When you send a letter to Maria Miller MP, the Minister for Disabled People, with a copy to your MP, it is a good idea to send a separate letter to your MP. Some readers will be experienced at this kind of thing, but many of you may be new to campaigning or may not have the time or energy (spoons) to write. For that reason, we have designed a template letter. You are welcome to modify it or just send as is, substituting your MP's name of course! You can find names and addresses at http://www.parliament.uk/mps-lords-and-offices/mps/ Get writing:
Dear [your MP],
Re: Disability Living Allowance reform
I write to express my concern about the proposed reforms to DLA. A Public Consultation was launched by DWP on the 6th of December on the subject of these reforms, the scale of which surprised many disability rights campaigners. After all, the Conservatives fought the election on a pledge to retain DLA, and seemed to broadly maintain this stance in their October 2010 conference – yet we now learn that DLA will be abolished in 2013-14, and replaced by the new Personal Independence Payment (PIP).
The case for drastic reform of the DLA has not been made, and the reasoning given in the consultation paper is weak and based on flawed evidence, as argued in this article http://thebrokenofbritain.blogspot.com/2010/12/demollition-of-case-for-dla-reform.html by disability rights group The Broken of Britain. Moreover, the proposals for the new benefit are harsh, and disability groups and charities have rushed to condemn the proposals.
I urge you to read all the material on the internet – but ignored by the mainstream media in the midst of student protests – and to oppose these changes which are cuts dressed up as positive reforms. It is important that these cuts face immediate parliamentary scrutiny and that this scrutiny continues whilst parliament is in recess.
Yours sincerely,
[your name]
Non-partisan UK-based Disability campaign. Advocacy for people with invisible illness and/or physical & mental health conditions. Also Carers, their Families and Friends. Our individual voices are too quiet to be heard, but collectively we can shout loud enough to drown out this tide of abuse against us. Disability Hate Crime, lack of full legal protection, people in care homes costing too much to be let out and not one political party willing to fight for us.
3 comments:
You say about "read all the material on the internet "
You think MP's are gonna spend time to look on the net for this info? need to 'hand feed' it to them lol. And on that note, ideas in what links and info to include with this DLA Reform - MP Writing campaign?
People need to realise this is a 3-way coalition government, and no party will protect the disabled community and their carers now. Only we can help ourselves with the support of fair-minded and compassionate individuals and groups of activists. We need to keep on doing what we need to do to highlight our plight.......write to the Guardian newspaper and the BBC, your local MP, the PM's website, the DWP website, and anyone else we can think of. Protest if you are able, and sign any petition you can on this..........If the worst happens, then challenge every wrong decision, appeal, appeal and appeal....If we give in we are done for.
I think the letter is too out of date now, as it refers to "recess".
I have written my own personal letter to my MP, who happens to be Dear Mr Clegg. I await his "personal" reply with interest!
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