Freedom Dec 2011_Freedom 22/11/2011 00:26 Page 1 £2 www.freedompress.org.uk Vol 72 • DECEMBER 2011 GANG WARFARE Welcome to a new era of LENS CAP SING WHEN WE’RE WINNING political policing When Oxbridge graduate Bernard Hogan- Howe began his new job as Metropolitan police commissioner in September, he brought with him the quaint PR phrase ‘total policing’ (that he himself coined when chief of Merseyside police) as a way of introducing himself into the new role as top cop. As a soundbite it ticked all the right boxes for an insouciant media – enticing, unspecific and unavoidably non-committal. But what in reality does a change at the top of the police pile mean for anarchists and activists especially during this period of economic disintegration and increasingly fractious social unrest, what can we expect in this new era of total policing? Already this year we have seen several examples of pro-active policing taking on a more sinister role – the kind of policing that goes beyond public order and preservation of the peace but designed to undermine Photograph © Max Reeves political expression. Anarcho-punk veterans Chumbawamba bring a bit of style and substance to the steps of St Paul’s as When education activists did a banner drop at the Lib Dem party conference in they serenade the Occupy masses with songs about the better times. The mini gig, on the day of the September they were remanded for three student demo, also featured Billy Bragg and Tom Morello from Rage Against the Machine and folk days by West Midlands police as their legend Peggy Seeger. The Chumbas are doing a short tour in December – check the Freedom website “membership of an organisation showed for details. page 38 MILITARY £600m CONSULTANTS 8 The Ministry of Defence (MoD) were forced of accountability Within the government INSIDE to admit that spending on consultants is out department itself, a leftover from Tony Blair, Winter blues page 3 of control, as a freedom of information request the war prime minister, and his tenure in reVealed that the goVernment militarY depart - office. Even the MoD’s internal report on 99% of what? page 6 ment has paid out almost £600m in the last FATs revealed a catalogue of abuse including tWo Years on consultants alone. The document “significant weaknesses” in the cases International news pages 8 and 9 reVealed the MoD spent £564m on “technical submitted for money, “weaknesses in the support”, in comparison to spending just £6m robustness of scrutiny” by those in charge of Prize crossword page 14 on consultants in 2006. In total 380 private the budget and contracts being awarded firms are now being paid to give the MoD without any kind of competition, meaning Svartfrosk page 16 technical support and consultancy. that the “ability to demonstrate value for The reason for the obscene escalation in moneY Was compromised”. It most cases there Reviews pages 20 and 21 spending was the introduction by the last was no assurance that any of the guidelines Labour Government of The Framework were actually being followed. ISSN 0016-0504 Agreement for Technical Support (FATs), a In addition to these figures the MoD spent policy that allowed senior defence officials £24.87bn on its suppliers during 2009-10 With to hire private companies without the £4bn of that going to Bae SYstems despite the required authorisation from government company sacking 9,000 employees this year 9 770016 050009 ministers. Added to this was a complete lack due to ‘government spending cuts’. Freedom Dec 2011_Freedom 22/11/2011 00:27 Page 2 2 Freedom • December 2011 NEWS NEWS IN BRIEF LENS CAP PORTRAIT OF A RADICAL December has been designated as a month of protest against Atos, the private health- care provider contracted to assess the suitability of benefit claimants for social welfare. Since taking over the evaluation process, which earns the company millions from government funding, they have been criticised almost uniVersallY for their record and conduct towards the unemployed. Atos Healthcare is part of IT giant Atos Origin selected by the Department of Work & Pensions (DWP) to administer the Work Capability Assessment (WCA), testing sick and disabled people who apply for benefit. Photograph © The Invisible Photographer In November 2010, a government select committee report heavily criticised the WCA for being too “mechanistic”. In addition, twelve doctors working for Atos face being struck off for improper conduct, and other members of Atos’ staff are under investigation over allegations of obscene criticism of claimants. The DWP is reported in 2011 to have by far the highest number of decisions overturned at appeal of any government department. Over time sick and disabled people and Noam Chomsky visited the UK for the Rebellious Media Conference where he gave a key note address their supporters have grown more militant to a packed audience on the future of radical media, but focused on the Occupy movement. He also and more vocal in their condemnations of Atos. In return Atos threatened legal action met up with radicals from London for a private meeting. Although Freedom were not invited to attend – against the Internet hosting companies of the organisers were very select in their choices – we are told he was in inspired form. three websites – Carerwatch, After Atos and Atos Register of Shame, attempting to silence claimants and their small organisations who have had the courage to speak up. The December campaign, dubbed ‘A Social Centres breakout Month of Festive Action Against Atos and the Benefit Cuts’, brings together grassroots With government moves to outlaw squatting radical community hub and active political claimants groups and disability rights in residential buildings and the organisation base. As the people involved in the activists to stage protests, direct action, of activists into a movement of positive Birmingham Social Centre say “The spaces demonstrations and other events to high - action against the criminalising of squatters, by their nature attract local residents, local light the way in which the disabled and once again radical social spaces is back on activists and often create exchanges and sickness claimants are being increasingly the agenda and the forefront of people’s meeting points that result in strong treated as second class citizens. They list political activity. communities actively p ursuing their civil all Atos corporate offices across the UK Groups such as Squatters Action for power and asserting control over their own country which will be targeted throughout Secure Homes (SQUASH) and Squatters lives”. the month of action. Network in Brighton (SNOB), along with Groups in Birmingham, Sheffield and The coalition government is continuing the long established Advisory Service for Manchester are all committed to establishing and extending the welfare reform policies Squatters, are all playing their part to ensure permanent social centres in their respective brought in by the previous Labour govern - individuals retain the right to a safe home in cities. This is an incredibly positive move ment of penalising the unemployed by empty buildings. We will be looking at the and hopefully in the new year we will see slashing billions from the benefits system implications of the new laws against emerging new places for radical ideas and in a series of moves which will cause squatters in future editions of the paper, but activities. increased poverty and destitution for for now we ask what is the future for millions of people. autonomous social spaces? If anarchists wish to get involved in any of these Disabled people, parents, pensioners, the Social centres, simply defined are ‘radical projects then get in conta ct: unemployed and the low waged will all be independent social and community centres’ • Sheffield http://sheffieldsocialcentre.org.uk/ drastically affected by the reforms. and they have had something of a • Manchester http://www.manchestersocialcentre. As the call out says: “millions of resurgence in recent times. This may be due org/ disabled, low paid, unemployed or sick to the upsurge in political activism in • Birmingham http://birminghamsocialcentre. people are facing a future of poverty, general and recognising the need for a wordpress.com/ Worsening health and homelessness. For the last year disabled people, claimant activists and supporters haVe been protesting against the inhumane treatment being inflicted on already vulnerable people. We need more than ever to increase the pressure and fight these attacks on our most basic needs and very survival.” Check the Benefit Claimants Fightback website for events: benefitclaimantsfightback.wordpress.com/ Freedom Dec 2011_Freedom 22/11/2011 00:27 Page 3 Freedom • December 2011 3 NEWS Winter blues Along with those alarming statistics is a According to the energy regulators How energy companies are recent report that estimates almost 3,000 Ofgem, profits per customer rose an will die this winter as a direct result of fuel astonishing 733% over the past six months, making a killing poverty – more than the number killed in rising from £15 in June to £125 in October. traffic accidents each year. The Hills Fuel On top of this the average electricity tariff Despite an uncharacteristic mild autumn, Poverty Review, commissioned by the is set to increase by £300 a year to £800, winter brings with it the necessity of to government, base their findings on figures with gas prices rising from £845 to more increase gas and electricity consumption to from the Office for National Statistics that than £1,300. keep warm during periods of lower states there are 27,000 extra deaths on To put that into some perspective, it is temperatures. Characteristically many average in the UK each winter compared to estimated that for every one per cent rise in people cannot afford to do so.