News has reached Sodium Haze of two decisions in the court of appeal that have the effect of deeming the Bedroom Tax as unlawful and discriminatory.
The circumstances are worth noting.
One of the two successful appeals was brought by a woman who had been a victim of domestic violence. Her home has been specially adapted to include a panic room.
Her lawyers claimed the policy discriminated against her because she would have to leave a room that had been adapted for her safety. Wheelchair users and disabled people have made similar claims.
The second successful appeal was brought by Paul and Susan Rutherford on behalf of their severely disabled grandson Warren.
Warren suffers from a rare genetic disorder and requires 24 hour care because he cannot walk, talk or feed himself.
The couple was hit by the bedroom tax because they have a room that is used for overnight carers and storing specialist medical equipment.
The court found the policy’s impact on disabled children was contrary to the European Convention on Human Rights.
What a disgraceful day it is for Britain when a victim of domestic violence and carers of disabled children must confront their own government to protect the basics they need.
Basic morality can no longer be enforced by our own laws but by a desperate legal appeal via the European Convention on Human Rights.
Naturally this bullying government is continuing to fight against any just settlement in these cases in the full knowledge that the whole wicked edifice of the Bedroom Tax is in danger.
We already know that Britain is now the most unequal nation in the EU
Our children are some of the unhappiest in the world.
There are currently 3.7 million children living in poverty in the UK. That’s over a quarter of all children. 1.7 million of these children are living in severe poverty. In the UK 63% of children living in poverty are in a family where someone works.
Look at any indicator of Britain as a civilised society and one can see how the Tories have disgraced us all.
The NHS faces an unprecedented crisis as it is starved of funds, broken up and privatised by stealth.
Local community groups are fighting losing battles across the nation to save libraries from closure (500 are threatened).
Our green spaces and public parks are being sold from beneath our feet, as cash strapped councils are forced to loot their own assets in order to maintain statutory services.
Our privatised railways are in the hands of the state owned railway operators of…other countries and as a consequence we pay more for rail travel to work than anywhere else in Europe.
Our young students face immoral hikes to their debt burden,
Our housing crisis means that the UK is in breach of United Nations basic standards for human rights – with sharp rises in the number of homeless people and many rental properties simply unfit for habitation.
A recent report by Cambridge University estimated that 1.3 million 16-24 year olds had been forced to sleep rough in the previous year.
With over one million hungry people now forced to rely on foodbanks – the Tories respond to the providers of emergency food aid with threats and smears. The Trussel Trust says that the government now regards whole sections of its own citizenry as “collateral damage”
The UK is in the grip of an implosion of decency – civil society and the moral standards that hold it together are under attack with the only winners being super rich individuals and powerful corporations.
No economic argument can justify people going hungry and homeless while the rich gather more wealth.
It may be unpleasant to confront supporters of this most dreadful government with the suffering and destruction that their support facilitates, but there can be no hiding place for anybody in this fight now. We must NOT descend to their level of hatred and smears but stand tall for our values and human compassion.
If we remain silent, we are collaborators – and there may be no one to speak up for us as we grow old or have the misfortune to be sick, unemployed or disabled.
This is a succinct and powerful article. There are millions of good people in our society who must be awakened to the consequences of the raw cruelty of this governments policies.