Happy Winter Holidays, Dear Readers! It is great to see you as always! I hope that all is well with you and yours and that you are keeping warm and healthy! Are you sitting comfortably? Got a hot beverage? Great! Let the update begin! TRANSFERRED Yes! It is official… On Monday, 18th December 2017, I cordially accepted the invite to transfer to a new Jobcentre Plus. And today, 21 December 2017, I had my first appointment with a brand new “work coach” - complete with a brand new manager! They seem like genuine people. What we talked about today was how we can go forward with my self-employment, which was funny… Funny, because I noticed that both the “work coach” and the manager did everything in their power to not mention the New Enterprise Allowance Scheme. So, I broached the subject… This is what the manager had to say, “Well, with the NEA, you can’t go back on the scheme with the same business plan.” Me: Well, that’s alright then because I am going to be self-employed with Graphics & Multimedia Design (as well as the manufacture, distribution, and sales of my Vegan nutrition products). My response stumped the manager. I was not surprised that the prospect of the redoing the NEA is completely off the table. There is something definitely going on there… What it is??? I just don’t know! I would imagine it is something very political. The manager alludes to there being an issue of some sort. I am so curious as to what this issue is about. Still, I have shown both my new “work coach” and manager that I am no fool! They had better be on their toes! Still, there are many ways to go forward without the NEA. I am up for it! Essentially, I have ONE solitary year to prove myself! I can and will do it! Bear in mind that the Universal Credit system is supposed to simulate being in a full-time job, I have not had a holiday in years! You would be forgiven to think that I have been living the life of Riley, what with me being unemployed ‘n’ all. No! Uh-uh! Since October 2015, I’ve done nothing but battle with this messed up system, and winning tribunals! I am exhausted! Right now, I just want to catch my breath during the Winter Holidays and comeback in the New Year like a beast! NEW “WORK COACH” FIRST IMPRESSIONS It is early days, but I think she’s quite cogent… Mind you, a stuffed toy could easily replace the “work coaxes” at my last Jobcentre Plus! At least I could anthropomorphize the toy, imbuing it with a humanity that the automatons simply did not possess. Well, to err is to be human, but we are supposed to learn from our mistakes. The automatons at my former Jobcentre Plus never learned a darned thing. Anyway, in the context of self-employment, I will have to keep an eye on this new “work coach”. Already, she’s offered me this course in accounting that this other male automaton did… Look, the course isn’t a bad one by any means, I just do not need it right now. I did feel obligated to say “Yes” to it because I want these new people to feel that they are doing something positive, that they are helping me! I hope to take this course – if it is still available – in March 2018. At this moment in time, I need to lay down the basis of my business. Trust me, I was not able to lay down any groundwork because these automatons (at the other place) had me doing stupid tasks that did not enable me to make the most out of my day! I am grateful for this new start! I am grateful not to be forced into applying for positions that I have not been given due time to prepare for. Make no mistake, this new “work coach” is potentially dangerous as she told me that after my year is up, and I have not made any progress with my business I must apply for work that I “can do”. What this “work coach” is saying is that I must do anything other than what I am qualified for. There are many flaws in this way of thinking: - A. The position is that my usual industry, Media, is not a realistic prospect when they have no way of ascertaining this rather bleak notion. The "work coax" does not care, you are not expected to prepare to assume a role. You are expected to take any job, and you will be steered in the direction of Customer Services or other menial jobs because the "work coax" thinks these are the fastest means of obtaining a job and it makes the "work coax" look good. B. It is a distinct possibility that my CV makes me look overqualified for some menial jobs. And, no… I do not have a problem with menial jobs, I have done them before in-between my usual areas of work: Graphics & Multimedia Design, IT Teacher (I can teach Photoshop for beginners), Journalist/Writer and Social Media Networking. C. Psychologically, I, like most people, would start by applying for positions desired. This “work coach” concept is not well thought out, the “work coax” has been designed to demoralize people into accepting less than their potential. Sure, I understand that we can’t always get the jobs that we want, but I am educated enough to look for something else in the meantime, and/or change my career direction entirely. What I, and most people, don’t need is the interference of a “work coach” who is employed to coax you into any job they feel is easy to obtain. D. Due to health and safety regulations, I can’t get a job lifting and redistributing boxes in a warehouse without doing some kind of course. Some jobs have requirements, rules, and regulations that have to be adhered to. In any event, I am prepared to do any job in tandem with my self-employment to address any cash flow issues. I am not stupid! It is in my best interests to support myself in every eventuality: employed, self-employed or both a PAYE & self-employment simultaneously. This is what I have been saying all along to the automatons at the old place to which the reply was, “How about a nice Customer Services job?” THE SELF-EMPLOYMENT GATEWAY The malfunctioning male automaton (at the old abode) accidentally let the “Self-Employment Gateway” out of the bag! This means that the “work coaxes” that I tried to work with were just giving me lip service where my self-employment was concerned. I knew it. It was obvious. But these automatons will feign an interest in you just to butter you up for yet another inappropriate suggestion that they bake into the Claimant Commitment. The irony is that if I was told about the Self-Employment Gateway earlier, I could have been in business already and I would have taken a part-time position whilst building the business if I had to. I could be wrong, but I think that the Self-Employment Gateway might offer me some protection in the scenario that I take a part-time position then leave when I feel it is right to concentrate on the business. I think that if it were not for the Self-Employment Gateway, I would have been told that I shouldn’t have left my job and that Universal Credit is denied, terminated! I think this is what these shifty automatons (at the last place) were trying to achieve with their obvious trickery! That would have been one way of getting me off the books! Believe me when I tell you that all the trickery that these people do only serves to get people into deeper problems… If you are unable to claim Universal Credit because of the scenario as described above, you could be made homeless in a matter of weeks! As The Tribunal King, I can also tell you that the rules and regulations that are behind the Universal Credit are a load of tosh! It is so very easy to see the gaping holes in the ill-informed ideas that form the so-called “laws” of Universal Credit. The Universal Credit rules and regulations were not written by a lawyer, that is for certain! Universal Credit is the result of a brain fart from someone who has no idea about life… It’s devised by someone who can spend £35 on breakfast each day! £35 is what some families spend each month on food! “Making work pay...” that’s the ethos of Universal Credit, yet people who are in work are still having to rely on food bank vouchers! This is the reality of Universal Credit. It is pretty stupid as this austerity based measure stifles the growth of the economy. We are talking about the basics here: food, gas, electricity, water, and council tax. Without a realistic Universal Credit personal allowance, something or some things have to give! This results in people sliding further into poverty. In London, the rent can be so high that it is near impossible to survive on a low wage, let alone Welfare Assistance! Sadly, this government is waging a war against people on low income, and those who are reliant on Welfare Assistance. It is a vicious circle that I am in dire need to escape from! I have been in low pay jobs before and it is definitely no picnic! I used to joke when receiving my wage packet, “Where’s the razor blade?” I had worked a full week of treble shifts (morning, afternoon, and evening – Monday to Saturday) and had nothing to show for it! If I could, I would take the government to court on the basis of false advertising, “Making work pay...” When I go to my local supermarket at night, I talk to disgruntled shelf stackers who complain that overtime has been cut, thus taking away premium pay in the process. These people haven’t had a pay rise in ages. LOOKING TO THE FUTURE All I can do is to put my best foot forward. I am going to try to get as much rest as I possibly can during the Winter Holidays in lieu of a real holiday where I get to travel either here in the UK or abroad. I haven’t seen my friends in Germany for years! In the meantime, I am lining up some Graphics & Multimedia Design work that should commence next year. I am also going to get my Vegan range of foods into the shops! I feel hopeful for a change! If you can, please make a donation, however small, to my Vegan venture: www.gofundme.com/Veganergize If every one of you were to donate £2, I would be able to go full steam ahead with my business! In the future, I am going to help business startups! Thank you so very much! And thanks to those who have contributed already! BATTLE The battle for justice will continue… Yesterday, I sent some papers off to complaint resolution bodies and my local MP. I am looking to take my complaints as high as I can. This battle is not just for me, it’s a battle for our human rights! It’s a battle against evil jobsworths who are more than willing to create false narratives in order to impose illegal sanctions that can do some serious damage – even cause death! Universal Credit is a treacherous game of snakes and ladders. Look, it is entirely up to you if you want to accept the game. But remember this: They make the rules up as they go along! They keep you in the dark with regards to initiatives that can help you move up a peg or two. As mentioned above, the New Enterprise Allowance Scheme is being withheld with my new Jobcentre Plus - even though I am able to use another business model! And as the male automaton told me in my former Jobcentre Plus, “It’s not our position to show you legislation...” Couple this thought process with being set up for undue illegal sanctions that put you into debt, which destroys your credit rating and leaves you having to rely on food bank vouchers, only then you will fully understand. Thank you for reading, and for your support! And thanks for paying Change.org to publicise this petition. It means a lot! Have a Very Merry Winter Holidays and a Positive New Year – if you don’t hear from me in the next couple of days! I will try to write another update if I can! Best wishes, Blue :)