Friday 13 January 2012

Day 5 #spartacusreport

What an amazing week for sick and disabled campaigners! Sue and I are so incredibly proud of everyone. We've lobbied, researched, tweeted, blogged and campaigned despite how very poorly many of us are.  Through provocation and disappointment about media coverage people have remained calm, considered, rational and constructive, which is so important as we are finally breaking through to the mainstream media and that is because we have facts, reason and morality on our side. When the best justification the government can dredge up to cut benefit eligibility to the most vulnerable, those disabled during childhood, is that some of them might at some point inherit some money it is clear how dubious these 'reforms' are both morally and politically. We are British, our sense of fair play is hardwired into our national identity; the justifiable outrage people feel about benefit fraud will pale in comparison with the outrage ordinary, decent people will feel about the most vulnerable in society being targeted and bullied by a government who have already committed to overturn the considered judgement of the Lords by using antiquated laws.

This week we have been able to demonstrate to the wider public something we all knew. That we are not ranting for the sake of it, but that we have detailed evidence and clear alternatives to the government's proposals. Sue's appearance on Newsnight last night shows that the media are finally starting to understand that, and see us as a credible, powerful community.

We know how exhausted you all are, we are too. We know how much pain you are all in as we share that pain. We share your frustration and your fears. Just yesterday our community had to support someone through the terror of receiving their Work Capability Assesment notice, to comfort, to console them and desperately try and persuade them not to end their life. We take all such pleas very seriously as there have already been multiple suicides associated with benefit loss.

As long as we remember we are a community we can all get through this. We must support each other, agree to disagree where necessary and never forget we are fighting for a shared aim. We owe this debt to those disabled people who lived and died in institutions, abused, hidden and ignored. We owe it to those disabled people who found the courage to rise up, to protest against the conditions they were forced into, many of whom never saw freedom but fought to protect those younger than themselves from imprisonment. We owe it to those who's mantra was "Nothing About Us Without Us". We owe this debt to all of our community who are still institutionalised, still in 2012 being horrifically abused by those supposed to 'care' for them and to the public who's taxes foot the bill for that abuse. We owe this debt to ourselves, to ensure we do not have to return to institutional living, to being condemned, hidden away and ignored because we are 'stock' 'too expensive to sustain'.

We must continue to keep up the pressure lobbying the Lords for next week's DLA votes, contacting MP's in preparation for when the Welfare Reform Bill returns to the Commons, and sharing our stories with the public so they understand that we are them. We are their daughters and sons, sisters, brothers, husbands and wives. We are all Spartacus. Together we have taken on the leader of the Labour party and last night Sue was fantastic debating with Chris Grayling on Newsnight. As Spartacus we can continue our fight.

So long as we remember "Alone we whisper. Together we shout" then we can and will win.


With love to you all, from Kaliya and Sue

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I have personally been contacting alot of crossbench peers about these issues. Most have not replied but some have in a positive way and they have said their fight continues on towards DLA fight.

I am petrified about the WCA, I am petrified about losing my DLA, I am petrified as - To me - Small as my life is - I still want to live!

I am scared about the govt threatening to use old old laws to just push everything through no matter what the Lords have said. That is so wrong. They are such an arrogant government, and clegg being a lap dog does nothing like his yellow party - they are all cowards and abstainb rather than be a decent part and stand UP for what is right - If this is how Lib Dem are = Yellow cowards - They deserve zero votes in the future!

I have no idea who I would vote for in another election as all parties seem to be completely uncaring and useless. - I would vote for Sue and Kaliya as Prime Ministeresses!!

Love you gals!

Anonymous said...

Perhaps Yoko Ono’s declaration that ‘woman is the nigger of the world’ should be recast. _The sick and disabled are the niggers of Britain_, in so far as a nigger is a person abused, disrespected and exploited by those in power, with power, or set upon doing evil.

The Great Gildersleeve said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

As I said elsewhwre Sue did well considering how loaded the interview/feature was...Chris was allowed to ramble on with virtually no challenge.

The questions in many cases put to Sue were not appropriate and Sue had to keep correcting what Emily Makeless was asking.

Often Sue found herself having to sit and listen. Chris was given a very easy ride and considering how difficult it is for Sue to get around and travel to the BBC studios that seems so unfair.

Hope this covered better on Radio 5
but with the new story about credit ratings being downgrated whenever Radio 5 was considering to feature the Sparticus Report will be put to the back of the queue