Occupy Leicester: Fuel Poverty Action – Dying For Heat 2.
November 17, 2014 Category: Livestream, News No Comments 
Original Invite to the Leicester Event:
We have normalized systemic violence, see it as part of the scenery. The situation created is through human choice. It is constructed and executed by human beings. Our elders & children and vulnerable members of our communities need us to come through for them. We can do better than this and show the governments and local councils and energy companies.
Fight for each other.
Who wants to join us in their swim wear and freeze their bits off? The more the merrier. We may have some poets and musicians dropping by if they can take the cold. If you have a story to tell come and tell it.
From last February
Some lovely people who sleep rough join the Dying for Heat 24 Hour Vigil, a short report.
At 8 am we donned our Bermuda shorts and walking sticks outside Leicester Town Hall.
Big Society my Arse. The Big Betrayal more like.
The action was inspired last monday. At the community centre I work at a lady let it be known that her boiler had broken a month ago. There turned out to be hundreds on the waiting list of the boiler replacement scheme run by the council and no charities to help her out because she owned her house but her pension does not cover big payments, just day to day living. I had already had dealings with the council in an attempt to sort out some customisation and insulation for another lady who rents council property. Despite assurances of the the Assistant Mayor who is charge of the Councils rented property little progress had been made in a number of months and the lady had been living in the place for a year or so. She had swapped houses because of the bedroom tax and found that the place took ages to warm up & because of mobility issues she needed a walk in shower.
Both these ladies are proud and loving, they have worked all their life and dont like asking for things, like alot of people they dont want to be a burden. Jesus they think of themselves as burdens. How wrong we can be about ourselves.
I had previously read that in a London School of Economics report that they estimate 500000 elders in this country do not receive the assistance and care they need. On top of that last week I found out that the UK has one of the lowest percentage expenditure of GDP for the elderly throughout Europe. Ranking 17th out of 20 countries in pension payments. For shame. Why did I not know that before?
It was bitter cold for the first hour or so. Then it got a degree or two warmer. We had no idea how long we could keep it up. The amount of unexpected stories we heard from passers by who had been effected was a constant source of fuel. Old & young. A young lad told of his 50 year old father not being able to afford to turn on his electric heater. A lady spoke about her 90 year old father who has to wait till March to get his broken boiler replaced through a funding program, another month after waiting months without hot water and heating. A gentleman who rough sleeps told me of two friends that died of exposure.
0833hours GMT. Reason for the demonstration. Supporting Fuel Poverty Action and Energy Bill of Rights. 22 MP’s supporting the motion.
1033hours GMT. Passerby telling them that they were mad. Dan’s feet got wet, so he has to start wearing socks.
1204hours GMT. Joined by Independent Councillor Wayne Naylor (previously Labour). Slight Aches and pains in the hip region for Dan.
1329hours GMT. Update from Lee. “SAy No To Corporate Greed”.
1618hours GMT. Starting to get dark. 8 hours into the 24 hour vigil.
1736hours GMT: Just been on Radio Leicester. Vigil joined by another Dan.
2154hours GMT: Joined by Will.
LINKS:
Fuel Poverty Action.
Half-naked campaigners brave cold to raise awareness of fuel poverty
Read more: http://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/Half-naked-campaigners-brave-cold-raise-awareness/story-24546302-detail/story.html#ixzz3JN0kjvtV
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Leicester city councillor Wayne Naylor quits “divided and backstabbing” Labour
Read more: http://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/Leicester-city-councillor-Wayne-Naylor-quits/story-21128138-detail/story.html#ixzz3JN26x850
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