A4E censorship
Aug 5 2009 12:55
The notorious bastards at A4E are currently making a concentrated effort to censor online criticism. Since the libcom library and history sections are really good resources, I was wondering if it'd be possible to use them to host information that A4E wants to suppress? Or, if that'd endanger libcom as a whole, if tech-savvy libcommers who are better at internets than me/have lots of time on their hands could set up independent sites to mirror information. Thoughts?
Aug 5 2009 19:28
#2
Oh please do an expose on these shitty 'training' companies. Weeler can you do something on this? Serco are now bidding for flexible new deal contracts.
Aug 5 2009 20:14
#3
Aug 5 2009 22:20
#4
sickdog24 wrote:
Oh please do an expose on these shitty 'training' companies. Weeler can you do something on this? Serco are now bidding for flexible new deal contracts.
Can someone gimme a rundown about what this is about?
Aug 6 2009 07:11
#5
weeler wrote:
Can someone gimme a rundown about what this is about?
Basically, A4e are one of many companies who run [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Deal_(United_Kingdom)]New Deal[/url] schemes for the DWP, they've also allegedly been involved in all kinds of dodgy dealings. There are a few blogs dedicated to exposing their shenanigans, which A4E have been getting shut down by making spurious legal threats agains the hosting companies.
The specific instance that kicked all this off was their threatening a libel suit against the wordpress blog New Deal Scandal for reporting that one of their employees had resigned as director of A4e Ltd. (which he had), wordpress shit one, deleted the post and froze the blog.
The Void has a lot of the details (also some Godawful politics, but he's been following the story close enough that it's a good place to go for more information).
Edit: For some reason I can't make that wiki link work properly, odd.
Aug 6 2009 07:11
#6
In Ireland im guessing there are similar things to this? Is this the type of stuff you would write about weeler?
Aug 8 2009 14:32
#7
Good to see A4E are in trouble over this 'benefits fraud' thing though I can't see their DWP contract being affected. Most likely they'll wriggle out of it by blaming a subcontractor or two for their not understanding the difference between a real job and a temporary (or ficticious) one. A4E are not the only company to have got themselves into trouble but are the most high profile because they are so big - game playing in this new privatised welfare industry required to fulfill DWP quotas is inevitable.
'Watching a4e' has a new blog presence ...
http://watchinga4e.blogspot.com/
and
http://newdealscandal.wordpress.com/
managed to get their wordpress site back again.
So things are kindof back to normal, for the time being.
A less political resource for info about New Deal and providers is http://newdealcomplaints.co.uk/
YMCA Training have also got themselves into a pickle. And dare I mention poor old Instant Muscle...
PS. This may provide amusement or dismay, starts Thu 20 Aug, 9PM on Channel 4, starring A4E:
http://www.channel4.com/programmes/benefit-busters
I'm glad you put that link in, Farce, otherwise I'd have assumed it was 'Arts for Everyone' gunning for anyone who ever complained about failing to get a grant from them. This lot, though, are a real shower of bastards.