The Refugee Survival Trust's bus pass scheme is a lifeline for destitute refugees and asylum seekers who cannot afford to buy their own tickets. Something as simple as access to public transport can be the reason that an individual is able to attend important meetings, go to the food bank, or even meet friends. Being mobile is crucial to the asylum application process and to integration into life in Scotland.

50 years ago, on Christmas Eve, 1967, Martin Luther King, in what was to be his last Christmas Eve sermon, preached on the links between care for the environment and social justice that are still so relevant today.

A Christmas Sermon on Peace

The Nativity at the Vatican

 

The Tablet explains why the Nativity scene in St Peter's Square is not exactly getting rave reviews

Last newsletter of 2017, updates on Give Me Five, our Calais Visit and much, much more.

Would you or someone you know be interested in volunteering in Calais?  Many volunteers are needed to guarantee the distribution of warm food, clothing and sleeping bags.  No matter what skills you have or how long you can stay there is something you can do!  Here is how to get in touch.

The Scotsman have today, 7th December 2017,  published the following article quoting Bishop Nolan and Sir Harry Burns in support of the Give Me Five Campaign to Increase child benefit by £5 per week in Scotland and lift 30,000 children out of poverty. 

A stark warning in a new report by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation -   Scotland’s progress in tackling poverty is at a turning point and risks unravelling because of soaring housing costs for low income households, in-work poverty and the UK social security freeze.

MIGRANTS and asylum seekers should only be held in detention centres such as Dungavel House as a “last resort” and only for a fixed period of time, doctors have said.  A report by the doctors' union, the BMA, said the Home Office should consider "more humane means of monitoring people" instead of locking them up in immigration and removal centres (IRCs). It said the facilities should eventually be phased out altogether.

A report in the Scotsman has revealed that one fifth of children in Scotland live in families that are in poverty and cannot afford basic necessities. Scottish Government statistics indicate that 20% of children in Scotland live in families which are both classified as having limited resources - meaning they have low incomes, defined as having 70% of middle income - and also live in material deprivation, so cannot afford basics such as being able to repair or replace a broken kettle. 

The “Give Me Five” campaign aims to lift 30,000 children in Scotland out of poverty by increasing child benefit by £5 a week per child. While the Child Poverty (Scotland) Bill is welcomed, setting out as it does ambitious targets to eradicate child poverty in Scotland by 2030, this campaign seeks urgent action now to meet the needs of the 260,000 children living in poverty in Scotland today.  

To add your support to the campaign please sign the petition and write to you MSP here

 

Feeding back from the conference which took place in October 2017, this report explores how faith communities in post-industrial towns across Scotland are helping to build a Good Society through social action to tackle the effects of poverty.
 

Almost nine out of 10 (89%) of British adults say tax avoidance by large companies is morally wrong even if it's legal, according to a new ComRes poll for Christian Aid. The poll is published ahead of the Budget, which is expected to include new measures against tax avoidance following further revelations made in the Paradise Papers.

SCIAF and Justice & Peace Scotland plan to produce a directory of organisations involved in work for the poor in Scotland and abroad. Those who wish to heed the Pope’s call to practical action by volunteering will be able to use the directory to identify those organisations and to make direct contact with them.

If you would like your organisation, no matter its size, to be listed in this directory, click here to complete a short form. 

 

Download a paper petition here

PETITION CLOSES ON 17TH NOVEMBER

Useful resources for Caritas Students

 

Justice and Peace Scotland have linked up with the Scottish Catholic Education Service to provide an opportunity for Caritas students to take part in the Give Me £5 campaign aimed at topping up child benefit.

Click on the link for a select list of resources to assist Caritas students involved in this campaign 

How can you respond?

Call the Santa Marta Group

The World Day of the Poor is a new celebration in the Catholic calendar, created by Pope Francis at the end of his 2015-16 Jubilee year for mercy. Here are some resources to help you mark the day,

Catholic Social Action Network

CAFOD

The Guardian presents a thought provoking video on child homelessness.

Pope Francis gave an address on Saturday, to the conference on (Re)Thinking Europe: a Christian Contribution to the Future of the European Project, sponsored by the Commission of the Bishops' Conferences of the European Community (COMECE).

In attendance were several delegates from Scotland, including J&P’s Social Justice Convener, Danny Sweeney. Danny will update us on the conference in the coming weeks.

Text of Address

Pope Francis has designated a World Day of the Poor on the 19th November.

The Holy Father is encouraging Catholics to do something practical to help those marginalised in our society.

Homeless Sunday is on 28th January 2018.

Further information

UN Statistics. For those seeking access to historical statistics, scanned copies are now avaialable.  They are presented in individual pdf which can be downloaded. Format includes global, regional and national data across all areas of social and economic life. Strong coverage of population, social life, economic activity, international economic relations.

Other sites:

• UN Data
• UN Digital Library
• UN Research Guides

Rise Theatre Company's production of Romero - Heartbeat of El Salvador is coming to Scotland with performances in Edinburgh on 3rd November and Glasgow on 4th.

Further details 

Tickets

The October issue of our E-Newletter is now available. 

Sign up to receive it

 

A new ICN article reports that thousands of refugee children are at risk in Europe right now. It is estimated that there are more than 1,000 unaccompanied children in France, who are legally entitled to live in the UK.

Challenge Poverty Week 2017 takes place on 15-21 October and as a way to highlight this week, the Scottish Churches Parliamentary Office have produced a resource, ‘Prayers to Confront Poverty in Scotland’ with a prayer for each day of the week - from different Christian denominations and groups.

Bar Human Rights Committee says applications have not had proper decisions and condemns UK’s limits on Dubs scheme. 

The Catholic Parliamentary Office reports that Archbishop Michael Fitzgerald, former head of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue and Papal Nuncio to Egypt, has praised Scotland for being a ‘multicultural and multireligious’ society.

Our latest blog is personal view by Marian Pallister (author & vice chair of Justice and Peace Scotland) as a recent event led her to reflect on our need for justice.

More than 40 million people around the world were victims of modern slavery – forced labour and forced marriage – in 2016, a United Nations study has found, revealing the true scale of such practices that disproportionately affect women and girls.

Global estimates of modern slavery: Forced labour and forced marriage show that among the victims, about 25 million were in forced labour, and 15 million were in forced marriage. Of the total, almost 29 million – or 71 per cent – are women and girls. Women represent 99 per cent of victims of forced labour in the commercial sex industry and 84 per cent of people in forced marriage.

UN News

Global Estimates for Modern Slavery and Child Labour

The National Catholic Reporter has a new feature: Justice Action Bulletin. 

Every Tuesday the NCR will  feature news on active nonviolence in the service of peace and justice.

 

 

Sleep in the Park – a mass sleep-out to end homelessness in Scotland. For Good.
 
Saturday 9th December 2017
 
Social Bite, a proactive charity working around Scotland with and for homeless people, is organising the world's largest ever sleep-out and are hoping to attract 9,000 people to Edinburgh's Princes Street Gardens. The charity hopes that by raising funds and working together, the people of Scotland will create such an impetus that homelessness will be eradicated over a five-year period.

 

Commonweal reports on an in flight press conference given by by Pope Francis.

Read the article.

The recent arrest of five people  in Surrey on suspicion of modern slavery offences has highlighted this issue once more.

ACTS (Action of Churches Together in Scotland) Anti-Human Trafficking Group along with The Albertus Institute and Edinburgh University have organised a discussion day on slavery and human trafficking with the emphasis on Scotland.
Entitled ‘More Slaves Today than at any Time in Human History’ Exchanging Scottish and International Perspectives on Human Trafficking '  it takes place on Saturday October 7th in Edinburgh. Details.

Anti Slavery Day is on 18th October

 

Since 2008, Take One Action Film Festivals have engaged tens of thousands of people with hundreds of world-class films, showcasing inspiring stories that comment on issues of global concern.

 

Programme for this year's festival

Event in Eastwood

Good Money Week is 8th-14th October.

Eastwood Ecumenical Peace & Justice Forum is planning to hold a meeting to mark Good Money Week on 2nd October 2017 in East Renfrewshire.  The purpose of Good Money Week is to draw awareness to the range of opportunities which exist for those wishing to know what choices there are to invest in ethical financial products.

 

There are two new J&P videos available on our YouTube channel.

Give me Five Campaign. This is the campaign to petition the Scottish government to add £5 per week per child to Child Benefit. This short video covers the main points of the campaign,
 

Responding to Refugees and Migrants.  As you know, Pope Francis has issued a 20-point action plan to governments on refugees and migrants. This short video puts these points into an easily accessible format.

 

Community groups brought together by the Interfaith Food Justice Network in Glasgow invite you all to come along to George Square on Sunday 3rd September to share some free food and a blether at One Big Picnic!

This is a free event open to the general public to celebrate the diversity of Glasgow’s residents and bring people from all different backgrounds together.

The event is being organised by a group of local people from diverse backgrounds including Muslim, Christian, Sikh, Humanist, Buddhist and non-religious who are working together to deliver One Big Picnic in order to promote dignity, community and food justice.

An article in the Church Times indicates that Church of England Bishops are growing concerned after the Child Poverty Action Group reported that some parents were no longer able to meet the costs of caring for their children

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops President and Domestic Justice Chairman Call for Prayer and Unity in Response to Deadly Charlottesville Attack.

Rabbi Michael Lerner from the Network of Spiritual Progressives, and editor of Tikkun magazine writes: Many of us spiritual progressives have been in deep grief for the loss of life of Heather Heyer, the woman killed by a Nazi fanatic who also wounded 19 other anti-racist activists.

Modern slavery and human trafficking is far more prevalent than previously thought, with a recent crackdown lifting the lid on the scale of the crime and potentially tens of thousands of victims in the UK, the National Crime Agency has said.

Religious leaders have met in Japan to pray for peace in the world and as a response to Pope Francis asking them to foster dialogue, friendship and peace.

By closing the Dubs scheme, the Government has left unaccompanied children at the mercy of traffickers.

IT should be making more headlines but it isn’t. There are many good reasons why it should be all over our news pages, and very few to justify why it’s not. The most obvious reason as to why this story should have greater news prominence is that more than 20 million lives hang in the balance, among them 1.4 million children of whom 600,000 could die in the next three to four months. It’s not as if there has been any shortage of warnings either.  In March this year Stephen O’Brien, United Nations Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs, spelt out the magnitude of the crisis.

Caritas Anchor House in east London has beaten hundreds of projects across the UK to be shortlisted in the latest Stoves Community Kitchens campaign, and is in the running to win up to £5,000 worth of kitchen appliances.

Pope Francis called for increased efforts to end human trafficking on Sunday 30th July 2017. The Holy Father’s appeal came in remarks following the Angelus prayer with pilgrims and tourists gathered in St Peter’s Square and the World Day against Trafficking in Persons, sponsored by the United Nations.

Read the Independent Catholic News report on the first Scottish Nonviolence Conference at Kinnoul, Perth 14th-16th July 2017. 

The conference was organised by the Fellowship of Reconciliation (England and Scotland) Justice and Peace Scotland and the Church of Scotland. Participants came from groups including the Scottish Episcopalian Church, Quakers, Methodists, Pax Christi, Catholic Church in Scotland, and the Conforti Institute.

Watch the videos of both speakers talks at the link below https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUKmIIIRRX_YRS_PlNBAr2A

Máire McCormack part of the commission for Children and Young People Scotland writes about children from low-income families going hungry during the school holidays.

Relaunch of our Catholic Social Teaching Quotes - ideal for parish bulletins!

Quotes selected to match Mass readings or upcoming social justice dates.

A new article in The Independent highlights that several children granted rights to live in the UK are "leading a hand to mouth existence wandering around France"

Perth 14th -16th July 2017

 

There is still time to book your place on Scotland's Nonviolence Conference - "Reclaiming Gospel Nonviolence"  at the beautiful St Mary's Monastery, Kinnoul, Perth from Friday 14th July - Sunday 16th July 2017.  Day or weekend passes available. 

Pope Francis made a pilgrimage to northern Italy on Tuesday to honor two 20th-century parish priests whose commitment to the poor and powerless brought them censure from the Vatican.

An opportunity to reflect on and deepen our understanding of Judaism. The colloquium will be lead by Fr. David NeuhausS.J., Latin Patriarchal Vicar for Hebrew speaking Catholics in Israel and Pastoral Coordinator for migrants.

Friday 25th–Saturday 26thAugust 2017
ConfortiInstitute, Calder Avenue, Coatbridge, ML5 4JS

Leaders of the world’s major religions released a joint appeal this week calling on people of the world to get to know and make friends with people from other faiths.

Announcing the 1st World Day of the Poor, Pope Francis invites Christians to “create moments of encounter and friendship, solidarity and concrete assistance. ”

Homeless immigrants are being told they can secure housing for their children but not themselves, effectively forcing them to break up their family or sleep rough with their children.

While this Herald article suggests that hate crime is on the increase, Scotland’s community safety minister urges people to report such ‘ appalling acts’ and  condemns ‘…any crime motivated by prejudice' as 'absolutely unacceptable’.

Pope Francis has appealed for prayers and international participation in the 'One Minute for Peace' initiative to be held Thursday, 8 June, at 1pm Rome time.

“For the wellbeing of our human family and the promotion and protection of the common good there is an urgent need to recognise the role of international solidarity as an essential element for the enjoyment of fundamental human rights by all,”

 

Phil Kerton from Seeking Sanctuary visited Calais on 30 May, taking clothing, cash and bedding donated by various groups and individuals. He found a situation that was superficially calm, yet worrying: worries that have since been confirmed as correct.

Marian Pallister, the Vice-Chair of Justice and Peace Scotland, has examined the party manifestos, looking at the issues of most concern to justice and peace. The results can be accessed in the attached file.

Targets aimed at reducing child poverty in Scotland are too 'long range' according to a report issued today by the Scottish Parliament’s social security committee.

The World Council of Churches (WCC) is calling on Christians worldwide to join in prayer for just peace in the Holy Land by taking part in a Pentecost prayer service.

Slavery and prostitution among horrors faced by child refugees and migrants after fivefold increase in number of lone minors crossing borders since 2010-11

May 2017 is the fourth anniversary of the first major binding supply chain agreement ever implemented in the apparel industry for overseas suppliers: the Bangladesh Accord on Fire and Building Safety. Accord secured a contractual commitment by brands to stand by their suppliers and ensure safety repairs would be completed and reported on transparently, among other things, after years of brands’ struggling with a cut-and-run approach to supply chain monitoring.

Society “will be judged on how it treats its poorest and most vulnerable citizens” say Scotland’s Catholic Bishops in pre-election letter.

Six months after Muhammed Yusuf had been sold, tortured and forced to watch as a friend died, he found himself back at the parched, dusty bus station where his ordeal began, facing the man who had made him a slave.

“We are all on a journey with God towards a vision of God's kingdom of justice, of shalom. The Centre for Theology and Justice seeks to respond to the questions we encounter on that journey.  We do not journey alone, we journey together, sharing ideas, resources and engaging in theological reflection.”
 

World leaders gathering in London have been urged to cancel drought-hit Somalia's debt as millions of people in the African country face starvation.
Famine has already gripped South Sudan, with hunger killing many there and in Somalia, while a national emergency has been declared in Kenya and there are fears of a new wave of drought in Ethiopia.

As the Church celebrates the 100th anniversary of the Fatima apparitions – Aid to the Church in Need, an international Catholic charity dedicated to Our Lady of Fatima is celebrating its 70th anniversary.

Just released by the World Bank, a visual mapping of progress towards the 17 Sustainable Development goals which include: ending poverty, good health, access to education, sustainable cities. Each section highlights progress and challenges.

Access the Visual Map

It takes a wee while to load, so be patient.
 

Care4Calais was founded by a group of volunteers with the aim of supporting the people of the Calais refugee camps, providing fresh meals, warm clothing, heating and important legal and medical support.

In Its latest report, it comments there are no signs of improvement to the refugee crisis.

 

A cross-party group of MPs and Peers has published a report detailing the “horror of hunger amongst children during school holidays”.Caritas Social Action Network (CSAN), along with various schools, councils and foodbanks, submitted evidence of children going without food in the holidays.

An American publication reviews the first 100 days of the Trump presidency.

The Scottish Churches Parliamentary Office have produced a very useful resource "Explore" for the upcoming elections.

Pope Francis releases a TED talk emphasising equality and solidarity between all peoples and all faiths.

An Edinburgh Imam who met Pope Francis last Month has said the Holy Father is building a friendship between Christianity and Islam.

Peer criticises ‘shocking mistake’ as ministers say ‘administrative error’ meant they underestimated available places.

A UK general election has been called for 8 June 2017. Now is a vital opportunity to speak up for the poorest communities and work together for the common good. We must encourage and challenge all political parties and candidates to show how they will do the same.

Over 200,000 over-65s in Scotland are struggling financially, according to new research for Age Scotland.

The charity said despite one in five pensioners struggling, an estimated £292 million in Pension Credit and Housing Benefit is going unclaimed each year.

Find out more in the latest 2017 Ethical Fashion report just released by Baptist World Aid Australia. It surveys the practices of 106 companies these include leading Australian brands as well as multinationals operating in Europe and USA. It considers all stages of the production process from raw materials sourcing, manufacturing and the use of child and forced labour and the payment of a living wage. The website provides details on the methodology used and case studies.

A week ago the Ministry of Defence proudly announced that the UK is "stepping up across the globe: the fifth largest defence budget in the world and largest in Europe, rising by around £1Bn a year" How will this promote sustainable security with research and investment into those things that will keep us truly safe?

Bishop Philip Egan has urged Catholics to “lead the new evangelisation of our land” in a hard-hitting Easter sermon at Portsmouth cathedral.

When it comes to solving the immigration crisis, the media need to stop perpetuating negative stereotypes and start explaining the big picture, shedding light on the causes behind migration.

Personal Independence Payments (PIP) should be scraped and Disability Living Allowance reintroduced, according to an online campaign

He Is Risen, Alleluia.

From everyone at Justice and Peace Scotland, we hope you have a very blessed Easter

Read our Easter vigil reflection here.

From everyone at Justice and Peace Scotland, we hope you have a very blessed Easter

Read our Good Friday reflection here

From everyone at Justice and Peace Scotland, we hope you have a very blessed Easter

We have complied four very short reflections, covering Holy Thursday, Good Friday, the Easter Vigil and Easter Sunday. 

From everyone at Justice and Peace Scotland, we hope you have a very blessed Easter

The first washing machines and tumble dryers for the homeless in Rome whirred into action on Monday as 'Pope Francis' Laundry' opened its doors to provide a much needed service.

Scottish Churches Housing Action today issued an Easter appeal

 

Based on the Gospel quote that the Kingdom of Heaven is like yeast (Matt 13:33), SCHA claims to be a crucial ingredient in Scottish churches' work to tackle homelessness.

 

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican Secretary of State, celebrated Mass at the Altar of the Chair in St Peter's Basilica for the 50th anniversary of the encyclical 'Populorum Progressio' 

Text of sermon

In a message to the Alliance against Trafficking in Persons Conference in Vienna, Pope Francis called Human Trafficking "a form of slavery, a crime against humanity, a grave violation of human rights, and an atrocious scourge"

Text of Message

Justice and Peace Europe appeals for amending the Catechism of the Church

Press release from Justice and Peace Europe

 

 

The Church of Scotland has teamed up with a renowned peacemaking organisation to create an innovative new resource designed to use the power of the Bible to resolve conflict.

News from those working in Calais is that things have never been so tough. The French 'welcome centres' distributed across the country may have provided a solution for some people, but for those where it didn't, conditions are worse than the Jungle ever was.

Reflection for the Third Sunday of Lent, – Water is a gift for everyone; breaking down the dividing walls.

Everybody should have access to good food.  Nobody should go to bed hungry.

 

Trying to understand what happened in the news?

We go beyond the headlines to try and make sense of the issues.
This time – what was happening in Hungary last week”

Liam Fox, Our new International Trade Secretary has already started informal trade talks with over ten countries including China, Australia and the US. Please take a minute to sign this petition make sure these deals will protect trade with the poorest countries.
 

On International Women's Day - Justice and Peace Scotland would like to thank all of the women out there involved in the Justice and Peace movement following in a long line of inspirational women.

International Women's Day takes place this Wednesday, 8 March. To mark the day - the fourth annual Voices of Faith event takes place in the Vatican. The initiative was started by Catholic philanthropist Chantal Goetz, "to enhance the dignity, participation and leadership of women and girls through persistent and good storytelling." Voices of Faith is supported by the Fidel Goetz Foundation, Caritas and the Jesuit Refugee Service.
 

This Thursday 2 March, MPs will debate UK policy on torture in Westminster. Please ask your MP to be there.

Easter Monday marks the 28th anniversary of the martyrdom of Monseñor Oscar Romero, Archbishop of San Salvador, who once said, ‘as a Christian, I do not believe in death without resurrection. If they kill me I will rise again in the people of El Salvador.’ Rodolfo Cardenal SJ writes about the legacy of Archbishop Romero – very much alive in the Church today.

On 26 February, raise funds to help transform the church!
This Sunday, we ask: if our churches are to be communities that put the poorest first, how must we change? What must we let go of? What sacrifices are we called to make?  How can we allow God to transform us into what Pope Francis has called a “poor Church for the poor”?

A place to call home?‘ a set of six bible studies for small group discussion focusing on a range of issues around housing.

18th March, 2017. Renfield St Stephen's Centre

 

The programme for the day begins with a morning input by Fr Donal Dorr MD. Fr Donal is a priest of St Patrick’s Missionary Society, and well-known author and presenter. His book Option for the Poor and for the Earth is recognised a classic in its field. Later in the morning, there will be an opportunity for discussion with Fr Donal. 

The afternoon will see Duncan Maclaren KCSC, discuss Integral Human Development and the contribution we in Scotland can make. It also gives us a forum for consideration of the import of the Dicastery for IHD which Pope Francis has created and which came into operation on 1st January this year.

This conference is free and open to all.

Tickets from Eventbrite

Pope Francis met with a group representing indigenous peoples ahead of his Wednesday General Audience, speaking to them about the need to "reconcile the right to development, both social and cultural, with the protection of the particular characteristics of indigenous peoples and their territories"

Details

1 Day Without Us is a National Day of Action on 20th Feb 2017 to celebrate the contribution of migrants to the UK, to coincide with UN World Day of Social Justice.

For 24 hours, migrants from inside and outside the European Union, and everyone who supports them, are invited to celebrate the contribution that migrants make.

Details of Scottish events here

The UK is failing in its responsibility to protect some of the world's most vulnerable people, says the Catholic Church in England and Wales.

Independent Catholic News

Cardinal Vincent Nichols Statement

 

We were shocked and disappointed to learn that the UK Government intends to terminate the implementation of Section 67 of the Immigration Act 2016 – the “Dubs amendment” to resettle unaccompanied asylum seeking children from Europe. To have stopped this programme at fewer than 12% of the original commitment of 3,000 children is reprehensible.

The Government has decided to terminate the implementation of Section 67 of the Immigration Act 2016 – the “Dubs amendment” to resettle unaccompanied asylum seeking children from Europe. 

• BBC
• Guardian
• Huffington Post UK

On Sunday, 5 February, Cardinal Vincent, spoke on the BBC Radio 4 Westminster Hour about the executive order issued by President Trump which suspends the refugee acceptance programme for 120 days, prioritises refugee claims of religious-based persecution and imposes a travel ban on nations from a countries of 'particular concern' (seven, predominantly Muslim, countries have been named).

Full details on Independent Catholic News website

And the the lead bishop for migrants, Bishop Paul McAleenan, an auxiliary of Westminster Diocese, called on Catholics to oppose Trump’s ban.

Full details in The Tablet

A new report alleges that disabled people are having their human rights violated by the UK government.The findings are contained in a report by Inclusion Scotland, working with colleagues in England and Wales, on how disabled people’s rights are being met. It concludes that there is evidence that the UK government is breaching its obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD)

Read the Scottish Report

 

Statement by Justice and Peace Scotland on the Executive Order 'Protecting the nation from foreign terrorist entry into the United States'

27th January, 2017

Further information

Holocaust Memorial Day

Events in Scotland

How can life go on? (film)

The Bishops' annual visit to Holy Land, 14-19 January, promoted dialogue and the building of bridges on the 50th anniversary of occupation.

The photo shows Bishop William Nolan of Galloway, the President of Justice and Peace Scotland, at the Erez crossing between Israel and Gaza

Further information and final communique

 

Scottish Christian Internet Radio

Radioalba.org is sponsored by Glasgow Churches Together, by the music committee of the Archdiocese of Glasgow, and by ACTS. 

Marian Pallister, Vice Chair of Justice and Peace Scotland, gives a monthly reflection on Justice and Peace issues. See Events Diary.

The Sisters of St Joseph of Boston have put together a prayer calendar for the first 100 days of the new administration.

The content encourages unity and reconciliation and offers support to people who may be vulnerable to policy changes. 

Download the calendar here.

Resources available from Homeless Sunday UK.

Scottish Churches Housing Action

A lectionary-based resource, looking at bible stories through the lens of conflict, and the lens of peace.

 

Spirituality of Conflict is a website dedicated to reading the gospel texts through the lens of conflict and reading conflict through the lens of the gospel texts. lt publishes reflections for the gospel reading for every Sunday of the three year lectionary cycle

www.spiritualityofconflict.com.

"A world economic system that discards men, women and children because they are no longer considered useful or productive according to criteria drawn from the world of business or other organizations, is unacceptable, because it is inhumane"

Independent Catholic News

In our blog, teacher, lecturer and musician Dr. Frank O'Hagan gives a personal view on the use of music to inspire work for social justice.

 

Justice is sweet and musical; but injustice is harsh and discordant (Henry David Thoreau).

 

International Taize Weekend: Birmingham

Hundreds of young adults (16-35) from across Europe will be travelling to Birmingham in the spring - to take part in a gathering led by the Taizé Community from Friday 28th April - Monday 1st May 2017.

The weekend will explore the theme of Hidden Treasure: The small and often hidden ways in which Christians are nourishing their faith through prayer, and acts of solidarity with those in most need.

Further details

Pope Francis's address to the diplomats accredited to the Holy See touches on issues of social justice - migrants, arms race, nuclear weapons, climate change. 

Full text of the address.

The Christian think Theos has launched 'Doing Good', a report on the future of Christianity, drawing on a decade of research.

 

It is available to download from the Theos Website

Letter to all parishes from Bishop Nolan.

 

In his letter to parishes, Bishop William Nolan of Galloway, President of the Justice and Commission, reflects on the need for peace in our world.

"The church must continually examine the signs of the times and interpret them in the light of the Gospel" Gaudium et Spes, 1965. p.4.

 

In the United States, a parish in New Jersey,  St. Anne Parish, Fair Lawn, held a prayer service with a difference. Participants reflected upon issues such as immigration, the economy and prejudice with prayers interspersed by Pope Francis' words.

Read the full NCR article

The birth of Jesus should remind world of the suffering of children today, pontiff says in Christmas Eve address at Vatican

Read More

In our blog, Commission member John Seenan urges activity for Justice and Peace as one way of responding to the Christmas message.

The charity Word on the Streets has teamed up with Church Housing Trust and Housing Justice to create a short survey about how your church responds to the needs of homeless people.

The purpose of the survey is to find out what churches are doing for homeless people and the challenges faced in meeting the seemingly increasing demand. This information will be used to inform church leaders and policy makers about the role the church community is playing, and the support and resources needed.

Access the survey

Human Rights as a tool against transgression and populism

 

Statement on Human Rights Day - 10th December -  adopted by Justice and Peace Europe 

Ask your MP to call for a review of benefit sanctions

 

The Government claims that benefit sanctions improve people's employment prospects. But a recent report from the National Audit Office (NAO) showed that the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has no direct evidence for the effectiveness of sanctions, has failed to analyse the data it holds about sanctions, and has refused to share data with other researchers or assist those researchers. 

CAP asks us to contact our MP to press for a review.

Gender Based Violence

 

Christian Aid Scotland and the Scottish Episcopal Church have released a new biblical resource that addresses gender-based violence. It is available for download from the Christian Aid website

End poverty in Europe - Our solutions to make it happen

 

The 1st in the new Caritas Cares Report series, this report contributes to the European debate on the role of welfare as a poverty preventing tool. 

Access at:http://www.caritas.eu/publications

In our blog, Commission member Grace Buckley reports on activities during Interfaith Week

I have to admit that I could not claim any great knowledge of Interfaith Week in the past but this year it really impacted my awareness with two events in particular raising its profile in Glasgow: the launching of Interfaith Glasgow as a separate charity at Glasgow City Chambers on 14th November and the signing of the Interfaith Food Justice Declaration at the new Glasgow Central Gurdwara on 17th November.  

The Archbishop of St Andrews & Edinburgh marked Scotland’s national day by launching a new social outreach initiative, Caritas Archdiocese of St Andrews & Edinburgh. 

An article in the Guardian states that figures obtained through FoI reveals the scale of desperation among asylum seekers in UK.

No to Racism: protecting rights, defending communities
Join us for the march and rally. Details on STUC website.

This campaign, supported by Church Action on Poverty amongst others, aims to put pressure on government and politicians to take seriously the issue of hunger in the UK. See the campaign's website for more details.

 

An academic study has proven the link between benefits sanctions and foodbank use. Oxford University experts have mapped official sanctions data against foodbank referrals figures and concluded that a "robust link" exists.

Bishop John died in his sleep shortly before 6am on Friday 14 October. May he rest in peace. Paisley diocesan website

Build bridges of justice rather than walls of fear
The Final Declaration from the European Justice and Peace Commission, International Workshop and General Assembly, Luxembourg, 30 Sept-3 Oct 2016

Challenge Poverty Week aims to bring together organisations from across civil society - from grassroots community groups to national voluntary organisations, trade unions and faith groups to highlight what they are doing to address poverty.

New Report Exposes Severe Poverty In Scotland
The new CAS report, ‘Living at the Sharp End’, is based on Scottish CAB evidence over the last four years, as well as a survey of CAB clients and special focus groups of those who are living in severe poverty. It finds that the social security system is failing to provide the essential safety net that is meant to stop people falling into poverty.

Joseph Rowntree Foundation estimates that dealing with the effects of deprivation costs £1,200 for each person in Britain
Dealing with the effects of poverty costs the public purse £78bn a year, or £1,200 for every person in the UK, according to the first wide-ranging report into the impact of deprivation on Britain’s finances. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) estimates that the impact and cost of poverty accounts for £1 in every £5 spent on public services. (Katie Allen The Guardian) 

Statistics published by the Scottish Govt 28/6/16
This publication presents annual estimates of the percentage and number of people, children, working age adults and pensioners living in low income households in Scotland.  The estimates are used to monitor progress in reducing poverty and income inequality.  The data published for the first time here are for the financial year April 2014 to March 2015

Statement of Justice and Peace Europe on recent decisions of the Council of the European Union. 'In a period of growing income inequalities taxation must become fairer. That everybody and every company pays its fair share of taxes must be a key policy goal.'

At a meeting on 1 June 2016 members of English and Welsh National Justice and Peace Network executive expressed great concern at the content and tone of the debate on the forthcoming European referendum. Read this full statement and other church voices on the EU referendum from around the UK' 

Archbishop Leo Cushley of St Andrews & Edinburgh is marking the 125th anniversary of a landmark Papal encyclical – Pope Leo XIII’s Rerum Novarum – by re-proposing its social teaching as 'enormously relevant to modern-day Scottish society’s pursuit of the common good'. “At the foundation of Pope Leo’s vision was an unshakable belief in the intrinsic value of every man, woman and child,” writes Archbishop Cushley in the Scotsman, 9 June, 2016. “The measure of any political, moral or economic order was to be the degree to which it threatened or enhanced the life and dignity of the human person.”

A review of the new UN data by the Food Foundation and Oxford University shows that the number of people who are food insecure in the UK goes far beyond those using charitable food assistance such as food banks. These new data raise important questions for the Government:

Prominent church leaders and thinkers have issued a call to action for all the UK's churches, echoing Pope Francis' wish to see "a poor church, for the poor".  (Ekklesia)

Marian Pallister, Argyll & the Isles Justice and Peace Commissioner and SCIAF ambassador travelled to Lourdes with SCIAF for the Caritas Europa conference at which strategies for 2016 to 2020 were discussed. Issues discussed by delegates included family and child poverty, the refugee crisis, and the world financial situation. These are Marian’s personal reflections on the conference. 

A new report by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation
1.25m people, including over 300k children, are destitute. This report defines destitution in the UK, looking at how many people are affected, who they are, and the main pathways in and out of destitution. It looks at the impact and experience of those people directly affected.

Poverty Alliance Manifesto Scottish Parliament Elections 2016
THE LEADING ALLIANCE of anti-poverty campaigners and charities have urged the major parties to pursue a more radical agenda using Holyrood's new powers. Build a Scottish social security system, roll out the Living Wage, and tackle stigma of poverty: this is the message issued by anti-poverty campaigners keen to see Holyrood's new powers used effectively.

In a letter which was read in all of Scotland’s 500 Catholic parishes on the weekend of 9/10 April, Scotland’s eight Catholic Bishops urged parishioners to be 'active participants in shaping a better society' not simply 'passive spectators' they also encouraged greater participation in the political process, suggesting; 'you might well consider it worthwhile to join a political party'.

Poverty in Scotland 2016 is the latest edition in the series from the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) and partners and provides a useful and informed overview of the poverty and anti-poverty policies that will form the context for the next elected Scottish Parliament set to enjoy significant new powers.

The Scottish Churches Parliamentary Office have put together a collection of topical briefings designed for Scottish church groups who are planning an election meeting / hustings event.

European Justice and Peace Acction
The Conference of European Justice and Peace Commissions (Justice and Peace Europe) annual Concerted Action 2016.  The theme “Growing Economic Inequality and Taxation – A Challenge for Europe and the World”.

Faith in Throughcare works in local communities in some of the most challenged areas of Scotland. They recruit and train volunteers from all walks of life to mentor someone returning to their community after a short prison sentence. They are currently active in North Glasgow, Greenock/ Port Glasgow and Kilmarnock.

Break bread with Church Action on Poverty

Food is a gift from God. But in the UK today, thousands of people are denied access to that gift by injustices that leave them destitute. Churches play a vital role in sharing food with those who need it – and speaking out to ensure that nobody goes without. Break bread with us on Church Action on Poverty Sunday!

Joint Public Issues Team blog
Announced quietly, on the last day of Parliament in 2015, the findings from the Government-ordered evaluation of the bedroom tax make disturbing reading. 75% of those affected are cutting back on food.  The bedroom tax was one of the most controversial and widely condemned policies included within the Welfare Reform and Work Bill 2012

Through prayer and reflection, Homeless Sunday offers an opportunity to listen to what God has to say about homelessness, and to consider what action we are being called to take. Homeless Sunday 2016 will be held on 24 January, with the theme Connect, Challenge, Commit.

Read the latest study co-funded by Crisis and JRF that provides an independent analysis of the impact on homelessness of recent economic and policy developments across in the UK; this report focuses on Scotland.

A new poll revealed a huge majority of people in Scotland believe the need for food banks is a sign that something is ‘fundamentally wrong’ in our society. The research, which was commissioned by Oxfam Scotland, also indicates strong support for action to reduce the need for food banks – and wider food insecurity – in Scotland.

Bishop Nolan’s letter is the primary resource for the day. A copy has been posted to every parish in Scotland and is available to download here from 2 January. Please try to ensure that it is read out in your parish. It represents the Scottish contribution to the universal Church’s message. Resources are available for use in the parish

The Scottish Government have released an update on the Fairer Scotland discussions that have been taking place across the country, the report focuses on how Scotland might use the further Social Security powers to be devolved as part of the Smith Commission settlement.

Visit the CAFOD Advent Calendar each day during Advent, and join in prayer and share the gift of hope. Inspired by our faith, we wait with joyful hope for Christ to come into our world. And we stand alongside our sisters and brothers who hope to lift themselves out of poverty.

More than 900,000 people in Scotland live in low income households. In a rich country like ours this is unnecessary and unacceptable. Challenge Poverty Week is an opportunity for you to raise you voice against poverty and show what is being done to tackle poverty across. Organisations large and small supported Challenge Poverty Week last year, and we hope even more get behind it this year.

Event in Glasgow
On October 17 1987, 100,000 people from around the world gathered together in Paris to bear witness to people living in poverty throughout the world.  The event was organised by the international movement ATD Fourth World and during it a large commemorative stone was unveiled, part of which reads, 'Wherever men and women are condemned to live in poverty, human rights are violated.  It is our solemn duty to come together to ensure that these rights are respected'. 

It would be quite misleading to describe the 2015 Summer Budget as a "one nation budget" or as favouring "working families" and "giving the nation a pay rise" in any meaningful sense, says Ekklesia co-director Simon Barrow. On the contrary it hits low income households and disabled people, and will increase further Britain's alarming levels of inequality. (Ekklesia)

The Government is intending to change how it measures child poverty. We will move from counting people’s ability to afford the basics of everyday life to counting a selective and set of personal characteristics which muddle the causes and effects of poverty. The question asked by the proposed measures is not “Are you poor?” it is instead “What personal flaws can your poverty be blamed on?”. (Joint Public Issues Team)

Volunteers needed to help with loading the book container on Mandela Day - Sat. 18th July (10am - 12 noon) Formal send off of the container at Glasgow City Chambers at 2pm. Plus event in Ayr.

The government has announced that it intends to proceed with proposals to introduce a seven-day waiting period before claimants are eligible for Universal Credit which is already paid a month in arrears. (Ekklesia)

For 12 months from May 2013 the Joseph Rowntree Foundation supported the Poverty Alliance to carry out a range of activities that would help ensure that the voices and experiences of those living on low incomes in Scotland were included as part of their UK Anti-Poverty Strategies research programme. This short report highlights what, for the communities and individuals we have engaged with, a Scotland without of poverty would mean to them. It sought to identify what some of the main challenges are, and how these may be addressed over the short and longer term.

Today's benefit sanctions system is unjust and damaging to some the country’s most vulnerable people. It is clear that it punishes people who need support and drives many into desperation and hunger. Please help make MPs aware of this grave injustice.

In a pastoral letter which will be read at all 500 Catholic churches in Scotland, Scotland's Catholic Bishops, will urge parishioners to participate in the 2015 General Election and to be informed by the teachings of the Church. The detailed statement will list; Life, the Family, the economy, Human Freedom, Peace and Evangelisation as key areas

One of the issues that voters will be considering ahead of the General Election on 7 May is membership of the European Union, an institution whose origins are rooted in the principles of Catholic Social Teaching. The same principles are helpful in deciding who we will vote for; and what expectations and limitations we would like to see placed on the government that eventually forms. (Thinking Faith)

Church agencies have expressed their disappointment at the Budget, which they say will hurt the most vulnerable people in the UK and overseas. Helen O'Brien, Chief Executive of Caritas Social Action Network (CSAN) which represents 41 Catholic charities in England and Wales, said: "whilst the increased funds Church agencies for children's mental health services and support for small charities through Gift Aid regulations are welcome, significant further cuts for welfare and public spending in this year's Budget Statement will fail to stop the squeeze on the most vulnerable.

There is a wide range of election briefing  available online. Some of this briefing also contains useful instructions for mounting a hustings.  If you are thinking of organising hustings, it is important to be aware of legal responsibilities. It is also important to remember that this is an election for the Westminster Parliament, whose jurisdiction is restricted to reserved matters  

Please call on your MP to rethink the unjust and inhumane benefit sanctions regime- Church Action on Poverty Campaign

If you commit a crime, no criminal court in the UK is allowed to make you go hungry as a punishment. But if you’re late for an appointment at the Jobcentre, they can remove all your income and leave you unable to feed yourself or your family for weeks at a time. Email your MP now!

International Women’s Day on 8 March is an opportunity to reflect on how far we have come but also on what still needs to change to create a more equal and diverse society. One area in which change is desperately needed is the treatment of asylum seeking women in the UK. (Refugee Council)

A new report from a coalition of major UK Churches has revealed that around 100,000 children were affected by benefit sanctions in 2013/14. It also shows that in the same period a total of nearly 7 million weeks of sanctions were handed out to benefit claimants. The new data, obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, featured in the 2 March,episode of Channel 4's Dispatches, entitled 'Britain's Benefits Crackdown.'  (Ekklesia)

New research from the Poverty Alliance has highlighted the extent of emergency food aid provision across Scotland, showing that many organisations and groups are giving urgent support to thousands of Scots every year. As part of a Scottish Government funded study into the role of food banks and other emergency food aid provider’s 167 providers of emergency food aid were identified. The research also showed that many of these organisations were providing more than food alone.

UN World Day of Social Justice  Social justice is an underlying principle for peaceful and prosperous coexistence within and among nations. We uphold the principles of social justice when we promote gender equality or the rights of indigenous peoples and migrants. We advance social justice when we remove barriers that people face because of gender, age, race, ethnicity, religion, culture or disability.

Excellent downloadable Lenten resources have been produced by J&P activists in Shrewsbury Diocese on behalf of the English and Welsh National Justice and Peace Network. They include ‘A Lenten Journey: Action and Reflection Suggestions for Lent 2015’.

In the UK today, people on low incomes pay the highest prices for many essential goods and services: for food, for fuel, for finance, for furniture, and even funerals. This 'Poverty Premium' costs the average low-income family an extra £1,300 every year. The Scottish and UK Governments both need to take urgent action to end the injustice of the Poverty Premium.  Please send an email today to urge them to do so.

At a recent meeting (27-29 October) in Rome organised by the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace in collaboration with the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, Pope Francis met with the leaders of Popular Movements whose commitment in the search for social justice is well known. The Pope’s address to participants is a stirring restatement of many of the themes he has recently put at the forefront of his pontificate. ‘I accompany you with my heart on this journey. Let us say together from our heart: no family without a dwelling, no rural workers without land, no worker without rights, no person without the dignity that work gives.’

Fr. Gerry Hughes SJ, probably known to many readers, either personally for his social justice work in and beyond Scotland, as well as through his writings, died last week at the age of 90. Here is an appreciation by the order to which he gave he gave his life. It was certainly a life worth celebrating and he influenced many of us.

The proportion of employees in low-paid work across Britain increased from 21 to 22 per cent last year - to just over five million people - a Resolution Foundation report has revealed. Low Pay Britain 2014, the Resolution Foundation's annual audit of low pay across Britain, finds that the number of people earning less than two-thirds of median hourly pay, equivalent to £7.69 an hour, rose to 5.2 million, an increase of 250,000 on the previous year. (Ekklesia)

The Campaign to End Child Poverty published (15 Oct) figures that provide a child poverty map of Scotland. The new statistics, released during Challenge Poverty Week in Scotland show levels of child poverty at local authority and ward level for MP’s constituencies. According to the new figures, one in three children in Glasgow live in poverty, while more than a quarter of children in five other local authorities are also growing up in poverty: Clackmannanshire (26%), Dundee (28%), East Ayrshire (26%), Inverclyde (26%) and North Ayrshire (27%).

What is Living Wage Week? Living Wage Week takes place each November, it is a UK-wide celebration of the Living Wage and Living Wage Employers. It is a great opportunity to raise awareness of the Living Wage and the Living Wage Employer Mark

CAS report says disabled Scots are being left in poverty by delays in new system
A new payments system is forcing many disabled Scots into poverty for months without the means to pay for basics like food, fuel and housing - according to a new report by Citizens Advice Scotland. (Third Force News)

More than 800,000 people in Scotland live in low income households. In a rich country like ours this is unnecessary and unacceptable. Challenge Poverty Week is an opportunity for you to help fight poverty and hardship in Scotland. More than 40 organisations and groups supported Challenge Poverty Week last year, and we hope even more get behind it this year.

The United Nations General Assembly opened its 69th annual session on 16 September with the body's new President declaring that it would be a historic opportunity to formulate a post-2015 development agenda that is transformative, brings tangible results in fighting poverty, and leads to improving lives of all people. (Ekklesia)

'This briefing is not in support of either YES or NO viewpoints. It examines the topic of the Referendum and tries to put the issue in the context of Catholic Social Teaching; with a view to assisting people to come to their own decision through an awareness of this tradition.'

Commenting on the closure of the Ferguson Shipbuilders yard in Port Glasgow, Bishop John Keenan said:  “Together with the entire community of Port Glasgow and the whole population of Inverclyde, I was deeply saddened to hear the news last week that Ferguson Shipbuilders in Port Glasgow had gone into administration after more than 100 years in business.”

What are our hopes and dreams for our nation, whatever the outcome of the vote? If you would like to take time to reflect on these questions, and support others to do the same, why not lead a Referendum reflection group? The aim of the groups is to assist parishioners in reflecting on the referendum through the prism of faith; in particular to consider what our hopes are for our nation, and what values we wish to foster whatever the outcome of the vote in September. Materials are available here, written by Miriam McHardy from The Archdiocese of St. Andrews and Edinburgh.

ACTS has prepared prayers and liturgical material for use on the Sundays before and after the Scottish Independence Referendum (Thursday 18th September 2014). These prayers and liturgical materials are freely available for direct use or adaptation either in a main service or for small groups.

The majority of social security cuts announced by the government will fall on working families, who will suffer twice the level of benefit losses as out of work families, according to a new report published on 22 August by the Trades Union Congress (TUC). (Ekklesia)

Just Faith is a joint outreach initiative by Justice & Peace, SCIAF and Mission Matters Scotland. The aim of the project is to share the social justice work of the Church and to encourage Catholics to connect our faith with action for change.  The launch event for Paisley Diocese will take place on Friday 29 August from 6pm – 8pm in the diocesan office, Incle Street, Paisley.

Wednesday 6th August at 7pm in Holy Cross Parish Hall, Croy J&P are hosting; "Referendum Debate- Moral Choices?" The Justice & Peace Group has arranged an “Any Questions”-type evening. Both campaigns are sending good speakers: Jamie Hepburn MSP for “Yes Scotland” and Cllr. Jackie Burns for “Better Together”.  The former has been MSP for Cumbernauld & Kilsyth since 2011. The latter is currently the deputy leader of South Lanarkshire Council. Morag Donaldson is a member of the Church and Society Council of the Church of Scotland and was involved in producing “Our Vision imagining Scotland’s Future. She will open the evening by a short presentation of their conclusions. As you know the Church of Scotland Council like Justice and Peace are non political and such will aim to ensure that an informed debate takes place.

The UK government is risking "systematic violation" of international human rights law in its treatment of disabled people, charities claim. Britain is a signatory to a binding UN convention on the rights of people with disabilities, and the international covenant on economic, social and cultural rights. Austerity measures and welfare reforms such as the bedroom tax mean the rights of disabled people to independent living, work, and social security have been undermined, causing significant hardship, say campaigners,  (The Guardian, 07/07/14)

Two reports published by the Scottish Government Welfare Reform Committee in June highlight the real and damaging impact of sanctions and benefit reforms across Scotland. Evidence shows the biggest impact of welfare reform falls on the poorest and especially those living in Glasgow whose working age residents lose the equivalent of £620 a year although a number of other older industrial areas across Scotland are also hit hard. The reports are available here.

Figures published on July 1st 2014 by the Scottish Government on Poverty and Inequality show a rise in the number of people in Scotland living in poverty, and highlights the continuing increase in in-work poverty.  In 2012/13, 16 per cent of people in Scotland were living in poverty, compared with 14 per cent the previous year.  In real terms, this means that there are now 820,000 individuals are now living in poverty in Scotland. The report found that children were the group most likely to be living in poverty, with 19 per cent of children living in poverty, compared to 15 per cent of working age adults and 15 per cent of pensioners. (Poverty Alliance)

‘The media recently carried various versions of a story claiming that Pope Francis had offered an opinion on the Referendum. This item puts the matter in context and fully explains what Pope Francis actually said.’

Four of Scotland's recently elected MEPs have signed the European Anti Poverty Network's pledge to tackle poverty.  The four who signed the pledge were Labour party MEPs David Martin and Catherine Stihler, and SNP MEPs Alyn Smith and Ian Hughton. 

The level of child poverty in Britain is "a stain on our national conscience", leading charities have said as a Government adviser warns today that its reforms are failing to tackle the problem. While the economy may be improving and home-owners are benefiting from rising prices, a shocking report published today by the nation's social mobility tsar predicts that Britain will have 3.5 million children living in poverty by 2020. (Emily Dugan, Independent, 09/06/14)

The following series of resources provides useful background as well as things to consider in the run up to the Elections on 22 May 2014.

More than 20 charities, including , the Child Poverty Action Group and Church Action on Poverty have signed a statement accusing the UK of violating the basic right to food. The action follows a letter to the government from 600 Christian clergy and bishops seeking urgent action on the scandal of foodbanks and food poverty, a similer statement from Jewish leaders, and the nationwide End Hunger Fast and many others - in solidarity with 900,000 people going hungry or short of food. (Ekklesia)

The Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC), meeting in Dundee from 14-16 April 2014), has passed an extensive motion on welfare reform and the effects of poverty in the UK. Ekklesia co-director Simon Barrow supported this motion on behalf of the National Union of Journalists in Scotland, with particular reference to the role of different sections of the media and its relation to policy-making. (Ekklesia)

Scottish Churches Housing Action is backing a call to MSPs to reject a change proposed in the current Housing Bill.  Shelter Scotland and a range of other organisations agree that introducing an age criterion into letting houses runs the risk of making discrimination against young people worse.  Social landlords such as councils and housing associations want to introduce this measure.  

A key new report published on 9 April highlights the failure of the government's employment support and sanctions system for disabled people and spells out the alternative approach and attitude needed. Beyond the Barriers has been researched, written and produced by disabled and sick people themselves, through the Spartacus Network, an online research and advocacy organisation. It has been co-published by Ekklesia and is already attracting support from major charities, politicians and figures in public life. (Ekklesia)

New research shows that the number of households hit by the bedroom tax has fallen by just 15 per cent during the last year, with nearly six out of seven affected households unable to avoid a cut in rent support. The research, sourced under the Freedom of Information Act by advocacy outfit False Economy, reveals that the number of households subject to the bedroom tax – which results in a reduction in their housing benefit – has actually increased in some local authorities, and barely fallen in others. (Ekklesia)

Traidcraft campaign
One man in Brussels is on the verge of a decision which could stop bullying by Europe’s biggest supermarkets. In these next critical weeks will you help to keep the pressure up?  Whether you’ve already taken action on this issue or not please add your voice now. Call on the Commissioner to announce tough European action on supermarkets. Email Commissioner Barnier today.

The Children's Society has made a strong response to the House of Commons Work and Pensions Committee report on housing support in the reformed welfare system. Matthew Reed, Chief Executive of The Children's Society, commented: "This report shines a spotlight on the damage that some of the government's changes to housing support are causing many of the UK's poorest children and families. (Ekklesia)

Britain is hungry. Half a million people used food banks in the last year. Charitable support programmes are rapidly expanding but nonetheless a quarter of families are shrinking portion sizes. 5,500 people were admitted to hospital for malnutrition last year. No one should go hungry in Britain. More and more people are just one unexpected bill away from facing bare cupboards. This is a national and moral crisis and government must act to protect the half a million going hungry in Britain.

Plus new 'End Hunger Fast' campaign launched
Last year, half a million people in the UK depended on emergency food aid. The single most common reason for people to need food aid is that their benefits have been changed, delayed or stopped. The explosion in food poverty and the use of food banks is a national disgrace. It undermines the UK's commitment to ensuring all its citizens have access to food - one of the most basic human rights.

In February 2013 the Church and Society Council supported So Say Scotland to host the Thinking Together Citizens Assembly. From this experience a simplified event was made available for congregations to facilitate community-wide discussions in a neutral, safe space. It was intended as a method of opening up discussion on the values folk want to see in Scotland in the future by focusing on 3 questions:

Archbishop Vincent Nichols  condemned the UK Government's austerity programme as a ‘disgrace’, leaving increasing numbers of people to face “hunger and destitution”.  In a hard-hitting interview published in the Telegraph, the Archbishop of Westminster said that while the need to reduce spending on benefits is widely accepted, the Government’s reforms have now destroyed even the “basic safety net”.

A new report, Working for Poverty, from the Living Wage Commission (a 12 month independent inquiry into the future of the Living Wage, chaired by Archbishop of York John Sentamu) says the economic recovery will have no effect for one in five workers unless employers pay a Living Wage. (Ekklesia)  

The Scottish Government's Welfare Reform Committee has published its Interim Report on the 'Bedroom Tax'.  The report looks at whom the 'bedroom tax' is affecting and makes the case that it may cost more than it saves and possibly breaches tenants' human rights.

Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith's latest comments on welfare and benefits are offensive, misleading and out of touch, say critics. He has compared his role in cutting welfare with the work of abolitionists and likened receiving benefits to slavery. Charities and NGOs, are now getting behind a new initiative called 'Who Benefits?' which aims to share personal stories to illustrate the reality of who needs help, why they need it and the difference that it makes. (Ekklesia)

The Scottish Welfare Fund was established earlier this year as an interim replacement for the discretionary Social Fund. The Scottish Government is now consulting on plans to give the SWF a secure statutory footing. The consultation on the Welfare Funds (Scotland) Bill is open until 7 February 2014. The consultation is also seeking views on options for independent scrutiny of decisions made by Local Authorities on applications to the SWF.

25 January – 2 February 2014
Poverty & Homelessness Action Week includes Poverty Action Sunday and Homelessness Sunday. It is organised by Church Action on Poverty, Housing Justice and Scottish Churches Housing Action.

The head of the Church of Scotland's Church and Society Council says that what she wants for Christmas is real justice for people currently reliant on foodbanks. Her comments came in the wake of a Westminster debate on foodbanks, provoked by a petition signed by 142,000 members of the public, in which many MPs on the government side were dismissive towards heart-rending stories of suffering associated with the alarming growth in food poverty across the country. (Ekklesia)

The UK government pushed disabled people from Incapacity Benefit (IB) to the failing new Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) system against the wishes of their independent, expert assessor, it has been revealed. Yet by 2010 when the decision was made it was clear, say critics, that there were significant flaws in the process. People with mental health and fluctuating conditions were not being fairly treated and successful appeals against “fit for work” decisions soared to 42 per cent. (Ekklesia)

Let's get the welfare assessment petition over the line! Welfare changes and cuts are already harming disabled and sick people across the UK. Please sign the WoW e-government petition calling for a cumulative impact assessment. Just over 15,000 more signatories are needed by 12 December to help trigger a parliamentary debate. Read, sign and promote the petition

Disabled and sick people in Scotland are being hit the hardest by Westminster's cruel Bedroom Tax. New figures published by Citizens Advice Scotland shows 80 per cent of the 82,000 in Scotland affected by the damaging tax are disabled. CAS Chief Executive Margaret Lynch commented: "Like so many of the recent welfare reforms, this is a measure that is principally hitting the most vulnerable people in our society, making their difficult situations even worse." (Ekklesia)

Time to Change? is the theme of this year's Prisoners Week  Prisoners Week is an opportunity to reflect on change that leads to better care for all affected by crime and imprisonment. What changes might be needed to support citizens returning from prison? Change is welcomed by some, others are more cautious. It’s tempting to think that everyone else needs to change.

Please ask you MP to sign this Early Day Motion
That this House notes that at present people who apply for employment and support allowance (ESA) and are declared fit for work can ask for this decision to be reconsidered prior to lodging a formal appeal; further notes that at present people can continue to receive ESA at the assessment rate during this period; welcomes the introduction of reconsideration in all cases as of 28 October 2013; expresses concern that people will no longer be able to claim ESA during this period;

The government’s benefit cap will struggle to deliver its objectives of saving taxpayers’ money and encouraging people into work, according to the first major study on the cap’s implementation. The conclusions follow research led by the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) into the initial impact of the cap in Haringey – one of four London boroughs chosen by the government to implement the cap early.

Email your MP
Church Action on Poverty are concerned about the tidal wave of human misery caused by irresponsible lending. The worst single group of irresponsible lenders are the payday loan companies, who rip off millions of people and trap them in spirals of debt. We need proper regulation and enforcement to make this stop. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has published new proposals for regulating payday lenders. They are a step in the right direction, but they don’t go far enough.

Archbishop Leo Cushley has called for prayers for all those affected by the closure threatened Grangemouth plant, situated in his Archdiocese and has urged those “in a position to influence” to work towards “fair outcomes” for all those involved. 

The Week is being co-ordinated by the The Poverty Alliance and is centred around the United Nations International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, which takes place annually on 17th October.  Challenge Poverty Week will bring together a wide range of groups and individuals to highlight what is being done to tackle poverty in Scotland and to build momentum for greater action. For more information you can download this paper: Scotland’s 1st Challenge Poverty Week.

Britain risks 'sleepwalking into a world where inequality becomes so entrenched that our children grow up in a state of social apartheid', according to a leading charity. In a damning report to be published next week, the National Children's Bureau finds that, in many respects, child poverty is now a bigger problem than during the 1960s, when it carried out a seminal study, Born to Fail?. The report compares aspects of children's lives today to data from the Born to Fail? cohort study of 11-year-olds, carried out in 1969. It finds that significantly more children are growing up in relative poverty today - 3.6 million compared with 2 million - and claims that these children suffer "devastating consequences throughout their lives". It adds: 'Today, although there have been some improvements, overall the situation appears to be no better, and in some respects has got worse.'  Guardian 24/08/13

This article on child poverty throughout Scotland was written by Marian Pallister, Justice and Peace Commission member for Argyll and the Isles. The latest figures show that nearly one sixth of children in Argyll and Bute are living in poverty. The article was published in the Scottish Review.

The High Court dismissal (30 July) of a legal challenge to the ‘bedroom tax’ will increase the risk of homelessness for disabled families and those with vulnerable children, Shelter is warning. Lawyers acting on behalf of 10 claimants brought the case against the Department for Work and Pensions, supported by evidence from Shelter. The claimants argued that the bedroom tax unfairly discriminates against disabled people by failing to recognise their needs, and that it violates the Human Rights Act and the Equality Act.  The High Court ruled today that the reduction of their housing benefit is legal, on the basis that the Government has made an extra pot of money available to local councils to help those affected by the penalties. However, the claimants, along with Shelter, the Equality and Human Rights Commission and Birmingham City Council, argued that this money (known as Discretionary Housing Payments, or DHP) is not enough to meet the need.

A new major report from Oxfam, entitled Our Economy highlights the widening wealth gap in Scotland and calls for a change of economic approach. There is a useful account of some of the leading features of the report and comment here

 

‘In a letter to David Cameron, on the occasion of the G8 Meeting in Belfast, Pope Francis asks that ‘for the theme “to attain its broadest and deepest resonance, it is necessary to ensure that all political and economic activity, whether national or international,” makes reference to humanity. “Indeed, such activity must, on the one hand, enable the maximum expression of freedom and creativity, both individual and collective, while on the other hand it must promote and guarantee their responsible exercise in solidarity, with particular attention to the poorest.”’

Archbishop Tartaglia has written to Iain Duncan Smith to ask him to rethink Government tactics on health benefit reform

The benefits system is causing hundreds of thousands of people to go hungry. Church Action on Poverty and Oxfam have launched 'Walking the Breadline', a report which shows that food poverty is growing out of control in the UK. Rising prices, spiralling unemployment, and attacks on our social safety net are having a terrible impact. Half a million people are dependent on emergency food aid. Please take action email your MP

‘An interesting recent consideration of politicians’ understanding of the meaning of ‘social justice’ by the political commentator Gerry Hassan which points to a lack of clear ideas.’

 

170% rise in numbers turning to foodbanks in last 12 months.  Numbers given emergency food 100,000 higher than anticipated.  UK Foodbank charity The Trussell Trust says this must be a wake-up call to the nation

Since early in 2010, that the cornerstone of the coalition government’s deficit reduction plan was radical and savage cuts to welfare spending. After announcing initial plans to reduce the benefits bill by £18 billion per year by 2014-15, they have ramped up the anti-welfare rhetoric further this year with the announcement that a further £10 billion is to be cut with a new round of reforms from 2017. What is absent from the government’s announcements on welfare ‘reform’ so far, however, is an analysis of just who it is that stands to lose and how exactly that loss will affect them. To some extent, the sheer complexity of the welfare system has assisted the government in hiding the cumulative impact of the changes.

Those on low incomes, after all the vicious talk dismissing them as cheats and idlers, will be hit by an avalanche of cuts
Not many know what is about to happen on Monday: neither those about to be knocked down nor those sailing too high above them to notice. But historians will see it as the day that defines the Cameron government.  An avalanche of benefit cuts will hit the same households over and over, with no official assessment of how far this £18bn reduction will send those who are already poor into beggary. (Polly Toynbee, The Guardian, Thursday 28 March)

National Conference for the Year of Faith organised by Justice & Peace, SCIAF, Catholic Parliamentary office, and Edinburgh Archdiocesan J&P office
Friday 12th (7.30 – 10pm) and Saturday 13th April (9.30-4.30pm), in St Augustine’s High School Edinburgh. This is an important conference which aims to encourage us all to reflect:
• On the current economic crisis and how it affects us and wider society, especially the poor, the marginalised and the most vulnerable. • What an ethical economic system might look like and what Catholic Social Teaching can offer in its development. • What we individually, and as parish and local communities, can practically do to work for change, for a fairer and more just economic system, locally and globally.

New research published by the High Pay Centre think-tank reveals that even a modest level of wealth redistribution could make a substantial difference to the standard of living for low-earners, and would not be greatly missed by those at the top. For example, 10% redistributed from those earning £150k+ (about 0.9% of the population) to the bottom 25% would equate to an average 55p per hour pay rise. (Ekklesia)

Applying the bedroom tax to tenants placed in homeless temporary accommodation will have a devastating impact, says Shelter Scotland. Alongside the Chartered Institute of housing in Scotland (CIH Scotland) and the Association of Local Authority Chief Housing Officers, the charity has issued a joint letter to Lord Freud, Welfare Reform Minister, urging the Westminster Government to exempt local authority owned temporary accommodation from the under occupation penalties or the so-called 'bedroom tax'. (Ekklesia)

20 February 2013 is the UN World Day of Social Justice. Its origins, purpose and remit is described as follows: "Social Justice generally means that people should have equal rights and opportunities... There has been a need to promote efforts to tackle issues such as poverty, exclusion and unemployment all over the world."  (Ekklesia)

As Action Week draws to a close, we reflect on how the blame for our economic crisis is being laid on those who are feeling its worst effects. The government and politicians, including the Prime Minister, make the false distinction between the deserving and undeserving poor, the striver and the skiver. Some in the media focus almost entirely on negative stories of those experiencing poverty. The stories of the people who have been made redundant, who have been left with no means of support because of cuts to vital services,  and made homeless because of cuts to housing benefits, are too often marginalised and ignored.

Every day, people who are struggling to make ends meet are demonised and blamed for their poverty. Politicians and the media use abusive language and images. Scroungers. Skivers. Chavs. Underclass. This language is used to fuel mistrust by contrasting supposed ‘strivers’ with ‘skivers’. It is used to justify cuts to our safety net, which will drive hundreds of thousands of people further into poverty. It dehumanises and degrades people who are already struggling to survive. It adds to the growing gap between rich and poor, by denying a Fair Say to millions of people. If you oppress the poor, you offend the one who made them. (Proverbs 14:31)

Hundreds of thousands of disabled and sick people will be wrongly found fit for work and lose vital financial support if government proposals timetabled for 28 January go through, a new analysis finds.  The Employment and Support Allowance (Amendment) Regulations 2012, were tabled at the end of last year but have not been discussed by Parliament. They will reduce entitlement to ESA, meaning that Work Capability Assessments will find even more genuinely sick and disabled people fit for work, says the briefing, which has been complied by a team of professional disabled people.

Ben Baumberg, Kate Bell and Declan Gaffney for the website SENSCOT tackle some of the most common welfare myths. Welfare reform is almost inevitably contentious. Answering the question of who should receive how much financial support relies on often competing conceptions of fairness, with rival views about who needs, and who deserves, our help, not to mention the most just and efficient way of providing it. These issues are worth debating – but the current debate is being conducted on shoddy terms. Myths and stereotypes abound.

Ben Baumberg, Kate Bell and Declan Gaffney from the website SENSCOT tackle some of the most common welfare myths. Welfare reform is almost inevitably contentious. Answering the question of who should receive how much financial support relies on often competing conceptions of fairness, with rival views about who needs, and who deserves, our help, not to mention the most just and efficient way of providing it. These issues are worth debating – but the current debate is being conducted on shoddy terms. Myths and stereotypes abound.

  

http://www.senscot.net/view_art.php?viewid=13021

A new YouGov survey from the housing and homelessness charity Shelter has revealed the emotional strain faced by millions of families as they struggle to meet their housing costs. The findings follow on from Shelter's research earlier this month, which showed 7.8 million people are constantly struggling to keep up with their rent or mortgage, an increase of 44 per cent from the same time last year. (Ekklesia)

Why should banks be allowed to create money and lend it to the State, taking interest payments from taxpayers, when the State can create its own interest-free money, ask Bernadette Meaden, reporting on an intriguing suggestion from campaign group Positive Money. (Ekklesia)

Government claims that disabled people have been protected in the government's Welfare Benefits Uprating Bill are untrue, say critics of the measure. Richard Hawkes, chief executive of the disability charity Scope, commented last night: 'This bill doesn't protect disabled people. In fact, it cuts support for the many disabled people who are looking for work.' 'Since the 'emergency Budget' of 2010, £500 million has been taken from the pockets of disabled people, said Labour MP Jeremy Corbyn. (Ekklesia)

CAN YOU CAST THE FIRST STONE?  From tenants shipped out of their local authority and to the periphery of cities because their housing benefit does not cover their rent any more, to disabled people threatened to have their benefit cut if they do not engage in work; from vulnerable women and children denied succour as a result of cuts in local services to the unemployed and people on benefits – vulnerable people are increasingly being cast in a negative light by the press, even by politicians.

 

After years of campaigning, Parliament finally started to act to protect people on low-incomes by supporting legal controls on the price of credit. But your voice is urgently needed to ensure these changes come into force as quickly as possible. The new Financial Conduct Authority will have the power to cap credit costs when it takes over regulation of the market in 2014. But in the mean time the Office of Fair Trading remain responsible and they should take action promptly to protect borrowers from the extortionate charges made by legal loan sharks. Act now to stop legal loan sharks ripping people off!

At least one million disabled people are not 'protected' by the autumn budget statement, despite government claims, says Disability Rights UK. "If you listened to the Autumn Statement and thought you heard 'disability benefits are protected' you may wish to know that Employment Support Allowance (ESA) is not protected and will be subject to a 1% increase for the next three years," the coalition points out. (Ekklesia) 

The government's further slashing of the welfare system is being justified through a systematic campaign to allege or imply that a huge number of people receiving support are workless, feckless, dishonest and trapped, says Simon Barrow. This message has been reinforced by the Whitehall emphasis on "strivers not skivers" and a huge tabloid-led media assault based on talking-up, exaggerating and distorting stories of "scroungers". But what is the reality behind these stereotypes and who is really being made to pay for austerity? (Ekklesia)

Almost 10 years to the day from Debt on our Doorstep’s lobby of parliament, the Government yesterday announced it has finally agreed to introduce a cap on extortionate cost of payday loans

Things are moving fast in Europe. 11 countries have now written to the European Commission requesting to implement an FTT under the ‘Enhanced Cooperation Procedure’ (ECP). This passes the nine-country threshold needed to initiate the ECP, meaning this group of progressive countries can now move towards implementation. Austria, Belgium, Estonia, Germany, Greece, France, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Slovakia and Slovenia will introduce a broad-based FTT covering shares, bonds and derivatives next year which will raise an estimated €37 billion annually.

Integrating Life and Faith Course 2013. Each of the four modules of ILF takes place over two days (Saturday and Sunday) from 9.30 am – 4.30 pm.   Would you welcome an opportunity to deepen your appreciation of God’s presence in your everyday life? Then Integrating Life and Faith may be right for you.

 

Tax dodging has been in the news again. The scale of tax avoidance by international names such as Facebook, Starbucks and Amazon has been exposed. Some MPs are now calling for a Parliamentary Inquiry into these practices. If we act now, we can get more MPs to join them. This is the next step after the highly successful Tax Bus tour, where 5,000 people visited the bus, calling on Cameron to push this issue on the world stage through the 'Tick for Tax Justice'. Email your MP now, telling them to demand a tax dodging inquiry!

An interesting radio broadcast on the place of Catholic Social Teaching in modern politics can be found on the BBC iPlayer. It is useful in giving a secular perspective on the place of CST, particularly on the political left, but including conservative views and the place of CST in business.  Unfortunately, if unsurprisingly with the BBC these days, the context is restricted to England. A far better programme would have resulted from including Scottish applications of CST.

One in five workers in the UK – some 4.82 million people – are paid less than the ‘Living Wage’, new research from accountancy firm KPMG shows today.  In a difficult climate of rising prices and increasing costs of living, the impact is falling hardest on these low paid workers with over four in ten saying that their finances are worse now than they were just one month ago.

25th November to the 10th of December
For the 16 days of Activism Against Gender Based Violence the Scottish Women’s Aid faith communities’ campaign, in collaboration with the Edinburgh Inter Faith Association, will be launching an online exhibition. The 16 Days Campaign provides an opportunity to reflect on what we can do to hold our governments to account and challenge the structures that allow gender-based violence to continue.

This year’s International Day for the Eradication of Poverty will be marked by an event in George Square in Glasgow  between 12pm and 1pm.  The annual event brings together choirs, rappers, poets and musicians to share stories and song. Soup will be available for all that attend.

 

YOUNG people in Scotland are bearing the brunt of sweeping welfare cuts, so much so many are in danger of becoming abandoned by the system.  Charities this week have said UK Chancellor George Osborne’s plans to cut housing benefit to under 25s would result in increased homelessness and unemployment amongst young people.  It also came as a new report from the Scottish Parliament’s Equal Opportunity Committee concluded that young homeless people
in Scotland are being failed by support services, leaving them vulnerable and isolated from mainstream society. (Robert Armour Third Force News)

With public interest in ethical finance at an all-time high, churches and faith groups are being urged to use this autumn’s National Ethical Investment Week (NEIW) to spread the word about green and ethical savings, investments and other financial products. Now in its fifth year, NEIW’s 2012 Churches’ Action Guide offers practical information to help raise awareness and worship materials.

11 European countries did something incredible. They pledged their support for a Robin Hood Tax. Now, they can work together in taking the next step in making the tax happen – via ‘enhanced co-operation’ in the European Union. Those 11 countries – Austria, Belgium, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia and Spain - should be very proud.

The Tax Justice Bus Tour of Britain and Ireland to bring people together in a bid to end the injustice of tax dodging at home and abroad. Everywhere it goes, it's starting conversations with MPs, councillors, comedians, campaigners, church leaders and anyone else who wants to get on board. The message to them all is simple: it's time for tax justice, at home and overseas.
The're asking everyone to add their own ticks to a petition for tax justice, which will be handed to David Cameron in October.  Add your own tick online, even if you can't catch the Bus yourself.

Part of the Edinburgh World Justice Festival and organised by the Archdiocese of St Andrews and Edinburgh Justice & Peace office and The Lauriston Jesuit Centre. A cabaret style evening with poets, singers and storytellers sharing their songs, stories and poems inspired by justice and injustice! Come along to be entertained, inspired and reinvigorated for the work of justice and peace! £5 ticket price includes admission and a glass of wine. Thurs 11 Oct, 7:30pm, Lauriston Hall, 28 Lauriston Street Edinburgh.

The Poverty Truth Commission have been asked to be a part of the Scottish Government's Community Empowerment and Renewal Bill Reference Group. The Poverty Truth Commission has been a two year project bringing together some of Scotland's civic leaders with people at the sharp end of poverty. They have worked together to discover the truths about poverty, and explore real solutions to it.

Scottish Churches Housing Action, Seminar followed by their AGM, 28 Sept, 2102. Edinburgh City Chambers
The Westminster Coalition says benefits reforms are creating a fairer system that will help claimants into work and protect the most vulnerable – while saving taxpayers’ money. Scottish Churches Housing Action says they will make people homeless, setting back the last 10 years’ progress in Scotland. 

One in five 31-44 year olds who do not have children are delaying starting a family because of the lack of affordable housing. More than one in four (26 per cent) of those who decided to wait say they have been doing so for five years or more. The figures, revealed in a YouGov survey commissioned by the housing and homelessness charity Shelter, represent a 63 per cent increase since 2009. (Ekklesia)

Outrage as bank revealed to be major speculator while millions face starvation. Barclays has made as much as half a billion pounds in two years from speculating on food staples such as wheat and soya, prompting allegations that banks are profiting handsomely from the global food crisis. Barclays is the UK bank with the greatest involvement in food commodity trading and is one of the three biggest global players, along with the US banking giants Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley, research from the World Development Movement points out.  Tom Bawden, Indpendent, 1/9/12.

Seven weeks, 50 towns and cities across Britain and Ireland, one goal: Tax justice for the poorest communities locally and globally
This autumn, Christian Aid and Church Action on Poverty are joining forces to take the campaign for Tax Justice on the road, with a seven-week Tax Justice Bus Tour. Find out when the bus will be visiting Scotland

Atos, the company that conducts Work Capability Assessments (WCA) for the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP), is sponsoring the Paralympics. The irony of this is almost beyond words.
A company causing fear and distress to countless disabled people is attempting to improve its image by associating itself with the achievements of other disabled people, says Bernadette Meaden. (Ekklesia)

Following the excellent news that the Groceries Code Adjudicator Bill will be introduced in the UK, Make Fruit Fair would like to ask for you help with their final push to 'Stop Supermarkets abusing their buyer power' at EU level. The international reach of many retail chains means that wider EU measures are needed to ensure fair practices for workers, small producers and consumers.  Please promote thr petition for European regulation of supermarket buyer power.

The national minimum wage is now worth less than it was in 2004 and a higher rate should be introduced for workers aged 25 and over, according to a new report. The Resolution Foundation, an independent think-tank, found that the recently announced increase from £6.08 to £6.19 this October will leave the minimum wage 6 per cent below its 2009 peak in real terms because it has been rising by less than inflation. Andrew Grice, Indpendent, 17/04/12

300 campaigners, policy makers and activists attended the 3rd Scottish Assembly for Tackling Poverty held on 15th and 16th of March 2012. Delegates heard from a range of speakers and participated in a number of evidence sessions aimed at finding new ways to tackle poverty. Videos and interviews from the event are available   

 

The first Annual Report of the Child Poverty Strategy was laid in the Scottish Parliament on 22 March. The report highlights some of the key measures taken by the Scottish Government since the publication of the Child Poverty Strategy for Scotland in March 2011, and references some of the activity that will be taken forward across the 3 year span of the strategy.
 

The Poverty Truth Commission has been a two-year project bringing together some of Scotland’s civic leaders with people at the sharp end of poverty. They have worked together to discover the truths about poverty, and to explore real solutions to it. Our motto, taken from post-apartheid South Africa, is: "nothing about us without us is for us". We believe that  poverty will never be truly addressed until those who experience it firsthand are at the heart of the process. The Poverty Truth Commission has been a groundbreaking experiment in social policy thinking, based on the premise that people living at the harsh end of poverty should have a defining voice in seeking genuine solutions in public life and in governance.

You still have time to make sure your MP understands how important it is that we take action for Fair Taxes. If enough MPs speak out, there is a real chance that next week's Budget could put in place a 'General Anti-Avoidance Rule' (GAAR). This would prevent wealthy individuals and companies from using contrived financial structures to shield themselves from their tax bills. The poorest pay more of their income in tax than the richest. An effective General Anti-Avoidance Rule will not solve that injustice, but it is an essential first step. 369 have emailed their MPs so far about this. Please join them - take two minutes to email your MP
 

In the UK there is a multi-billion pound industry whose aim is to find clever ways for its wealthy customers to avoid paying tax. The industry is legal, thriving, and denies UK tax-payers at least £25 billion each year. That is more than the amount the Government is trying to cut from the benefits bill - which means that tax avoidance amounts to robbing people in poverty. This is why we are campaigning for Fair Taxes.  Please take two minutes to email your MP now and ask them to support calls for a 'General Anti-Avoidance Rule'.

The government has lost a record eighth vote in the House of Lords over its plans to severely cut and restructure the British welfare system. An amendment to the Welfare Reform Bill, overturning a move to cut payments to specific council tenants with one spare bedroom, was carried by ten votes. The bill is now due to go back before the House of Commons, with the government defiant but a huge swathe of political popular and public opinion - including charities and others making up Mr Cameron's 'Big Society' - wishing to see significant changes. Source Ekklesia

 

 

 

The House of Commons debated the Welfare Reform Bill for the last time on 1 February 2012 following a record seventh defeat for the government in the House of Lords.  The coalition has a 70-seat majority at Westminster and the Prime Minister and his colleagues are determined to ignore the massive weight of opinion against them from parliamentarians of all parties, charities, churches, medical professionals, people living with disability and poverty, children's advocates, academics, researchers, community organisations, faith groups, public figures and many thousands of constituents who have been lobbying their MPs. (Ekklesia)

A recent statement of the Bishops of the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Community (COMECE)  discusses options for the management of the EU rooted in Catholic Social Teaching. A European Community of Solidarity and Responsibility is a significant document  for consideration at a time when Europeans face difficult choices.

In his 2012 message to the Vatican’s diplomatic corps, Pope Benedict said said that environmental protection and the connection between fighting poverty and fighting climate change are important areas for the promotion of integral human development

Buoyed by a stunning victory in the House of Lords, disabled rights activists and their supporters are pledging to step up the campaign for welfare justice. Now Labour MP John McDonnell has tabled a Parliamentary Question asking for a statement from the Government in response to the 'Responsible Reform' report (also known as the Spartacus report) produced by disabled people themselves. This exposes what critics calls the 'sham' official consultation on Disability Living Allowance (DLA).

Study refutes claim that foreign nationals are depriving British-born workers of jobs. There is no link between rising immigration and rising unemployment, independent economists have found - contradicting persistent claims from anti-immigration activists and politicians that an influx of foreign nationals into the UK in recent years has led to more British-born workers on the dole.
Ben Chu, Independent, 10/10/12

Our world is filled with barriers between people. Barriers that prevent us from understanding one another. They are created by unfair benefits rules and inadequate wages. By the stigma attached to being poor or homeless. And by the growing gap between the richest and poorest people in our society. Churches and community projects can break these barriers. They can challenge prejudice, enable excluded people to live full lives, and build a fairer world. Work with us in Poverty & Homelessness Action Week 2012 to break the barriers that trap people in poverty and homelessness.
Let’s have a cup of tea day! for Scottish Churches Housing Action...during Action Week

The online prayer calendar for Poverty & Homelessness Action Week 2012 has been released.  Visit the Action Week site to follow day-by-day, and explore the barriers that people face – barriers of Housing Benefit; silence; lack of support; stigma; inadequate housing supply; low pay; rough sleeping; and unjust taxation.  All these and more combine to prevent people in poverty and experiencing homelessness from full participation in 21st-century life.

'Social theologian Fr Donal Dorr has an interesting perspective on the background and legacy of the Synod document 'Justice in the World' on its 40th anniversary'

An amendment to the Welfare Reform Bill to protect the benefits of disabled children once Universal Credit is introduced has been defeated in the House of Lords. Three amendments were defeated altogether, as government supporters pushed ahead with their plan to make the poor and vulnerable pay for what critics say is the excess and failure of their allies in the City. The amendment was defeated by a very small margin (187 votes to 189), the closest vote seen so far - something which has given some encouragement to disabled rights campaigners over upcoming struggles. 

The Welfare Reform Bill is the biggest change to the welfare state for sixty years. It contains proposals and benefit cuts that threaten the wellbeing of children, women and disabled people. The House of Lords begins its Report Stage on the Bill today. This is when crucial votes will happen on the most controversial parts of the Bill. The votes will continue into January. Please take action by emailing at least one Lord

'If you want to do something more than go with the flow of Christmas consumerism you could do worse than visit the CASC-Aid site for 50/50 giving. It gives ideas fort a radical redistribution of Christmas spending.'

Two prayers for World AIDS day takes place on the 1st of December.

A joint report published by the Children's Commissioner's for Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland has warned that the Government's spending cuts as well as welfare reforms could push many families and children into poverty.The Commissioners expressed fears that the most vulnerable in society are facing disproportionate hardship.

On November 8th, following Ethical Consumer's article on the ethics at outsourcing companies, a new Early Day Motion asking the Government to exclude companies with operations in tax havens from bidding for public service contracts was placed before the UK Parliament. The Motion has six sponsors: Caroline Lucas (Green), Jonathan Edwards (Plaid Cymru)), George Andrew (LibDem), Alan Meale (Lab), Adrian Sanders (Lib Dem) and Mike Weir (SNP).

Church Action on Poverty says it is "delighted" at the first success of their campaign to 'Close the Gap' between rich and poor through fairer taxes. The government announced earlier this week that it is to close a tax loophole that has allowed retailers to avoid paying VAT by sending goods from subsidiaries in the Channel Islands. Low Value Consignment Relief (LVCR) will not apply to goods sent from the Channel Islands to the UK from 1 April.

Representatives from 15 faith traditions gathered at the Sacred Land Celebration in Assisi, Italy from 31 October to 2 November 2011 for the launch of the Green Pilgrimage Network, organised by the Alliance of Religions and Conservation (ARC) in association with the World Wildlife Fund(WWF).

The Pontifical Council for Justice & Peace has just published a document about Reforming the International Financial and Monetary Systems in a way that Responds to the Needs of all Peoples. It contains a good history of recent economics as seen through Catholic Social Teaching and would make an excellent basis for discussion by J&P groups old and new. The document can be read in under half an hour and gives a good non technical grounding to consider the present economic crisis.

17 October
This day is marked annually in George Square at the site of the ATD Fourth World stone, one of a number around the world. This year's event is being organised by Bridging the Gap, supported in this by Givin' It Laldie, a community music project and Poverty Alliance plus other interested individuals. It will take place in George Square on Monday 17 October 1-2pm

Saturday 1 October 2011
'WORK AND SOCIAL JUSTICE' Renfield St Stephens Centre, 260 Bath Street, Glasgow, G2 4JP Registration from 10.30.  Finishes 3.45. Speakers:
• Professor Greg Philo, research director of Glasgow University Media Unit
• Geraldine Donnelly and Susan Cassidy of Communitas
• Tim Duffy of Justice and Peace

THE number of children being brought up in Scottish households where no adults are working has increased. Under-16s living in homes without adults with paid jobs rose to 145,000 (15.8 per cent of all under-16s) this year from 141,000 (15.3 per cent) last year.

Please ask your MP to complete the poverty survey!
Ask your MP to complete the poverty survey To mark the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty (17 October) this year, the All-Party Parliamntary Group on Poverty are launching a survey of MPs and peers. They want to identify the key areas policy-makers should be focussng on to address the long-standing problems of poverty and social exclusion in the UK.

Have you pledged to 'Close the Gap' yet?
This month Church Action on Poverty are calling on you to speak out about legal loan sharks where you live as thousands of low-income families are being charged 500% APR for credit.

Scottish Churches Housing Action looks to historic target – and beyond
Scottish Churches Housing Action announced details of a seminar on 30 September 2011 to bring housing professionals and activists together to assess progress towards the Scottish Government's target of an entitlement to a home for almost all homeless people by 2012.

The Bishop of Aberdeen and the Bishop of Menevia have issued their joint message for Sea Sunday on 10th July
The Bishops urge all to support the vital work of the Apostleship of the Sea. 90% of world trade is transported by ship, however the life of a modern seafarer can be dangerous and lonely. They may spend up to a year at a time away from home, separated from their family and loved ones, often working in harsh conditions.

Please sign the petition, calling for action to share ownership and wealth in a co-operative way.
Church action on Poverty are working in partership with Co-operatives UK to promote this year's Co-operatives Fortnight. Co-operatives UK share Church Action on Poverty's concern at the scale of the growing gap between rich and poor. They're using Co-operatives Fortnight this year to call for action to narrow the gap, by sharing wealth and ownership in a co-operative way. They want 100,000 people to sign a petition calling for action.

Since the recession hit, a third of families are now spending more each month than they have coming into their households. Four in 10 Britons are worried about their debt, five million are permanently overdrawn, and 22% will carry a credit card debt throughout 2011. The payday lending industry and other legal loan sharks are taking advantage of a lack of access to credit faced by many of these consumers as they try to make ends meet, lending them money on which they charge interest rates up to 4,000% or more.

Government 'Big Society' rhetoric is toothless and may be used to wash ministerial hands of responsibility for the impact of spending cuts, the Catholic Archbishop of Westminster warns. Archbishop Vincent Nichols, spiritual head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales, said he backed an expansion of voluntary and community engagement, but not at the expense of proper societal and governmental responsibility.

Closing Gathering 16 april 2011
The Closing Gathering of the Poverty Truth Commission took place on Saturday afternoon in front of an audience of more than 350 people. A full copy of the report is now available on line

Contact details for candidates in the Scottish election and initial responses to the survey on Trident have been added to the Scotland’s for Peace website 

Churches vote Being responsible Christians requires us to assess the candidates who are standing for election and to do this in light of the values of the Gospel. The aim of this website is to assist Christians in that task by making known the policy positions of parties and by drawing attention to important teachings of Christianity

Scottish Catholic Parliamentary Office

Compare the Parties

Hustings Guidance

Stop Climat Chaos Scotland - A manifesto for climate action 2011 Scottish Parliament elections

Say Church Action on Poverty
George Osborne has completely failed to acknowledge the genuine hardship that millions of people in this country are now facing. The Budget speech did not make a single mention of people in poverty, or of the huge cuts which are about to affect the benefits system. The Government has not kept its promise to protect the poorest and most vulnerable from the impact of its spending cuts

Planning an Election Meeting

In a landmark case human rights activists hope will reduce a culture of impunity for sex crimes in the beleaguered central African country, a military court has convicted a lieutenant colonel in the Congolese army to 20 years' imprisonment for mass rapes committed on New Year's Day. Simon Akam, Independent, Tuesday, 22 February 2011

Email Chris Huhne now
Help Stop the UK Poverty Rip-Off
If you think that poorer families - who are paying the poverty premium - should get the automatic rebate, take one minute to tell Chris Huhne now

Email your MP today to stop legal loan sharks
There is a debate in Parliament on Thursday 3 February about consumer credit regulation. Britain is unusual in that we do not have a law capping the total cost of credit companies can charge. This debate is an opportunity to start changing that - and you can help.

Poverty & Homelessness Action Week 2011 will run from 29 January to 6 February. 30 January is Homelessness Sunday and 6 February is Poverty Action Sunday. Raise your voice and make sure that everyone is counted!

A Hung Parliament?