IDAHOBIT 2016

I don’t follow football, I have no interest in football, I have never played   football.

Why am I telling you this?

Because, when I was seven years old this made me different, because I wouldn’t give in and join the crowd I was marked out as different, not normal, someone to be bullied.

I didn’t feel that I was the same as other boys, I knew something was different.

I was different and I wouldn’t play by the rules.

But there were no role models for me to follow.

Being called a shirt lifter, bum bandit, fag, nancy boy, queer every day wears you down; at 13 years of age you want to conform you don’t want to be different.

Growing up in Northern Ireland in the 1970’s being told by the Political and religious leaders of your Country that you destined to burn in hell, that you are unnatural, that it’s illegal to feel the way you do forces you to get out or give in to the bullies and to conform to being someone you know is not true.

I conformed I gave in and tried to be like everyone else.

It took me to the age of 22 before I met other Gay people in Belfast, I learned an important life lesson there is strength in numbers, working together gives you strength and determination to stand up to bullies and to stand up for your rights and to follow what you feel is right.

Demonstrating, petitioning, arguing, lobbying does bring change and in the last 30 years the lives of LGBT people in the UK have changed hugely.

But so much remains to be done in securing rights for our community, and ensuring we can live lives free from violence, intimidation, and secrecy.

In 2016 we still have children in Schools in this City who are being bullied because of their sexuality, we still have Schools who won’t let pupils self-identify their gender.

In England we have Schools who still think it’s illegal to teach about same sex relationships, in Northern Ireland if you are openly Gay you cannot work in half the Schools paid for by the State. Nor can you marry your same sex partner.

The current Government’s policy for LGBT asylum seekers instead of sending a message that all citizens are to be treated fairly and equally, regardless of their sexual orientation, the message currently being sent by our Government is that it is acceptable to exclude people on the grounds that they cannot prove they are LGBT and therefore in danger from their own Governments.

As with every major human rights advance, from the abolition of slavery to allowing women to vote, future generations will look back and wonder how anyone could have opposed such a basic human right as equality for all people regardless of colour, race, creed or sexuality.

The fight against homophobia is a core part of the broader battle for human rights for all.

Stonewall estimates that there are nearly 40 thousand LGBT people living in Sheffield, they also estimate that 1 in 5 LGBT people have suffered verbal bullying from colleagues or customers.

1 in 4 LGBT employees are not out in the work place.

1 in 8 LGBT employees would not be confident in reporting homophobic bullying in the workplace.

Do we stand by and do nothing or do we all stand up for our rights?

For generations, LGBT people in this City have been subject to hate crimes on account of their sexual orientation and gender identity. We have been treated with contempt, derision and discrimination. We have been made to

feel anything but free and equal. Such inequalities impede development and progress for society as a whole.

Ending homophobia is a matter of personal security, dignity and even survival for countless individuals. It is also a long-term endeavour – one that I believe is critical to the future of the whole community.

I thank you for your commitment to the cause of equality and fairness with the force of our conviction; let us continue fighting discrimination against all peoples and work for a City and a country of true freedom and equality for all.

Holocaust Memorial Day

I’d like to quote from the Book of Joel:  "Has the like of this happened in your days or in the days of your fathers?  Tell your children about it, and let your children tell theirs, and their children the next generation."  That’s why we’re here.  Not simply to remember, but to speak. 

We must speak of the crime of Holocaust, millions of innocent people, men, women, children, babies -- sent to their deaths just for being different, just for being Jewish.  We must talk about the millions of Poles and Catholics and Roma, Political prisoners, trade unionists, Gay men, Transexuals and so many others who also must never be forgotten.  We must talk not only how they died, but also how they lived -- as fathers and mothers, lovers, sons and daughters who loved and hoped and dreamed, just like us.   

We must speak about how this evil was allowed to happen -- because so many people gave in to their dark ideas, and because so many stood silent.

The Holocaust may have reached its barbaric climax at the death camps but it started in the hearts of ordinary men and women.  And we have seen it again -- madness that can sweep through peoples, sweep through nations, embed itself.  The killings in Cambodia, the killings in Rwanda, the killings in Bosnia, the killings in Darfur, the killings of innocent civilians in Syria, by Daaish -- they shock us, but they are the result of ignorance and intolerance that we see every day; the bigotry that says another person is less than my equal, less than human.  These are the seeds of hate that we cannot let take root in our hearts.

All the peoples of the world have the right to live their lives in peace and security, everyone has the right to practice their religion or none. Free from the fear of persecution, all people have the right to follow their heart and to love someone without fear of persecution, all peoples have the right to live on the land of their ancestors without fear of persecution, invasion or having it stolen from them.

  

We must challenge societies to change. Change comes from the bottom up, from the grassroots. Preventing genocide is an achievable goal.  It is one that does not start from the top; it starts from the bottom up.

All of you should consider what can I do? Its not just up to Governments or elected officials to tackle the ills of this world today, it’s the responsibility of every person to say what can I do to make the life of my fellow citizen better, how can I understand people who are different from me?

  

Military intervention is not the answer to the problems of this world. We possess many tools -- diplomatic and political, and economic and financial, intelligence and law enforcement that can be used to intervene.

When the referendum in South Sudan was in doubt, it threatened to reignite a conflict that had killed millions.  But with determined diplomacy, South Sudan became the world’s newest nation. Diplomacy must continue, because in Darfur, in Abyei, in Southern Kordofan and the Blue Nile, the killing of innocents must come to an end.  The bombing of civilians in Syria by their own government with the support of Russia must stop.

  

We must help realize a future where no African child is stolen from their family and no girl is raped and no boy is turned into a child soldier. 

In short, we need to be doing everything we can to prevent and respond to these kinds of atrocities -- because national sovereignty is never a license to slaughter your people. 

There will be conflicts that are not easily resolved.  There will be senseless deaths that aren’t prevented.  There will be stories of pain and hardship that test our hopes and try our conscience.  And in such moments it can be hard to imagine a more just world. 

Last January I visited Somaliland and I met with the members of the Human Rights Commission, and survivors of the terrible atrocities committed against the civilian population by the dictator Siad Barrie during the 1980’s civil war.

The survivors said to me "We had the right to give up."  "We had the right to give up on humanity, to give up on culture, to give up on education, to give up on the possibility of living one's life with dignity, in a world that has no place for dignity." 

But they told me, "We rejected that possibility, and we said, no, we must continue believing in a future."  To stare into the abyss, to face the darkness and insist there is a future -- to not give up, to say yes to life, to believe in the possibility of justice.  

To those survivors and the survivors of all conflicts thank you for not giving up.  You show us the way.  If you cannot give up, if you can believe, then we can believe.  If you can continue to strive and speak, then we can speak and strive for a future where there’s a place for dignity for every human being and a world where everyone has the right to live their life in peace.

EDL POLLUTING SHEFFIELD

 EDL POLLUTING SHEFFIELD

I always think it’s a good idea to know your enemy, so I’ve had a look at what the EDL claim to stand for

To quote:

We will protest against Islamic Extremism all across England.
We are neither racist, fascist nor "far right", and anyone is welcome to join if they want to live under English values and fully integrate into our way of life.
We call for the banning of the Burkha and the instant cessation of mosque-construction, based on the fact that the government has no idea who is living here

Another quote Sheffield is run by a left wing council – so far so good - and they let thousands of children be groomed by Muslim gangs, Not good complete lies but designed to stir up hatred in Sheffield.

Sheffield  Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transsexual and Queer movement preaches tolerance and inclusion, while the English Defence League is a reactionary, homophobic, Islamophobic organisation which relies on flag-burning, death threats and violence to communicate its message

Looking at news coverage of EDL protests, it is not difficult to hear homophobic insults being thrown around – attacks that are even more in evidence when browsing their forums, message boards and web pages.

The avowed homosexual-hater Terry Jones, the Qur’an burning pastor, was  invited to speak in the UK by the EDL.

It is easy to write the EDL off as mindless thugs, but to do so is to underestimate them. The intellectual wing of the organisation know they can legitimise their cause by recruiting from minority groups like the LGBT movement, while playing people’s fears  even when there seems to be no real enemy.
The LGBT division exists as a political device to cover the EDL from accusations of homophobia, but the fact cannot be ignored that there are gay members of the League who are genuinely and actively committed to its evil cause.
The double standards at play here are obvious to us all in the LGBT community and we will not be fooled by them.
The EDL LGBT division is real, and their hatred is real too so I call on all people of Sheffield who value the freedom all the people of this City have to lead their lives free from intimidation to say no we don’t want these thugs in our City and we want them out now.

Gar Gar Foundation Charity

There are thousands of people from Somaliland who live in Sheffield and we recognise and appreciate the important contribution they make to the City and the close ties Sheffield has with Somaliland.

My visit to Somaliland in January was for me a life changing visit. To see a people living and surviving in such difficult conditions made me realize how relatively easy life is in this Country.

I’d like to look particularly at the life of Somaliland Women.

The maternal and infant mortality rate in Somaliland is extremely high. For a Woman, having a child is one of the most dangerous things they can do.

Limited provision of quality healthcare in the horn of Africa means that for every 100,000 live births, 1,400 of them will be still born and 90 out of 1000 children will die before the age of 5.  Sadly, 42 out of every 1000 new born will die within the first month of life, whilst almost 4000 women will die each year in childbirth.  

Women lack the sense of control over their own health, as any treatment they require, whether for a broken leg, or an emergency caesarean section, needs to be first approved by the man of the family (father, husband, brother or eldest son).  This can prove difficult and even fatal in emergencies if the men are away or out of contact. 
Women and girls are also at risk from the complications, both physically and mentally, of female genital mutilation that leads the women of Somaliland to their graves during pregnancy and childbirth

While little girls are the mothers of tomorrow, we all know that they are fed the leftovers from whatever the family is eating. Does anyone worry that her growth may become stunted because of chronic malnutrition and anaemia? That she might develop a contracted pelvis? What will happen when she gets married and her narrow pelvis cannot permit the passage of the babies she will be expected to bear and produce? How many women have access to a health facility that can perform a Caesarean section to save the lives of the baby and its mother before the labour becomes obstructed?

Quite often, when a family has to decide which of their children can be sent to school, it is often the girls who are left behind. Illiteracy affects the health and survival outcome of women. The lower their education level, the higher their risk of health problems, including those associated with their reproductive life.

Once the girl is married, immediate and frequent fertility is expected of her without taking into consideration whether or not her body can take care of the baby she will conceive. Women, therefore, produce as many children as they can to ensure their place in their new home.

As if all her other misfortunes were not enough in themselves, harmful traditional practices such as female genital mutilation (FGM) are performed on them and affect the health of women and children in many African countries. FGM affects and damages the perineum and the pelvic floor muscles of women and is a major cause of laceration of the perineum during childbirth, as well as damage to the urethra and rectum resulting in fistula formation.

While in Somaliland in January I spoke to the Female leader of the Human Rights project, she described to me the lifelong problems she has experienced since being subjected to FGM as a young girl.

Women having babies who are at a time of their greatest need for skilled medical or midwifery assistance are often at the mercy of relatives or other individuals who have received no or insufficient training in the care of women during childbirth.

The woman does not know nor seek proper medical care because she does not know that this is her right. Many women die of mismanagement with her relatives blaming her misfortune on “evil spirits” or “the evil eye of other women who were jealous of her baby.”

The health facilities are so ill-equipped and poorly staffed that even if women get taken there, there is very little that can be done for them. More often than not, women arrive at these health facilities when their situation is too advanced and cannot be helped. How can infections be avoided when many health facilities have no water, gloves, disinfectants, sterilizers or dressings?

But there is hope, many international health organisations are now working in Somaliland to bring better medicine and better health care.
But delegating women to a second-class status does not necessarily raise men to a first-class status. When they do, they are denying their sisters, wives and daughters the education, decision-making and the possibility to rise to their fullest potential. In short, men lose when they prevent women from becoming full partners in all the challenges that life brings.
The prevention of maternal mortality is the basic right of all women and must be made a priority in Somaliland. The urgency of the situation warrants vastly heightened attention. Otherwise, the pledges and statements of health as a human right will continue to be words printed on paper
I will never forget the visit we made to Sheffield Village outside Burra, particularly the huge number of Women who turned out to welcome us, when we spoke to them to thank them for coming to see us and asked them what we could do for them and they all said we need a hospital for the Women and children.
So that’s why we are here today: We can do something to help the Women of Sheffield Village, we can build them a Maternity Hospital, we can give them the clean modern up to date facility they so desperately need, but we can only do it with your help and support.
I urge you to put aside your divisions and arguments aside and join with us to raise the funds to build the Sheffield Maternity Hospital in Sheffield Village.

Why pay tax

A tax (from the Latin taxo; meaning "rate") is a financial charge or other levy imposed upon a taxpayer by a state to fund various public expenditures.

Why pay tax? Imagine you are working for a manufacturer and get pay £1000 a month 20% of which is taken in tax. Why can't you donate this money to something you choose? Well you employer couldn't manufacture without a legal system that protects their rights, private ownership of land, transport systems, energy production, an educated workforce, patent protection, judicial resolution of disputes, national defence, protection of trading routes. So as one might be tempted to say to Mrs Windsor pay your taxes.

What about the missing tax?

Should we have any confidence in this Governments ability to tackle missing tax? Consider the case of Jeremy Hunt. Just before the 2010 election, the culture Secretary legally reduced his potential tax bill by £100 000 through a transfer deal involving his education companies office building, which - however you look at it is a lot of VAT rated pasties.

It is the responsibility of the Government to design the tax system so that it collects the tax it needs. Evasion, involving deception, non disclosure etc, should not be tolerated but people cannot be blamed for responding rationally to the tax system as it is. Which is what Jeremy Hunts cleaver accounts did.

My Father was born in 1929 and died in 2007. For the first 50 years of his life the stock of the Government debt was very much higher as a share of GDP than it is now. But strange to say, I never remember him once blaming his parents and grandparents for leaving his generation with such a high debt burden. Or indeed talking about it at all.

The debt actually fell during the 1980's and 1990's as inflation eroded it in real terms. Nobody thought to crucify the nations public services, it's security and the wider state over delivering an artificial debt ceiling.

The reduction of the debt is an obsession motivated by the ideological animus against public services and public provision. Britain's national debt is comfortably affordable today - even moderate by historical standards. To represent it as an economic enemy number one is just wrong.

The stark truth facing Britain is that the institutions of our capitalism-the firm, the bank, the shareholder- have become profoundly dysfunctional.

The financial crisis confronted every western country but was most acute in Britain because banks widely over - expanded their balance sheets to please their disengaged shareholders and over - rewarded director teams.

Yorkshire may have generated more jobs than the whole of France last year, as Osborne boasted - but they were disproportionately low - paid and insecure jobs and zero hours contracts.

 A progressive government would shore up its tax base and smooth the pattern of spending by borrowing to avoid such a roller coaster ride. Today's conservatism makes such rational behaviour impossible. Thus the absurd cuts.

Before further cuts are imposed the Government could find more tax revenue. For example there are 180 000 potential taxpayers with very high incomes who claim non - domiciled status pay no tax. Britain is the only country in the world to offer non - dom status. Abolish it and tax receipts would be boosted by £18bn per year. Revaluate property from 1991 values, introduce more council tax bands, and there is suddenly an additional £12bn to £15bn in the coffers. Suddenly there would be no financial crisis.

Let's unleash an apprentice revolution. Let's double our research and development. Let's create a northern powerhouse rather than just talking about it. Let's build a great Country let's vote Labour.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

Budget 2015

It's clear that we are having to set this difficult budget due entirely to the cuts imposed on this Council by the LibDem and Tory Government.

The report of Welfare Reforms in November 2014 notes that 148 families in Sheffield suffer from the benefits cap. That means that 736 children in Sheffield are living in families where they are struggling to pay rent to keep a roof over their heads

I have no doubt that this Government have done nothing to support or value the poorest people in this country, instead they have allowed the national debt to race out of control, the country now owes more money than we did 5 years ago that's equal to £5000 per person.

In the last 12 months alone the use of food banks has risen by 54%

Recent figures from Public Health show that we have an increase in the number of children under the age of 5 in Sheffield who are malnourished. This is 2015 not the 1930's but under this ConDem Government they would like to take us back to the 1930's

Recently the LibDem Minister of State for Schools David Laws wrote to a constituent who had complained about her older children not having free school meals  and wanting to know how she was supposed to feed her children during the holidays. His reply was that it wasn't the responsibility of his Government to look after hungry children, more a Tory point of view than a Liberal.

I believe the this country is a signatory to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, article 24 clearly states that Governments shall combat malnutrition by the provision of adequate nutritious foods, clearly this LibDem Tory disaster don't care about our children indeed they are more concerned to prop up their rich millionaire party donors that feeding hungry children.

Tackling the massive inequality in the this country means paying people a living wage not slave wages, it means stopping zero hours contracts, it's something the current LibDem and Tories have completely failed to tackle. Fiddling with the amount of tax free income is minor tinkering around the edges.

We need a Government that is committed tackling the inequalities in this Country and to set ambitious steps to reverse the decline that we have suffered over the last 5 years.

A Government needs to take steps to ensure people have decent secure jobs that pay a living wage, that allows people to contribute to society by paying tax and national insurance.

There are currently 4.9 million people working part time in multiple jobs and that figure is rising, people desperate to bring in enough money to keep their families together. This number has risen hugely since 2010 another example of how this ConDem Government is failing the people of this City and Country.

The LibDems cannot  be trusted since they broke their promises to the electorate in 2010 and have shown themselves to be worthy only to prop up the most right wing Tory Government for years.

Only Labour has the plans, the drive and the determination to work for the people of this City and this Country and to undo the damage wrought on the poorest and weakest and the most deprived and to give the British people back hope in the future.
 
 

Speech to Hope not Hate

I don’t follow football, I have no interest in football, I have never played football.

Why am I telling you this?

Because, when I was seven years old this made me different, because I wouldn’t give in and join the crowd I was marked out as different, not normal someone to be bullied.

I didn’t feel that I was the same as other boys, I knew something was different.

I was different and I wouldn’t play by the rules.

At 13 realised why I felt different, I wasn’t interested in watching Pans People on Top of the Pops, I was more interested in David Bowie.

But there were no role models for me to follow.

People noticed and the bullying started again.

Being called a shirt lifter, bum bandit, queer every day wears you down; at 13 you want to conform you don’t want to be different.

Growing up in Northern Ireland in the 1970’s being told by the Political and religious leaders of your Country that you destined to burn in hell, that you are unnatural, that it’s illegal to feel the way you do forces you to get out or give in to the bullies and to conform to being someone you know is not true.

I conformed I gave in and tried to be like everyone else.

It took me to the age of 22 before I met

other Gay people in Belfast, I learned an important lesson there is strength in numbers, working together gives you strength and determination to stand up to bullies and to stand up for your rights and to follow what you feel is right.

Demonstrating, petitioning, arguing,lobbying  does bring change and in the last 30 years the lives of LGBT people in the UK have changed hugely.

But so much remains to be done in securing rights for the LGBT community, and ensuring we can live lives free from violence, intimidation, and secrecy.

In 2015 we still have children in Schools in this City who are being bullied because of their sexuality.

In England we have Schools who still think it’s illegal to teach about same sex relationships, in Northern Ireland if you are openly Gay you cannot work in half the Schools paid for by the State.

The current Government’s policy for LGBT asylum seekers instead of sending a message that all citizens are to be treated fairly and equally, regardless of their sexual orientation, the message currently being sent by our Government is that it is acceptable to exclude people on the grounds of their sexuality and that their sexual preferences need to be proved by intrusive questioning

I never dreamt that I could legalise my relationship with my male partner, I never thought that it would become almost acceptable to be LGBT and not have people comment on it.

At just after midnight on the 29^th March 2014 the City of Sheffield made history, this time and date will forever be written in the memories of all those who witnessed the first same sex marriage of Kyle and Richie in the glorious surroundings of the Town Hall.

This was the latest step forward by Sheffield on the road to full equality for LGBT people and towards the City creating a safe and equal future for all the LGBT people of Sheffield.

As with every major human rights advance, from the abolition of slavery to allowing women to vote, future generations will look back and wonder how anyone could have opposed such a basic human right as equality for all people regardless of colour, race, creed or sexuality.

The fight against homophobia is a core part of the broader battle for human rights for all. Its sits alongside the long-standing work of this Council to eliminate racism and promote gender equality. We want a City that is that is free and equal, and we can only honour that promise if everyone – without exception – enjoy the protection they deserve.

This Council is committed to protect everyone from discrimination on grounds of their sexual orientation and gender identity. Public education is also essential to challenge negative stereotypes and promote greater understanding.

For generations, LGBT people in this City have been subject to hate crimes on account of their sexual orientation and gender identity. We have been treated with contempt, derision and discrimination. We have been made to

feel anything but free and equal. Such inequalities impede development and progress for society as a whole.

For far too long, our suffering was met with silence in the halls of power. As the Councillor charged with leading on LGBT issues I am committed to raising my voice. Along with many committed partners, we are working to elevate this struggle and draw greater attention to the specific challenges facing the LGBT people of this City. I appreciate all those who support this effort and call on others to engage.

Ending homophobia is a matter of personal security, dignity and even survival for countless individuals. It is also a long-term endeavour – one that I believe is critical to the future of Sheffield.

I thank you for your commitment to the cause of equality and fairness with the force of our conviction; let us continue working for a City of true freedom and equality for all.