Dean of St Paul’s leads prayers for victims of government cuts; Archbishop welcomes marriage tax breaks plan; Kirk anti-poverty work wins European award; Christian Aid emphasises global warming action challenge
Dean of St Paul’s leads prayers for victims of government cuts
The Dean of St Paul’s Cathedral, David Ison, has lead prayers at a multifaith act of remembrance for people who have died or suffered as a result of UK government cuts. It took place at noon on Saturday 28 September 2013 in Parliament Square, London.
The event, entitled 10,000 Cuts and Counting, has been organised by Occupy London and Disabled People Against Cuts, with support from groups including Christianity Uncut, a network of Christians campaigning against the government’s cuts agenda.
The gathering demanded an end to the Work Capability Assessment, widely seen as a mechanism for removing disabled people’s benefits.
Official figures show that 10,600 people died in 2011 within six weeks of going through the assessment. Many speakers at the event have first-hand experience of the pain and suffering inflicted by government cuts.
People of many religions and none took part in the act of remembrance. Other speakers included Muslim commentator Mohammed Ansar and Labour MP Michael Meacher.
Christianity Uncut has applauded the Dean of St Paul’s for taking this public stand, despite their past disagreements. Five Christianity Uncut members were removed from the cathedral steps by police while praying during the eviction of Occupy London Stock Exchange in 2012.
“We are really pleased to be working alongside David Ison to hold this act of remembrance and solidarity,” said Siobhan Grimes, one of those removed from the steps last year, who has been involved in organising this event.
She added, “Together we are focusing on the reality of government policies that are snatching away the livelihoods of thousands of disabled people and punishing the poor for the sins of the rich.”
Grimes urged other church leaders to “follow the Dean’s example by speaking out publicly about the death and destruction that the cuts are bringing.”
More information about the act of remembrance can be found at http://www.10kcuts.org
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-24321105
Archbishop welcomes marriage tax breaks plan
The Archbishop of Canterbury has welcomed the Prime Minister’s announcement today that some married couples and civil partners will receive a transferable tax allowance from 2015.
Around four million couples are set to benefit from the new marriage tax allowance of £1,000 to be introduced in April 2015.
David Cameron announced that the tax break would apply if both are basic rate tax payers, meaning that it will only be available at current rates to people who earn less than £41,451 a year.
Archbishop Justin Welby said in response to the plan that the Church welcomed all support for family life.
He said in a statement: “We welcome all support for family life and we’re pleased that this initiative includes both married couples and those in civil partnerships.”
The scheme will make it possible for people to transfer £1,000 of their personal tax allowance to their spouse or civil partner.
Writing in the Daily Mail, Mr Cameron said: “There is something special about marriage: it’s a declaration of commitment, responsibility and stability that helps to bind families.
“The values of marriage are give and take, support and sacrifice – values that we need more of in this country.”
Support for marriage in the tax system was in the Conservative Party’s manifesto in the last election.
The tax break is predicted to leave eligible couples £200 a year better off.
Kirk anti-poverty work wins European award
The Priority Areas Committee of the Church of Scotland has won the European Anti-Poverty Network (EAPN) Award 2013 for their role in transnational inspiration and learning in the fight against poverty and social exclusion.
EAPN has rewarded the committee for its work in setting up Self-Reliant Groups in Scotland through its project ‘Passage from India’, which is now an independent charity.
Self-Reliant Groups (SRGs) are small groups of women who come together on a weekly basis, on the principles of self-help and solidarity, to collectively grow their economic aspirations and confidence to start-up microbusinesses and meet their credit needs in some of Scotland’s poorest neighbourhoods.
The idea came from a visit to India in 2010 to India where a group of women from Glasgow interacted with women involved in similar groups. There are nearly 8 million such groups which already exist in India.
Out of the initial six SRGs, four have already established microenterprises with their self-generated capital – as little as £1 – and matched by a microfinance scheme that has been set up with the help of the Guild of the Church of Scotland. The aim is to have 50 such groups across Scotland, involving over 350 women from underprivileged communities over the next two years.
The Rev Dr Martin Johnstone, Secretary of the Priority Areas Committee, commented: “The award acknowledges what we already know. Women in Scotland have learnt from their peers in India, and together they are bringing about positive change in their families and communities. That transformation is the really important thing.”
The leader of the project Noel Mathias will attend the award ceremony on September 30th in Brussels to accept the award on behalf of the committee.
Around 100 members of EAPN from all over Europe will also be present, along with members of the Obertament organisation in Spain and the Stichting Barka programme in the Netherlands with whom they are sharing the award.
Christian Aid emphasises global warming action challenge
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report released yesterday (27 September 2013) is a stark warning of the need for urgent global action to avert devastating global warming, says Christian Aid, the UK-based churches’ global development agency.
Dr Alison Doig, Christian Aid’s Senior Climate Change Advisor, commented: “Scientific evidence confirms that manmade climate change is a reality and that without urgent action globally, the impacts will get worse. The time for debate is over, it is time to act.
“Rising temperatures will bring enormous economic and human cost. We need to support countries and communities most at risk in preparing to cope with disaster, to lessen the impacts of extreme weather events and help communities recover more rapidly when they do occur.
“The implications of melting ice caps and rising sea levels for people and economies around the world will be enormous, but it is the poorest and most vulnerable people who depend on the land and sea for their living who will be most affected.
“The report shows that there is time to put a halt to the continuing accumulation of carbon in our atmosphere, but that we need to move fast.
“As a developed, industrialised country the UK has to lead the way by ending our dependence on fossil fuels, and investing in clean, renewable sources of energy which we are fortunate enough to be blessed with in the UK.
“The science is clear, we have a moral duty to act and the risk of not doing so is too great. This is our opportunity to create the world we want to live in,” Dr Doig concluded.