Our friends at Act Now NI have launched an important project, looking at the scale of influence wielded by the Loyalist Communities Council - a group which represents Loyalist paramilitary gangs - in the Northern Ireland Executive. They need to fund the research, and I've chipped in to help them at the link below. If you want to know more about the campaign, I've pasted their email below. ---- Matthew, this is outrageous. The Loyalist Communities Council (LCC) - which represents the UVF, UDA and Red Hand Commando paramilitary groups - are putting pressure on Education Minister Paul Givan to halt plans for an Irish Language primary in East Belfast. It’s not acceptable that paramilitary groups which are responsible for so much misery in their communities can hold sway over politicians like this. So here’s the plan, Matthew. We’re going to submit a series of Freedom of Information requests to every Minister in the Executive to find out the scale of LCC’s influence at Stormont over the past five years. We know that government officials have information on when meetings took place and notes from meetings. It’s Act Now’s first piece of investigation work. They’re a great way to hold politicians and companies to account. But investigations take lots of time and effort – which means they’re also very expensive. So, Matthew , can you chip in to help us get this done? The average donation is £8.24, but anything you can chip in will help: https://lnkd.in/ebSg2DFr We all deserve to know who is in their ear of our Ministers. That’s why we have been busy making plans to make Stormont more transparent and expose the LCC’s influence on departments. Here's just some of the information we want: How many meetings LCC has had with each department and their respective Minister over the past 5 years What the reason was for the meeting(s) The minutes from those meetings Exposing lobbying can be hard. But we want to make sure that Stormont works in the interest of everyone in society, not just a bigoted few. This is a big lift for us Matthew. They will use every trick in the book to keep this information away from us, but that's what's so special about Act Now: when we take action together, we’re more than a match for anyone. So, Roan, can you chip in so we can put resources into getting this done? The average donation is £8.24, but any amount you can chip in really helps. https://lnkd.in/ebSg2DFr Thanks for everything that you do, Roan and the Act Now team. P.S: Act Now doesn’t get money from the government, big corporations or political parties. To keep our independence, our aim is to be 100% funded by people just like you. Will you chip in something small today to keep Uplift going? Click here to donate securely.
Matthew McGregor’s Post
More Relevant Posts
-
This year, NIB and our nearly 100 associated nonprofit agencies nationwide united behind a powerful public policy goal: securing Congressional adoption of a 1% AbilityOne Program utilization goal for the United States Department of Defense. Danny Kelly is the president and CEO of NIB associated nonprofit agency IFB Solutions in Winston-Salem, NC. He lost his vision to retinitis pigmentosa and has been at the forefront of this effort. In this video, Danny explains how the 1% goal could make a huge impact in creating employment opportunities for people who are blind, low vision, or visually impaired. “People who are blind face an extremely high unemployment rate, and we need to put those people to work. And this is a way that you can do it, at virtually no cost to the taxpayer,” Kelly explains. “A 1% goal may sound small, but in the context of a $900-billion-dollar defense budget, 1% can make a huge impact.” Learn more about this important mission and how you can help #ChampionEmploymentGrowth: https://lnkd.in/eSQJKuB5
NIB Government Relations Campaign 2024 - Danny Kelly, IFB Solutions
https://www.youtube.com/
-
Fraud & Financial Crime Director at Fullbrook Strategies | Founder, AUKUS Caucus | Former UK Government Anti-Fraud Champion | Former MP for Barrow & Furness.
🗞 You can find my latest for The Mail below. 🎺 In this column I write about the defence of our nation, Furness’ outsized role in the world, St George, the AMAZING UVHS Wind Band, parking charges and much, much more. 👀 Read it here: https://lnkd.in/ea6MumDZ
-
Community-driven recovery in action: RUD Programme by Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD), have prepared local trainers from Ukraine for shaping innovative solutions for recovery with Participatory Action Research (PAR) approache. Looking forward to piloting PAR approach in two de-occupied communities in Kyiv Oblast (Borodyanka and Velykyi Dymer).
-
This video "Veteran Outreach, Services, and Benefits: Paul Spedaliere on LOCAL ISSUES hosted by Irving Steel" features Paul Spedaliere, the Veteran Services Supervisor for the Connecticut Department of Veterans Affairs. Spedaliere discusses his role overseeing veteran services offices throughout Connecticut, which assist veterans and their families with claims and benefits. He emphasizes the importance of veteran service officers (VSOs) in guiding veterans through the process of filing for benefits, ensuring they receive proper assistance without any charges. The discussion covers various veteran benefits, including VA healthcare, compensation for service-related injuries, and support programs for transitioning back to civilian life. Spedaliere also highlights the need for veterans to join organizations like the American Legion and VFW, which advocate for veteran rights and benefits. The video underscores the complexities of navigating veteran benefits and the essential support provided by VSOs. #veteranoutreach #veteranservices #storiesworthtelling #catesteel #storytelling #storiesworthtelling #worthtelling #irvingsteel #interview #irvingsteel #veteranbenefits #paulspedaliere #localissues #irvingsteel #connecticutveterans #veteransupport #veteranadvocacy #veteranhealthcare #vabenefits #veterantransition #supportourtroops #veteransaffairs #communitysupport
Veteran Outreach, Services, and Benefits: Paul Spedaliere on LOCAL ISSUES hosted by Irving Steel
https://www.youtube.com/
-
Certified Financial Social Worker @ Financial Independence Counseling, LLC | Financial Counseling, Counseling, Therapy, Podcaster
Come join me on MBR later tonight as we have a open discussion on finances with other MBR hosts. You’re interested in hearing about financial issues affecting the military community, please share and tune in! https://lnkd.in/ejUFkMiC
-
KOFAC has taken a look at what each Party manifesto says on defence policy, the submarine and warship industrial base... LIB DEM MANIFESTO PAGE 105, 21 Defence Keeping our country secure should be the first priority of any government. We must always take defence seriously – and work with allies to protect all our freedoms. Liberal Democrats will strengthen our Armed Forces and support the people who work in them, and keep the UK free, safe and secure by: Maintaining the UK’s support for NATO, and accordingly increasing defence spending in every year of the Parliament, with an ambition to spend at least 2.5% of GDP on defence. PAGE 106Maintaining the UK’s nuclear deterrent with four submarines providing continuous at-sea deterrence, while pursuing multilateral global disarmament. Tackle long-standing problems in defence procurement, including by ensuring that procurement is part of a comprehensive industrial strategy to secure a reliable long-term pipeline of equipment procurements, which will strengthen the Army, Royal Air Force, Royal Navy and Strategic Command. Source: https://lnkd.in/eYy8k_Qv
-
"Often times, federal grant funds go to programs that you are glad that they exist, and that you can see that the dollars are going to a good purpose, such as grants for improved highways and bridges. Then there are other programs that, although you know the funds are going to a worthwhile purpose, you somewhat wish that there was no need for that program in the first place." Read the full blog post here: https://lnkd.in/e34bdmDN #Grants #cooperativeagreements #veterans #suicide #VA
-
Check OUT Bernie (FEEL the BERN!): Washington Post Editorial 11-18-2024: No more arms sales to Netanyahu By Bernie Sanders November 18, 2024 The United States government must stop blatantly violating the law with regard to arms sales to Israel. The Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and the Arms Export Control Act are very clear: the United States cannot provide weapons to any country that violates internationally recognized human rights. Section 620I of the Foreign Assistance Act is also explicit: no U.S. assistance may be provided to any country that “prohibits or otherwise restricts, directly or indirectly, the transport or delivery of United States humanitarian assistance.” As I have said many times, Israel clearly had a right to respond to the horrific Hamas terrorist attack on Oct. 7, 2023, which killed about 1,200 innocent people and took 250 hostages, including Americans. But Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s extremist government has not simply waged war against Hamas. It has also waged all-out war against the Palestinian people. Within Gaza’s population of just 2.2 million, more than 43,000 Palestinians have been killed and more than 103,000 injured — probably 60 percent of whom are women, children or elderly people. A recent U.N. assessment of satellite imagery found that two-thirds of all structures in Gaza have been damaged or destroyed. That includes 87 percent of housing, 84 percent of health facilities, and about 70 percent of water and sanitation plants. Every one of Gaza’s 12 universities has been bombed, as have hundreds of schools. During the last year, millions of desperately poor people in Gaza have been driven from their homes, forced to evacuate again and again with nothing more than the clothes on their backs. Families have been herded into so-called safe zones, only to face continued bombardment. The children of Gaza have suffered a level of physical and emotional trauma that is almost beyond comprehension and that will stay with them for the rest of their lives. As horrific as the situation in Gaza has been over the past year, it is getting unimaginably worse. Humanitarian aid workers on the ground report that tens of thousands of children are now experiencing malnutrition and starvation because of Israel’s restrictions on humanitarian aid. The American people have had enough. Poll after poll shows that a majority of Americans oppose sending more weapons and military aid to fuel Netanyahu’s war machine. We should listen to the American people. The Congress must act now to stop these arms sales. How's that for a declamation from the HEART? https://berniesanders.com/
