Write to your future MP


Migrant Rights Network's Our Vote campaign is urging voters to write to their candidates to ask for fairness and justice in immigration: to protect the right to family life, end mass detention, end the 'hostile environment', and more.

The rather excellent online tool locates local parliamentary candidates who have an email address recorded and lets you contact them.

In the interests of all the families that have been divided and harried over the last parliament, I urge you to make your voice heard and get commitments from your candidates - by using this link :

http://www.our-vote.org/write-to-your-next-MP

Tax-free allowance - Conservative Party Conference

So today Cameron, at the Conservative Party Conference, announced that if the Tories win the 2015 election, he will increase the tax free allowance to £12,500 by 2020.  This seemed to be met with awe by many, with others questioning how such a rise could be funded.

Several thoughts.  Is £12,500 all that generous, given no concrete date for its implementation has been announced?  When I look at increases already applied under this government, I'd have to say no, whether I extrapolate the 2015-16 tax free allowance of £10,500 to 2019-20 by the lowest annual percentage, or the absolute amount.

For example, the lowest % increase, year-on-year, under this government has been 5%.  The lowest absolute amount is £500.  Applying this going forwards, we'd reach a tax free threshold of £12,763 under the first method and £12,500 under the second.  So Cameron's 'promise' does not seem generous, unless he means for this level of tax-free allowance to come into play much earlier, which is unlikely given his comments on the deficit.
 

Year	TFA	Annual % increase	TFA	Increase to TFA
2010–11	£6,475		£6,475
2011–12	£7,475	15.4%	£7,475	£1,000
2012–13	£8,105	8.4%	£8,105	£630
2013–14	£9,440	16.5%	£9,440	£1,335
2014–15	£10,000	5.9%	£10,000	£560
2015-16	£10,500	5.0%	£10,500	£500
2016-17	£11,025	5.0%	£11,000	£500
2017-18	£11,576	5.0%	£11,500	£500
2018-19	£12,155	5.0%	£12,000	£500
2019-20	£12,763	5.0%	£12,500	£500

Now looking at the next bit of Cameron's 'promise', that with a tax-free allowance of £12,500 no one on minimum wage will pay any income tax.  This is a blatant attempt to appear to be altruistic, when it's really to bribe the lower earner voters with a headline making announcement which in actual fact benefits the higher-earners more!

A rise in minimum wage from £6.31 to £6.50 came into force today.  This implies an annual salary of  £12,145. A tax-free allowance of £12,500 equates to an hourly rate of £6.69.  So a minimum wage of £6.70 or over would breach the £12,500 tax-free allowance.  So with his promise, Cameron is also committing to minimum wage being no higher than by 2020. That is, over the next five years, minimum wage will not go up by more than a total of 19p.  So what is £6.50 on 1 October 2012 will be no higher than £6.69 come 5 April 2020.

I may have been impressed had Cameron said the higher tax-free allowance applies only to those whose total incomes are below a certain level, rather than all of us benefiting.

Finally, with his bold claims of cutting spending to eliminate the deficit, I echo the sentiments of others in wondering how these tax cuts will be funded; I wonder what areas will see cuts. Education, NHS, welfare, housing, or surely not, our spend on war and weapons which have nothing to do with defending our nation?  Sadly what is not in doubt is that it is the lower earners who will bear the brunt of the cuts in spending whilst also benefiting the least from the tax cuts.

Centre-right think-tank Bright Blue calls for rethink on family migration rules

Via : Migrants' Rights Network

Source : Ryan Shorthouse (Bright Blue), writing in the Yorkshire Post

http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/debate/columnists/ryan-shorthouse-let-s-adopt-a-fair-approach-to-migration-1-6779690

Quote : 'Conservatives should show some heart and revise the minimum income rule to reflect a richer definition of contribution by a whole family.'

More posts on party positions : http://britcits.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/conservatives - http://britcits.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/labour - http://britcits.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/liberal%20democrats

Quick update from day of action... 

Thanks to those who attended. A fuller update will provided in due course, but some highlights :

From the morning All-Party Parliamentary Group session, chaired by Paul Blomfield MP :

Andrew Percy MP (Conservative) and Katy Clark MP (Labour) provide case studies of constituents affected, as well as a thoughtful contribution from the centre-right think tank Bright Blue on values, and an excellent contribution from the Lib Dem peer Lord Teverson. Very heartening to see members of all parties speaking out on this - including Conservatives.

Many great contributions from the floor as well, in particular Guy Taylor of JCWI made an excellent speech calling on politicians to make a commitment to scrapping the rules and reuniting families. Guy wants one more day of action next 9th July, and then for it to be done. 'A review of the rules would be nice, but scrapping them is what we need'. I couldn't agree more.

On the streets :

Demo outside the Home Office - a joyous occasion for solidarity, protest, friendship and laughter, and some excellent chanting (ably led by Lee )  :

'I love my foreign spouse... ' Facebook group has more photos :
https://www.facebook.com/groups/139807999382936/


The parliamentary session in the evening and the launch of the JCWI/BritCits adult dependant relatives report, chaired by Sarah Teather MP :

'You can't see the carpet' :
https://twitter.com/JCWInews/status/486932778643386368

Many great contributions, including linking the adult dependant relative issues with the rights of children. 

'Harsh, Unjust, Unnecessary' : Adult Dependant Relative Report, by JCWI with BritCits, launched 9th July 2014 :
http://www.scribd.com/doc/233262294/Adr-Report

Please read this detailed and moving report!

'I don’t want to leave my country. I will miss my home I will miss my friends and school. I want to live in my country with my whole family and friends. I really really don’t want to go to any other country. It doesn’t feel nice and I don’t want to do it.'

— British child, 7 years old

JCWI : Immigration restrictions condemn elderly parents to lonely twilight years :
http://www.jcwi.org.uk/blog/2014/07/09/immigration-restrictions-condemn-elderly-parents-lonely-twilight-years

In particular : Shadow Immigration Minister David Hanson committed to reviewing the family immigration rules should Labour win office. This follows on from the Liberal Democrats' endorsing a similar position a couple of months ago (see : http://britcits.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/welcome-news-liberal-democrats-endorse.html ). This is a most welcome statement and one we will certainly follow up on.

Our blogs on last year's day of action :
http://britcits.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/a%20very%20good%20day

Immigration Restrictions Condemn Elderly Parents to Lonely Twilight years. - See more at: http://jcwi.org.uk/blog/2014/07/09/immigration-restrictions-condemn-elderly-parents-lonely-twilight-years#sthash.La2MZVi2.dpuf

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And finally...

Self-righting Fukushima dolls on display at U.K. Parliament

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2014/07/08/national/self-righting-fukushima-dolls-display-u-k-parliament/

 'Sixty-six traditional tumble dolls from Fukushima Prefecture are on display inside Britain’s Houses of Parliament, several of them the work of celebrity designers.

'The event was organized by a group of Fukushima expatriates living in Britain.

'They say the “okiagari-koboshi” dolls, which right themselves when tipped over, demonstrate the fortitude of the Fukushima people and illustrate Japan’s efforts to rebuild from the devastation of the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami.'

Spotted while passing through Parliament on the day of action. A nice reminder of (adopted) 'home' for your correspondent.

 

'I get knocked down, then I get up again' : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDkVQvhZx04