In fondest memory of Michael Meacher who died on Tuesday – he was a ‘good-un’.  And this must have been one of the craziest, most magnificent demonstrations ever.

Michael organised with David Winnick MP and Kelvin Hopkins MP to demonstrate at Chequers against the Bedroom Tax.  Three gents of a certain age, turning up at the PM’s country residence with their home-made posters!  After security had got over their shock and put down their guns, they helped unload the car and offered the three a cup of tea…  a very British protest.

RIP Michael Meacher.  You were highly valued, loved and respected.  You will be much missed.

April 5 2013 – reposted from http://www.michaelmeacher.info/weblog/2013/04/ive-just-been-to-protest-about-the-bedroom-tax-at-the-pms-10-bedroom-country-house/

Together with David Winnick MP and Kelvin Hopkins MP, I’ve just been to protest about the government’s Bedroom Tax at the Prime Minister’s official residence at Chequers in Buckinghamshire. We called on Cameron to pay the Bedroom Tax on his 10 spare bedrooms at Chequers – this is what we said in our letter:

The Rt. Hon. David Cameron MP,

Prime Minister,

Chequers,

Near Ellesborough,

Aylesbury,

Bucks.

5 April 2013.

Dear Prime Minister,

We have come to protest at the unjust and cruelly vindictive bedroom tax which you have imposed on 660,000 households in publicly rented housing across the country, up to two-thirds of which are estimated to include a disabled member.   You have decided to penalise them because you argue that they all have more bedrooms than they need.   As a result these families, amongst the poorest in Britain, will be forced to pay from their own subsistence income extra rent amounting to either about £11 a week or about £20-25 a week or, if they cannot afford this extra rent, will be forced out of their homes to find smaller accommodation which is simply not available currently on anywhere near the scale required.

You, on the other hand, are provided by the State for your family’s use with a second home set in 1,000 acres with 10 bedrooms.   You have also constantly claimed that “we are all in this together”.   In that case we would ask you to show as much compassion towards Britain’s poorest as you have been shown generosity.

We would further ask you, do you not therefore think in these circumstances it would be reasonable, given that most of your 10 bedrooms will remain unoccupied for most of the time, that you make an equally proportionate contribution out of your own income towards the costs of the State in the administration of Chequers?

Yours sincerely,

David Winnick MP       Rt. Hon. Michael Meacher MP      Kelvin Hopkins MP