Great, i found what i 've been lookin for best wishes

"I hope the Tory Coalition is listening to the frontline workers that know best. Each of the six has a valid point to make. All they want is to be left to do a rewarding job, not studying for an MBA and managing budgets"

Well said Swatantra!

For further information on how the proposed cuts will impact upon thousands of clients of CAB and other Legal Aid providers:

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/press_20110111

As well as hearing the views of those that provide Legal Aid, it would be good to have the views of those that have benefited from the service. You can tell your own story on the following site:

mylegal.org.uk

Read more about the campaign:

justice for all.org.uk

inspectorgadget
Dr Melvin T Gray has left a comment on the New Statesman blog saying that we are ‘the most foul mouthed and rebellious rabble in uniform’.

Anyone who would like to answer him (without proving his point please) go here:

http://www.newstatesman.com/blogs/the-staggers/2011/01/workers-speak-boo...

Interestingly, from reading both the Winston Smith and Gadget blogs for some time now, the universal theme of both is that the problem isn't funding or government cuts - its the relentless assault of politically correct initiatives, poor management, arse covering and non jobs that are making the system inefficient and innefective

Apologies I should have said if Gove wasn't trying to do away with our terms and conditions...doh!

Now I know where I am meant to be, I can find my way back tomorrow. Bed time for me. Oh and what about the nurses ? Threatened with redundancies if they won't give up their incremental pay rises ? We are already paid peanuts but now they don't even want to reward us with more peanuts for loyalty of service. PAH !!

Lou and Helen: I'm not sure the article is on-line, I can't see it yet on here. I'll put it up here some time soon. And then I'd love to hear your views? We need to cultivate some interest here for all front-line workers!

And they also hand-out multi-million pound contracts to the [foreign] company that does the medicals for employment support allowance (sick pay).
where an occupational health professional contradicts the doctor and say the person is fully fit to work.
Now, how many "fully fit for work" claimants have gone-on the die within months ?
quite a few....but then....the company also gets paid less if it says the person is not fit for work.
So no pressure ?

It is contradictary Nick. They say the GP 'knows' the patient best. But they worried that the GP's knew their patients so well they weren't able to be impartial when it came down to signing them off sick. Or make the decision that their patients were not fit for work long-term.

Hi Lou and Helen,

Here it is in all its glory!

“The Legal Aid Worker

“They say our work could be done by volunteers – but filing cabinets of filing cabinets of complex cases tell me otherwise”

At the Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) where I work in South Hams, Devon, we are heavily reliant on legal aid funding. A lot of our work is difficult, complicated and unglamorous. Dealing with people’s problems over entitlement to benefits, or their debts, or – in conjunction with the charity Shelter – specialist housing help.

The Government wants to make immediate savings by cutting all civil legal aid budgets by 10% - and, by 2014/2015, it hopes to save £350 million a year across the country. Our legal aid service costs each person in the three districts we cover just 94p a year, so we think we’re good value for money already. But the coalition says that the work we do isn’t specialist and could be picked up by volunteers. Filing cabinets of very complex cases tell me otherwise.

The cuts mean that we won’t be able to help people like such as Tom in the future. Tom is in his thirties and is severely autistic. His mother came to us after his mobility payment was stopped because he is living in community residential care. We strongly disagreed with the decision: the money helps carers take Tom, who is unable to speak, out in a specially adapted bus. Without it, he is unlikely to see much of the outside world. What would his quality of life be like?

Tom’s case, which began in 2008, has now reached the upper tribunal in London. Despite the length of time and complexity of the case, we at the CAB are paid only a fixed fee of £167 by the state to deal with it. But even that might not be available in the future. The government’s plans will hit people such as Tom and his mother hard. Not only will they have to deal with cuts to benefits, but there will be much less funding to help them if those cuts are unjust.

Nick Dilworth is a legal aid casework supervisor in Devon. To find out more about the Justice for All Campaign, visit: justice- for – all.org.uk”

Hope you find it interesting. Lou, your knowledge of the benefits system is amazing, please tell others how the complexity of the system justifies keeping a legal system for people like Tom, these really are the people who will suffer social injustice. And Helen you can write a good post too, we need lots more interest in this, people are just being too complacent and think it won't happen.

Do also use the mylegal.org.uk link as well, it's a really interesting site where you can tell your own stories of how social injustice will impact upon many.

I remind you both that our minister of justice tells us welfare benefit advice is......basic mechanical advice, he really ought to see it from our perspective.

Lou: I've pinched your post from the one on enforced marriage values, it fits in well here:

" It is emotional terrorism and so is the change in legal aid.

Legal aid for custody battles is an essential where suitability for access and custody needs to be ascertained. It seems this government doesn't believe in the right of a parent to protect their child from abuse, be it emotional, mental, physical or sexual, through legal measures in a family court.

Any money they save through their legal aid changes will be swallowed up in the costs of police and social services involvement regarding children at risk. The price paid by the child or the parent though may be too much to bear. "

Well said! Many hard working family lawyers (who certainly aren't of the 'fat cat' variety) would appreciate your words, as would those they represent.

Hi Lou:

Yes it has been a hectic 24 hours!, it was a bit of a shame that so much happened at the same time when the article came out, Coulson and the resignation of Alan Johnson rather grabbed the headlines.

It would be brilliant if you could speak with your MP, Yvonne Fovargue is spearheading the Justice for All campaign, to be fair our own Tory MP is very open to listening and a local Liberal Democrat is on board and has signed an early day motion. Trouble is there are just too many reforms going through consultations simultaneously and believe me this campaigning is exhausting! Especially, when it runs parallel with all the work we have to do for our clients! The fat cat lawyer misconception is highly mis-representative of our sector, that's for sure.

I'll look forward to your posts.

Hi Nick.. I have, at anything specific ?

Interestingly the 'police view' was selected from a blog where Dr Melvin T Gray is banned on account of his continually nasty and impolite remarks towards serving officers.

Inspector Gadget's blog is in fact the only online forum where interested members of the public (as well as those with an axe to grind a la Dr Melvin) can view the opinions and experiences of those in frontline policing free from Home Office spin.

I particularly enjoy the blog by "Insp Gadget".
The issues debated are real ones that should concern us all. I appreciate that at times some of the views expressed by front line officers may seem controversial, but the blog is often used as a safety valve by officers who act highly professionally when on duty.
Please read the entire post by Welshinspector who says 'If you were faced by a yob spitting in your face and telling you that "I hope you and family die of cancer” would you snap or just walk away and come take the mickey on a Police blog.'
Dr MT Gray really hasn't a clue about the strong bonds and camaraderie that exist between police officers, where without exceptional teamwork fellow officers would be faced with serious injury and even loss of life

Hi Lou.. I thought that must have been what he meant.

When can it be read on-line ?

Oh dear, Melvin's popped up here too. I'm not a copper but I've had the marvellous Melvin spewing forth on my blog. All you have to do is say "police" and "gadget" in the same post to bring him out of the woodwork, frothing like a Rottweiler that's been gnawing on soap. Only he's not as funny.