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Recently a 38 Degrees campaign
was launched by Ellie Ward after
she travelled on Merseyrail from
Liverpool Central to Ellesmere Port.
During that journey, the guard on
duty noticed that a man appeared
to be following her and another
woman and acting suspiciously.
The guard advised both to sit near
him and no incident occurred.
Reflecting later, Ellie decided she
would do all she could to ensure
that guards remained on the trains
and that’s where 38 Degrees came
in with over 20,000 signing u[p to
the campaign. so who are 38
Degrees?
It was founded in the memory of
Anita Roddick, a lifetime champion
of the power of ordinary people to
make a difference. The project was
developed by Ben Brandzel, Nina
Kowalska, David Babbs and Warren
Puckett
The founders were inspired by the
impact of advocacy groups like
MoveOn in the United States,
GetUp in Australia and Avaaz
around the world. These groups
have used the same model,
technologies and techniques to
mobilise nearly nine million people
to campaign on issues important to
their members.
The name 38 degrees is the angle
at which a pile of snowflakes
becomes an avalanche. When
enough gather in the right place,
they become an unstoppable force.
38 Degrees campaigns are inspired
by this idea, giving individuals a
chance to join an avalanche of
people working together for a
better world.
They are not connected to any
political parties, and are funded by
donations from their members, they
believe as I do that power should
rest with the people. Their 3 million
members work together to:
•
Defend fairness
•
Protect rights
•
Promote peace
•
Preserve the planet
•
Deepen democracy
In this age of modern technology,
where more and more commutation
is carried out online, organisations
like 38 Degrees have a real
opportunity to make a difference;
the power of the people is not to be
underestimated.
At this time of year we say goodbye
to some of our RMT National
Executive Committee members and
welcome the newly elected ones.
Leaving us are Donny Shannon,
Michelle Rodgers, Steve Shaw, Jeff
Slee, Kathy Mazur and Karlson
Lingwood and I would like to thank
them all for the support they have
given me over the previous two
years.
I want to make a special mention
regarding Kathy and Michelle, who
have been powerhouses in the
Boardroom and seeing them leave
reminds me that we will have an all-
white male NEC going forward.
I don’t claim to have all the
answers, but we really must do
more to get our female and black
and ethnic minorities members
elected to senior positions within
our organisation, as we really
should reflect the members that we
represent.
The President’s position is that of
the highest lay official we have and
there has never been a woman or
black and ethnic minority member
elected to that position, that can’t
be right and must change.
“In our age there is no such thing as
‘Keeping out of politics’ all issues
are political issues, and politics
itself is a mass of lies, evasions,
folly, hatred and schizophrenia.”
[George Orwell]
In Solidarity, Sean Hoyle
President’s column
38
DEGREES
RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: january 2018 :: RMTnews
23
•
if you want to make gifts of
cash amounts to anyone then
make a list of the amount next
to each person’s details
•
otherwise, you need to decide
what fraction of what’s left
when you die goes to each
person, so you might say “all
to my widow, or if she’s gone
before me then equally
between my three children but
if any of them dies before me,
their children get their share.”
What things aren’t covered by
the will?
This is a free service which is not
intended as a substitute for
specific professional advice and
which should only be used by
people with straight forward
personal and financial
circumstances.
The service is limited to one
free will per person, so it is not
possible to up-date an older will
via this system.
If you have foreign assets, own
a business, fall into the Inheritance
Tax bracket, have unresolved
financial issues following a
divorce or separation, wish to
avoid Care Fees or have
dependants but wish to disinherit
them then you must get specialist
professional advice before making
your will and you may also need
other legal services in addition to
the will.
Where can I get specialist legal
advice if the free online service
is not appropriate in my case?
Thompsons Solicitors and BBH
Legal Services Limited and
Thompsons Scotland offer a range
of legal services the cost of which
is discounted for RMT members
and which include solutions for
issues such as estate planning for
tax and care fees, protecting assets
for your family from claims by
third parties, making complex
wills, setting up and running
trusts, Probate, Powers of Attorney
and Court of Protection work.
If member wishes to make a
general enquiry concerning the
will they can call 0151 326 2188
in England and Wales or 0808 068
5529 in Scotland and off shore
members. They can also contact
willrequest@thompsons.law.co.uk