In January I attended a medical to see of I was fit enough to donate stem cells. Just before Christmas I had come up as a match for someone the Bone Marrow and Stem Cell Register run by The Anthony Nolan Trust. After some basic blood samples by my GP, I embarked on a journey to Sheffield. This just happened
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Yesterday, Thursday 6th February, I was awoken by a loud bang on my door. Dazed, I opened the door to two plain clothes officers from Police Scotland, who then proceeded to push their way into my home. They were there to execute a search warrant to seize all my “electronic devices”. The reason: People have made anonymous and malicious reports
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This is a short blog post on why, I as a Muslim, am terrified of Boris Johnson’s Tories staying in power. I have adapted it from a Twitter thread I posted. It isn’t meant to be a polished piece. It’s my off the cuff thoughts and worries. This is a view held by many other Muslims and minorities in the
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A comprehensive three year study by National Foodbank charity Trussell Trust and Heriot Watt University has been released today. Titled; The State of Hunger, it gives an insight to what has been driving the massive increase in foodbank use across the UK. It is clear from the report that there is one main reason; benefits. 86% of those surveyed were
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Low paid jobs. Or is it “Low skilled”? These two terms are routinely interchanged by politicians and the media alike. However, despite the assumption that a low wage must equate to a low skills, it couldn’t be farther from the truth. Carers often work long hours for extremely low wages. Sometimes, they are incorrectly described as “unskilled” workers due to
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This is episode 1 of my new podcast: Also In The News – #AITN. Many stories don’t get the coverage that they should from mainstream news outlets. That’s why I have decided to start Also In The News. This week I have chosen three areas to talk about. First I talk about the rise of In-work poverty and what has
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In an answer to a written question, The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has revealed that its most recent figures show 53% of Universal Credit claimants had money deducted from their benefit payment. Deductions have long been raised as pushing people into poverty but as of yet, the DWP have no heeded this warning. Chair of the Work and
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Stuart has written for the site before. He is on Universal Credit and I allow him to share his story in exactly his words. I don’t edit anything. The spelling and flow may sometimes be off but, in this article he is sharing some of his innermost thoughts he wrote at a real low point. Nothing at all has been
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Esther McVey has attacked me on Twitter after I uncovered that her identity has been used fraudulently. I was carrying out research for an article for Evolve Politics related to MPs financial interests. This involved cross checking the Register of Members Financial Interests and details on Companies House. I was doing this to see if any MPs hadn’t declared a
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This is the first in what will be a series of videos. I know they may be controversial due to the manner they are delivered and framed, but I firmly believe that people will take notice this way. For too long people have suffered the effects of Universal Credit and austerity, it’s time we act. Please like, share and subscribe
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A new report released by Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) has blamed the UK government’s welfare reforms for a rise in clients seeking help for rent arrears on. The report comes the day after the government whipped their MPs to block the release of papers showing how Universal Credit will impact families. The report starts by saying that in Scotland, the
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Austerity, it ain’t over This is the first episode of: Last Week in the News and it’s about austerity. It’s a roundup of news stories throughout the week that didn’t get the coverage they deserve. This week we have stories related to Theresa May’s false claim that “austerity is over.” I plan to do more videos on various topics which
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Over the past few months my children’s mother has been telling me about two health visitors questioning my ability to parent as I’m in a wheelchair. This week it hit a level I cannot stand by and ignore. They suggested to her that I take them separately instead of together. It’s the 21st century the last time I checked, not
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Cytomegalovirus (sy·toe·MEG·a·low·vy·rus) commonly called CMV, is a common virus that is generally harmless to people with healthy immune systems. However pregnant women who haven’t been exposed to CMV are at risk of passing it to their unborn child should they come into contact with it. Here is my latest poem I have written about it. There is more information at
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