view 28 issue, 2014

Independent Social Affairs magazine for community/voluntary sectorwww.viewdigital.org Issue 28, 2014

VIEW

STORY ON PAGES FOUR AND FIVE

KINCORA

CONSPIRACYOF SILENCE

http://www.viewdigital.org

Issue 28CONTENTS

Page 15 –Sexworkers and supporters holdprotest outsideStormont

VIEW, Issue 28, 2014 www.viewdigital.org

Page 6 - Ivan andJames Martin backMencap appeal

Page 7 – Childpoverty figures‘unacceptable’

Pages 12 to15 – Majornew exhibitionat Linen Hall library delvesinto the past


EditorialBrian Pelan, Editor

PhotolinePhotographer Kevin Cooper has more than 25 yearsexperience in Press and PR photography. Kevinworks to a wide of clients in community and voluntary sector organisations as well as the tradeunion movement.

For quotations, contact Kevin Cooper at Email: [email protected]: 028 90777299 or M: 077 12044751


As the latest issue ofVIEW goes online, theall-party talks

convened at Stormont, whichwere set up by Northern Ireland Secretary TheresaVilliers, appear to be stuck ina predictable logjam.

Welfare reform, which issupposed to be at the heartof these talks, hasn’t beenmentioned much with theparties remaining tight-lipped on whether there is room for manoeuvre.

Every spending cut anddeterioration of public services is put down to theresistance of Sinn Fein tobenefit cuts and the resultingpunitive fines imposed byWestminster.

This view has been actively promoted by unionistleaders and ministers as theyconjure up all sorts of scarestories – ranging from massredundancies in the statesector to hikes in prescriptioncharges to the turning offstreet lighting. It has evenbeen suggested that the welfare reform could be theissue to collapse the politicalinstitutions with DUP leaderPeter Robinson warning of

possible “nuclear options”.To really understand

what is going on we have tocut through a lot of propaganda. While it is truethere have been cuts theyhave not (up to this point)been due to failure of theStormont Executive to signup to welfare reform.

Deductions from theNorthern Ireland budget by

the British Treasury (estimated to be £87m in thefirst year), which are directlyrelated to welfare reform, arenot due to take effect untilOctober.

Of course all of this political manoeuvring doesnot minimise the threat ofwelfare reform to workingclass people. Given the highlevel of welfare dependencyin Northern Ireland the impact of the changes will besevere. It has been estimatedthat welfare reform will takearound £750m out of thelocal economy – that represents a reduction of£650 a year to average reductions of £650 a year forevery adult of working age inNorthern Ireland (comparedto £470 across Britain).

Away from Stormont, theNorthern Ireland Congress ofTrade Unions recently held aseminar on the welfare cuts.Whilst there was unanimityin the room that they wouldbe a “bad thing”, it was hardto see what strategy to effectively combat thememerged from the seminar.Lobbying of MLAs has surelyrun its course by now.

Logjam at Stormont


VIEW, Issue 28 2014 www.viewdigital.org

Amnesty International has strongly criticisedthe UK government’s decision to excludeKincora Boys’ Home in Northern Ireland

from its inquiry into child abuse in the UK.In July, Amnesty led the calls for the Belfast

children’s home to be included in the inquiry announced by the Home Secretary to investigate allegations of historic child sex abuse.

Allegations have persisted that a paedophile ringat Kincora was linked to British intelligence services,with claims that that police investigations intoabuse at Kincora were blocked by MI5.

The UK government recently announced its exclusion from the terms of reference of the UK inquiry and asked a Northern Ireland inquiry to investigate the allegations instead.

Patrick Corrigan, Amnesty International’sNorthern Ireland Programme Director, said: “Thisannouncement from the government to excludeKincora from the inquiry is disappointing but,frankly, unsurprising.

“Victims will feel betrayed by this decision, whilethe public will believe that the conspiracy of silence, which has surrounded Kincora for 40 years,continues.

“Despite protestations to the contrary by theNorthern Ireland Secretary Theresa Villiers, theHistoric Institutional Abuse inquiry is simply unableto get at the truth behind the abuse and allegationsof security services complicity at Kincora.

“Only an inquiry with the eyes of Westminsterand the UK media – and the ability to secure thenecessary powers of compulsion – is equipped to uncover the secrets long hidden at Kincora.

“In one fell swoop the UK government has bothknocked public confidence in its commitment to reveal the truth of child abuse across the wholecountry, and undermined the Northern Ireland inquiry, which has been given a job for which it issadly ill-equipped.”

‘Victimswill feelbetrayedby Kincoradecision’


By Una Murphy

IVAN MARTIN may be better knownfor his ‘Sunday Brunch’ radio show onU105 but he is also proud the

father of James, a Mencap Young Ambassador.

Father and son, who are set tohost the radio show on Christmasmorning, were at the launch of the ‘BigStep Forward’ fundraising appeal for anew Children and Families’ centre inBelfast recently. It will be built on thesite of a primary school which closedfive years ago.

The new centre will house SegalHouse nursery which supports 50 children with a learning disability, autismor serious unexplained developmental delay.

James said: “Segal House helped meto speak and I appreciated the physio. Iwant more children to have what I had.I also met my girlfriend Barbara at Segal Nursery but she wasn’tmy girlfriend then – after all we wereonly four.”

James (22) works three jobs – in akitchen and front-of-house in two ofBelfast’s eateries as well as using hiscomputer skills in a business centre –and has a better social life than his parents, according to Ivan.

Ivan said the nursery is like a “onestop shop” – a phrase he dislikes – butwhich fits the bill to describe the services offered there, including support for parents as well as physio,speech and occupational therapy forchildren.

“In the early stages of a child’s lifethe parents are still adjusting to the factthat they have a child with Down’s syn-drome or are learning disabled and theyneed someone to say “Your child de-serves the opportunity to learn.”

Carolyn Stewart, Segal House nurs-ery manager, is looking forward to moving to the new site.

“Our dream is to be open the fullyear for children and their families andoffer more parenting and summer programmes as well as after school activities.”

Vanessa Elder Mencap’s NorthernIreland regional fundraising managersaid she hoped the public would get be-hind the fundraising campaign for thenew centre.

• Go to http://mencapbigstep-forward.org to see how you cansupport the campaign.

Ivan and James step forwardto support Mencap appeal


Teamwork: Ivan and James Martin



Ellen FinlayComment

The Child Poverty Alliance (CPA) is co-chaired by Childrenin Northern Irelandand Save the Children

NI. It came into being in 2008 as aloose alliance of organisations toraise awareness of child povertywithin Northern Ireland.

We are an inclusive coalitioncommitted to campaigning for anend to child poverty by workingcollaboratively with an evidence-based approach.

The CPA has been construc-tive, pragmatic and solution focused based on the evidence ofwhat will work.

We engaged with Governmentand elected representatives seeking to inform public policyand hold Government accountablefor tackling child poverty.

Our strategic objectives aretwofold: to hold government toaccount for the application of itsstrategy and programmes to endchild poverty in NI and reframe

and inform public understandingof child poverty and gain support for measures to supportfamilies.

Every child needs and deserves a safe, happy and fulfilled childhood.

We all have a moral duty tochallenge the structures that havecontributed to children and youngpeople in Northern Ireland growing up in poverty.

Worryingly, the evidenceclearly shows that the rights ofchildren and young people inNorthern Ireland are not high onthe political agenda with manycontinuing to face inequalities.

The Institute for Fiscal Stud-ies (IFS) predicts that relativechild poverty will increase to 30.9percent Before Housing Costs(BHC) and absolute child povertyto 38.5 percent (BHC) in NorthernIreland by 2020-211.

These unacceptable andshamefully high figures demonstrate a complete lack of

commitment to the UNCRC andlack of urgent action to end childpoverty and address inequalitythat our children face in theirdaily lives.

To highlight these issues, theChild Poverty Alliance on November 3, in the Long Gallery,Stormont, will be launching a report ‘Beneath the Surface, ChildPoverty in Northern Ireland’.

The report contains a compilation of articles on theissue of child poverty, drawingupon the thoughts and research ofleading thinkers in the field ofchild poverty and inequality withrecommendations and actions onhow to address child poverty.

We are also expecting a number of Executive Ministers toattend the event to take part in apanel discussion, outlining whattheir department is doing to address child poverty.

• Ellen Finlay, Policy Officer forChildren in Northern Ireland

‘Shameful figures on child poverty are unacceptable’

Meeting tobe held atStormontto discusschildpoverty



Mairead McMahonComment

On Wednesday 1 October, theOFMdFM Committee com-pleted their consideration ofa Legislative Consent Mo-tion that would extend the

provisions of Westminster’s Childcare Pay-ments Bill to Northern Ireland.

Whilst there is still the technicality ofa vote on the floor of the Assembly, whathas in effect been agreed is the introduc-tion of the Tax-Free Childcare Scheme inNorthern Ireland, and the closure of theChildcare Voucher Scheme to new en-trants, from Autumn 2015.

We’ve done a lot of work to examinewho will be affected by this decision, andwhilst we know that some families willbenefit from the new Tax-Free ChildcareScheme, we also know that a significantproportion of parents and their employerswill suffer as a result of the closure of theChildcare Voucher Scheme.

We don’t need to explain the impactof what seems to be an unprecedented period of pressure on public finances toanyone in the third sector; nor do we needto re-iterate the lessons we’ve learned inrecent years about the value of supportingparents, and particularly mothers, to stay inwork and progress their careers if they

wish to do so. But given the fact that OFMdFM rep-

resentatives are not ashamed to admit thatthey don’t know who will be worse off as aresult of this legislative change, we thoughtit would be helpful to give you some factsand figures to let you decide for yourselfwhether you think that’s an acceptablebasis on which to make such a radical policy shift:• 11,000 parents in Northern Ire-land are collectively saving £9 mil-lion per annum through theChildcare Voucher Scheme.• 1,400 employers in Northern Ireland arecollectively saving £4 million per annum through the Childcare VoucherScheme;• The cost to Northern Ireland ofallowing those savings to continuefor an additional 1,000 parentsnext year would be £1.3 million.• The cost of closing the Childcare VoucherScheme to the public sector alone willreach £1.3 million per annum in increasedpaybill costs.

There are lots of principled reasonswhy we strongly believe that the ChildcareVoucher Scheme should remain open

beyond Autumn 2015, and what worries usmost is that no-one seems to have thoughtthem through.

Has budgetary provision been madefor the increased paybills in the 1,400 employers across Northern Ireland?

Do parents even know that the support available to support help with thecosts of childcare will change significantlynext year, and that if they don’t make theright choices quickly, they could lose outon thousands of pounds?

We don’t believe Northern Ireland isfully prepared to deal with the consequences of this change, because despite the potentially huge economic significance to both employers and work-ing parents, it would seem that insufficientpriority has been attached discussionsaround its impact to date.

The real danger is, of course, that bythe time those directly affected realise thenegative impact of this legislation, it willsimply be too late for them to do anythingabout it.

• Mairead McMahon is Director ofCharity Services at Employers forChildcare Charitable Group –www.employersforchildcare.org

‘Parents and employers will suffer as a result of the closure of Childcare Voucher scheme’

Warning: Employers forChildcare claim that thecost of closing the Childcare Voucher Schemeto the public sector alonewill reach £1.3 million per annum in increasedpaybill costs


Edwards & Co. solicitors advises charities and the voluntary sector in Northern Ireland

on a wide range of legal issues including charity creation, charitable status and

constitutional matters, trading and commercial arrangements, employment law,

finance, fundraising and property law, as well as dealing with the Charity Commission

for Northern Ireland.

Our team offers a full range of legal services including mediation, wills,criminal law,

clinical negligence and personal injury claims, as well as family/matrimonial work.

Practical advice and a sensitivepersonal approach. We prideourselves on our unrivalledcommitment to clients’ needs.

Contact Jenny and Teresa: Edwards & Co. Solicitors, 28 Hill Street, Belfast, BT1 2LA.

Tel: (028) 9032 1863 Email: [email protected]

Web: edwardsandcompany.co.uk


QCan you tell our readers about your background and why you

chose to work in this area?

AI left Queen’s University with a degree in politics so I’ve always beenreally interested in the dynamics

between people who make decisions andpeople on the ground.

QYou were appointed as thenew CEO of the SimonCommunity in January of

this year. What did you bring tothe position.

AI suppose what I brought to the jobwas a very real understanding of thedynamics of community

development and housing and how theyare interlinked. I brought a background of persuasion and influence and being able toput together good solid coherent arguments. I brought with me a background in research and how you bringthat research into meaningful projects, aswell an ability to manage organisations.

QAre you going to changewhat the Simon Community has been doing

ANo. I think it’s an important progression route. A lot of peoplethink that Simon is just an

accommodation service. In my view, Simonshould do a lot more than that. It had beendoing that before my arrival but I want toup that.

QTell me about your newstrategic plan that you recently launched at Belfast

City Hall?

AOne of the questions that I wasasked at my interview for this posi-tion was: “What do you think of our

strategic plan?” Of course it was the oldstrategic plan so I had to be very diplomatic and say there are a lot of very good elements in it. However it is not clear in it who you are and what you stand for. So this new plan isabout why we exist and that is to serve

people. People underpin all of this plan.We’ve moved away from having 12 strategic objectives and 58 mission statements to having three core strategicthings that we will do over the next threeyears. The most important part of ourwork is organising our people and investing in our staff.

QWould you ever sleep in ahostel?

AI haven’t slept in one yet but I planto. I have been to every one of themand spoken to every member of

staff. I haven’t yet told them that I’m coming out to spend some nightswith them.

QIf you saw someone on thestreet, would you stop andtalk to them or give them

money?

AWe have cards that have the number of our freephone helplineon them and I would give them out.

I have given money in the past, but I thinkit’s better to provide support to peoplewho are homeless and living on thestreets.

QWhat’s your view on thewelfare reform debate inNorthern Ireland?

AFrom everything I have seen andread if welfare reform is appliedhere, it will have a knock on effect –

there’s no doubt about that. People are onthe cusp anyway and if you start to takemoney away from that as well as risingcosts on top of that, we will see a lot morepeople becoming a lot more vulnerable.

QDoes Simon see itself as aservice provider or a campaign organisation?

AWe’re absolutely a service. Yes, wewant to try and inform and guidedecision makers but we’re not a

lobbying organisation. We’re not in a placewhere we can demand things.

QWould you worry thatfunding would be affected ifyou were to take on more

of a campaigning role abouthomelessness

AI don’t think that government wouldever be that vindictive to us. I don’tthink that we need to stand with

placards shouting.

Outlining a strategy fortackling homelessnessVIEW editor Brian Pelan talks to Jim Dennison, who wasappointed as the new CEO for the Simon Community earlier this year, about his vision for the organisation

‘If welformreform is introduced inNorthern Ireland, it willhave a knock-on effect, there is no doubtabout that’Strategy: Jim Dennison



Jim Dennison, the chief executive forthe Simon Community in Northern Ireland, outside hisorganisation’s headquarters in Belfast



FOOD BANK IN BELFAST I

MAJOR NEW EXHIBITION AT LINEN HALL LIBRARY, BELFAST– MORE IMAGES AND STORY

ON PAGES 14 AND 15



IN THE HUNGRY 1930s


On the beach at Newcastle (c1912)



A GLIMPSE INTO A PAST LIFECelebrations are taking

place at Belfast Central Mission (BCM)

to mark the 125th anniversary of the charitywhich was founded in 1889.

As part of those celebrations the Linen HallLibrary, Belfast, is presentlyhosting an exhibition ofBCM’s archive photographs,documents and artefacts.

On display are some ofBCM’s nationally importantcollection of early 20th century Hogg images of lifein the Belfast slums togetherwith a variety of items representing BCM’s involvement in the life of thecity.

Also to mark the anniversary, Wesley Weir,BCM’s archivist, has written

an updated history of BCMthroughout its first 125 yearsusing some of the content ofthe vast archive. ‘ThroughChanging Scenes’ is availablefrom BCM.

Dr Myrtle Hill, (until recently) Senior Lecturer inWomen's and Gender Studies, Queen's University,Belfast said: “The archivesare both fascinating andunique, offering fresh insights into life in late 19th,early 20th century Belfastfrom a wide range of perspectives.

“Though urban missionswere both highly vocal andvisible in the 19th century,poor record-keeping, inadequate preservation andan often narrow analysisthreatens to undermine

their historical significance.That this collection of documents, photographs andother ephemera has survivedin such quantity and qualityis itself unusual.”

Julie Andrews, Directorof the Linen Hall Library,said: “We are delighted to behosting this excellently researched exhibition thatgives a realistic look at thehard life many had to survivein the late 19th and early20th centuries.”

The exhibition, which isopen to the public and is free of charge, ends on November 29.

• For further informationcontact [email protected] or Tel: 02890241917

Procession in Gt Victoria Street,Belfast, en route to Newcastle for‘waifs day’ at the seaside (c1910)



VIEW, Issue 28, 2014

Tom Hickeyconfidential

hickeysworld.com

Water meter installers arrivedin our estatesome months agobut no one

protested. They carried out theirwork but didn't install a meteroutside my home for technicalreasons. And then residents beganblocking the installers in Cork.Good old Rebel Cork. That actionquickly spread nationwide andculminated recently in a hugeprotest in Dublin.

In the years of austerity following the Republic's bankingdisaster criticism of extra taxeslike Universal Social Charges wereloud and consistent. As taxeswent up and services to the disabled, the disadvantaged andmarginalised sectors were reduced, voices were raised, but

protests were few. We didn't likethe medicine, but got on with ourlives, too busy trying to hang ontoour jobs and pay the bills.

Local Property Tax was introduced last year, and this timethe agitation became a lot louder.Refuse to pay became the catchcry of the day, until we were toldthe Revenue Commissionerswould enforce collection with thepower to deduct payment fromwages or social welfare. Ouch!

And then along came IrishWater. A trickle of protests became a flood as an unresponsivecompany and a series of startlingrevelations fired up a batteredelectorate.

Enda Kenny promised a couplewould only pay €238 for theirwater. Irish Water got €278. TheGovernment pledged there would

be a free child allowance of 38,000litres. That became 21,000. Thenthere were revelations about thehigh pay and bonus culture at IrishWater.

More startling was the newsthat anyone who wanted to claimfree water allowances would haveto provide a PPS number. Peoplerefused and tore up their application forms. When the Government lost two by-electionswith water being the dominantissue, the response was a swift taxconcession for water bill payers.

So you'd imagine when my application form arrived I refusedto sign. Eh, no. I filled it in like thegood citizen I am. The only consolation is I'm not metered yetso can be as wasteful as I like. ButI won't, of course. I'm afraid myrebel days are over.

Trickle of protests against watercharges has turned into a flood

www.viewdigital.org

Residents opposingthe introduction ofwater meters in theRepublic


www.hickeysworld.com

Harry Reidspeaking frankly

It is a bad moment. A slow motionhexed collision. The teacher’s anaconda eyes skewer me with thelook of an employer repelled by an applicant’s incongruous belch at a job

interview. Profanity had scorched the ears of

eight-year-old innocents, and she had spiedthe expletive expending banshee culprit.

Seeking sanctuary from the lashing tailof hurricane Gonzalo whipping acrossStormont estate, I’d ducked behind thewind-break of a parked school bus.

Swearing at the violent buffeting I’djust escaped, I came face to face with boththe huddled school party and my mistake.

Sensing that this was not now a placeof welcome, I shrugged the apology of atangled marionette and launched myselfback out into the gale heading for the caféwhere Massey Avenue meets Stormont.

Earlier the same morning I’d watchedher chivying a crocodile of eight year oldssquirming and squirting themselves intothe Great Hall at Parliament Buildingsahead of their tour of democracy in action, or at least the Northern Irishkaraoke version of it.

For my part I joined a flock of lobbyists and advocates being led into theKafkaesque labyrinth of corridors that ledto Room 274.

This was to be the scene of the October meeting of the All Party Group

on Disability.Anyone familiar only with the Punch

and Judy show of the Assembly’s chamber,or the fighting talk delivered down a TVcamera from elsewhere in the StormontDeath Star, would be pleasantly takenaback by the industrious activity and themanner in which it is conducted, in the institution’s All Party groups.

Now almost four dozen in number,All Party Groups exist for MLAs of allstripes to collaborate to make concreteprogress on bread and butter issues of mutual concern to both themselves andthe people who have elected them.

Today in Room 274 the compellingissue of concern is what can be done to inject some life into, and propel some concrete action from the Executive’s Disability Strategy.

It all should have been something of ano brainer.

Published in February 2013, the Strategy acknowledged that as only deadpeople experienced a higher level of socialexclusion, inequality and disadvantage thanpeople with disabilities, real imaginationand energetic commitment had now to beharnessed to radically challenge and changea situation that was universally acknowl-edged as a genuine scandal.

Launched by the two OFM/DFM Ministers, as part of their Executive-wideresponsibility for coordinating concrete

progress on equality issues, the DisabilityStrategy had the advantage of coming outof a decade of official discussion, researchand planning.

Those at the All Party Group meetingon this blustery Tuesday morning in October listened as the evidence stackedup that the promise and momentum of allthis work had floundered. Those presentfrom disability organisations recounted notonly a lack of concrete significant actiondesigned to make the Strategy happen, butthat the Clerk of the Assembly’sOFM/DFM scrutiny Committee had reported that reviewing progress under itwasn’t even on the Committee’s work-plan.

Later, having made it to the appropriately named Storm in A Teacupcafé located where Massey Avenue meetsStormont estate, I reflected on MLAs decision to host an event on February 17to call to account all those across Government departments charged withtaking the clear actions needed to improvethe lives and future prospects of disabledpeople here.

Will it, I wondered, herald the muchneeded wind of change to finally addressthe third class status of disabled peoplehere?

Without a crystal ball I couldn’t answer my own question, but I can guess,and then again in turn hope.

Snaking along a Kafkaesque labyrinthin search of a disability strategy . . .

Questionsasked at Stormont onwhereaboutsof disabilitystrategy




A LOVE AFFAIR WITH

Movie fans: Stuart Sloanand Rosie Le Garsmeur

Image: Brian Pelan

Staring Stua and Rosie Le



H CINEMA

Fed up with high prices and expensivepopcorn, Stuart and Rosie decided toserve up their own free cinema nightsfor movie lovers

From its cinema heyday in the 1950s and 60s, Belfast isnow home to a handful of multiplexes and the Queen’sFilm Theatre.Hoping to add something different to the usual fare of

films which are largely aimed at a younger audience, StuartSloan and Rosie Le Garsmeur have launched SecondChance Cinema with the help of funding from the BritishFilm Institute.

“We wanted to try and create something cheap and positive for the mind,” says Stuart.

“Cinema in Belfast used to be a cheap night out,” addsRosie. “Not anymore. It can cost you a small fortune to goto a multiplex now.

The couple have already held a weekend of freescreenings at the South Bank Playhouse on South Kimberley Drive in south Belfast.

Another free weekend of films is being lined up for Friday, November 28, to Sunday, November 30, at the same venue.

Stuart said: “Here at Second Chance Cinema, we arealways on the lookout for unseen and unique NorthernIrish content and we could like to put out a call to anyfilmmaker who would be interested in screening something.Everything is welcome as long as it has some connection toNorthern Ireland. Please email us [email protected]”

Both Stuart and Rosie admitted to some “creative tension” in the process of chosing the line-up of film.

“We are both passionate about films,” added Rosie.“We would love some day to own a cinema, but we willhave to win the Lottery first.”

art Sloan e Garsmeur



Earlier this month the Northern Ireland Congress of Trade Unions.held a seminar in Belfast to highlight

opposition to proposed welfare cuts.Below is an edited version of a speechgiven at the meeting by John McInally, VicePresident of the Public and CommercialServices Union (PCS).

Welfare reform, like austerity, is nomore than a slick political termintended to mask what is in

reality a one-sided and unremitting classwar being carried by big business and theTories against the unemployed, disabledand the low paid.

Welfare reform has been on theagenda of all the major Westminster parties for some time now but has beengreatly ramped up under the Tories’ austerity programme. It is characterised bythe elite’s twin obsessions of attacking thepoor and cutting and privatising our publicservices.

It is ideological. It seeks to say that thepoor are responsible for their situation inorder to justify the removal of the safetynet and the destruction of the social security system.

It is about the systematic destructionof the welfare state. There are many fancydefinitions of what constitutes the

welfare state. But for our class there is avery simple definition – when your neighbour has fallen on hard times youhave two choices –You can offer themyour hand and raise them up or you cankick them in the guts.

The Tories believe in the latter course.That is immoral of course. But it is worsethan that. It makes no economic sense.Every serious study and all experienceshows that supportive social security andwelfare systems are more economically efficient, cheaper and more inclined to promote social cohesion rather than aggravate social division and inequality.

Welfare reform has been accompanied but what can only be described as a remorseless hate campaignconducted by the politicians and sectionsof the media.

The reason for this hate speech is toprovide the ideological basis for these attacks. This narrative is an attempt to promote the lie that poverty is a “life-stylechoice”. And that those claiming benefitsare sub-human and undeserving of helpand support.

I want to state this very clearly. Anypolitician who is not prepared to opposethe welfare reform policies is complicit inbringing an onslaught upon the communities they claim to represent.

There is a massive responsibility on

the unions to take up the question of welfare because it concerns their members too.

It also means unions fighting againstattacks on their members’ terms and conditions. But also about defending every-thing we have won over past generationsof struggle.

In fighting welfare reform there needsto be closest possible cooperation be-tween the ICTU, the STUC and TUC. Thisis arguably the biggest issue facing ourmovement and we need to unite.

We also need to define ourselves not just by what we are against but whatwe are for.

We need to state clearly there is analternative to austerity. We need real socialsecurity for all members of society. Socialsecurity is not just about benefits, it concerns us all – it is about homes, childcare, pensions, pay levels and muchmore. It is about whether we live in acivilised society or not.

If politicians are not prepared to represent us and give voice to our grievances and aspirations then we have todo so ourselves.

Most of all we need to speak outagainst the great lie that things are the waythey are because there is no alternative.

There is an alternative. But we aregoing to have to fight to achieve it.

John McInally National Vice PresidentPublic & Commercial Services Union

‘We need to state clearly thereis an alternative to austerity’

Some of the audience at theseminar on welfare cuts inthe WellingtonPark Hotel,Belfast

Images: Kevin Cooper



Audiences NI Chief Executive Mar-garet Henry has invited members to‘Driving Digital’ in partnership with

VIEWdigital. Due to the success of last year’s

Digital Day, ‘Driving Digital’ will be held onNovember 20 at the Duncairn Arts Centrein Belfast and it will explore how digitaltechnology is shaping the future for artsorganisations.

Audiences NI are delighted to announce a programme of informative topics and inspirational speakers who arepaving the way for digital innovation in the arts.

Speakers include MTM, a Londonbased research company who will take the audience through their Digital CultureReport. exploring how arts and cultural organisations in England use technology.They will share their key findings on howdigital is essential to arts marketing, preserving and archiving work and howdigital can deliver a positive impact on audience development, creative output andoperating efficiency.

Leeds Art Crawl will discuss how they

used digital civic participation to map public art work and encourage audiencesto curate their own art crawls.

Emma Keith is a producer for Na-tional Theatre Live, were she oversees theground-breaking initiative NT:Live, whichreaches a global audience of more than 2.5million people in more than 35 countries.

Recently, Emma has led on the world’sfirst live broadcast of a theatre productionin 4K (Ultra HD) to cinemas, pushing thetechnological boundaries of live broadcast.Emma will deliver an insight into what inspired the initiative and what’s next foraudiences.

Margaret Henry said, “Digital technologies offer the arts and culturalsector so many opportunities from content creation and distribution to audience engagement and development.But digital isn’t new anymore and audiences now expect and value interaction across all channels.”

“Audiences NI’s event in partnershipwith VIEWdigital offers our members thechance to hear how digital matters to audiences, how other arts organisations

are reaping the benefits and start to formsome ideas of what the NI arts and cultural sector want in terms of a digitalstrategy and action plan.

VIEWdigital co-founder Una Murphysaid: “We are delighted to be working in partnership with Audiences NI on Digital Day.

“Digital technology plays a key role inVIEW magazine – the only online social af-fairs magazine independently produced byjournalists and aimed at the communityand voluntary sector. “

“We are looking forward to meetinglots of new people working in the arts andcreative industries and sharing our experi-ence with them.”

This is an unmissable event for anyoneworking in the arts and creative industries,to reserve your space at the event, [email protected].

Audiences NI members receive twofree spaces according to their membershippackage.

For additional places or non-memberplaces please contact the email addressabove.

VIEW and Audiences NI join forcesto promote Driving Digital event

Audience NI chiefexecutive MargaretHenry: “We are delighted to announce a programme of informative topics and inspirational speakers



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Contact

By Una Murphy

Earlier this year VIEW reported on theblow to Volunteer Now - which supplied volunteers for last year’s

World Police and Fire Games - from amassive government funding cut

Following a round of redundancies thecharity has marked the formation of a newenterprise to bring more funds into the organisation.

Chief Executive Wendy Osbornewarned that the severe 50 percent cut incore funding from the Department of So-cial Development had had a huge impacton the charity.

“Cut too deeply and lose completely”, she said. “We are still feelingthe sharp edge – that size of a cut made usmore vulnerable.”

She added: “Some things we did before we are not able to offer, some services were free in the past but notnow.”

The charity has now set up a socialenterprise – Volunteer Now Enterprise –which offers training for volunteers acrossthe island of Ireland as well as in Britain.

Ms Osborne praised volunteers suchas Alan Henning the English taxi driverwho was killed after volunteering to bringrelief supplies to families in Syria.

She said people like Mr Henning andothers such as those working to battle the

Ebola outbreak in Africa were “puttingthemselves out on the line because they are putting themselves out for other people.”

“It speaks to me about the power ofvolunteering wherever we are”, she said.

Volunteer Now Enterprises manages

the Investing in Volunteers standard in N.Ireland and has also delivered volunteermanagement training in partnership withVolunteer Ireland in the Republic.

Charities who have achieved Investorsin Volunteers awards include Mindwise andGuide Dogs for the Blind.

Enterprising move for Volunteer Now

Above: The front cover of VIEW when we covered the funding blow forVolunteer Now, right, and chief executive Wendy Osborne, left, withElaine Sheridan from MindWise



An archive offer you can’t resistEver fancied seeing your

publication in a prestigious collection preserved in a

valuable archive for future generations to look at?

If so, the NIPR National Collection of Northern IrelandPublications based at The LinenHall Library – Belfast’s oldest library and only remaining subscription library on the islandof Ireland wants to hear from you.

“People who have beenthough difficult situations such ashomelessness often find that creative activities like writing helpthem. We would like to speak togroups and advise them on how toget their publications printed andsaved in our archive, Joan Crooks,manager of NIPR said.

“A lot of organisations including Voypic, Simon, and theEquality and Human Rights Commission have already contributed their publications tothe archive but we would like tohear from more community andvoluntary sector groups, sheadded.

“We want to ensure that thecollection is as comprehensive aspossible and we don’t want anypart of the community left out.We want to preserve for the

future this social history and heritage. We also catalogue publications and the collection isaccessible for consultation in thelibrary, which is important for research purposes as these publications may not be preservedanywhere else”, Ms Crooks said.

The National Collection ofNorthern Ireland Publications is

not on public display but is storedin acid free archive boxes behindclosed doors in the library.

The archive can be accessedthrough an online catalogue viathe NIPR websitewww.nibooks.org and requested inthe Irish and Local Studies Department on the fourth floor ofthe library.

Joan Crooks, manager of NIPR at Linen Hall Library in Belfast



The Big PictureA group of protesting sex workers and supporters outside Stormont recentlyduring the debate on Lord Morrow's Anti-trafficking bill. They were objecting clause six of the bill which, if passed, will make any payment for sexual servicillegal. Sex worker and campaigner Laura Lee said: “This is going to hit the mvulnerable sex workers.” Image: Brian P

If you would like your community/voluntary sector organisation or campaign be selected for The Big Picture, send your image, marked Big Picture entry, [email protected]



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Singer Andrea Begleywas among the invited audience to

the recent launch inBelfast of a new RNIB NIguide, called ‘Lookingahead: a parent’s guide’for parents of childrenwho are blind or partially sighted.

There are 2,346 chil-dren and young peopleaged 0-25 who have sightloss in Northern Ireland.At present RNIB NI sup-port 800 children andtheir families, but theneed for its services has increased. .

Rosaleen Dempsey,RNIB NI Children andfamilies service manager,said, “Our guide offersparents a useful startingpoint for answering somecommon questions, wehave designed it to beuser friendly and easy tounderstand.

If you would like to request a copy of ‘Looking ahead’ or require any additionalinformation, contact RNIBNI’s Children and familiesservice on 028 9032 9373or send an email to [email protected]

VIEW, Issue 28, 2014

RNIB NIlauncheshelp guidefor parentsof visuallyimpairedchildren

Andrea Begley,left, and RosaleenDempsey at thelaunch in BelfastCity Hall

view 28 issue, 2014

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