicable now, go to my website http://www.virtualbiscuit.co.uk Track 3. It got to No1 in the SoundClick Folk chart a couple of weeks back! :)

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