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.
Saturday, 14 January 2012
Friday, 13 January 2012
Radio 5Live would like to hear from us.. #spartacusreport
Are you affected by changes to DLA benefits? Has your application been turned down? Maybe you just have strong opinions about how the changes will affect you and your family. BBC 5 Live would love to hear from you.
Please contact monica.soriano@bbc.co.uk for more information
Please contact monica.soriano@bbc.co.uk for more information
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
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
Tuesday, 10 January 2012
Message from Kaliya and Sue #spartacusreport
Link to Responsible Reform Report http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/16008
http://twibbon.com/join/spartacusreport
#SpartacusReport Day 2
Yesterday was absolutely wonderful. For the first time, we broke through and really found our voice. We trended No.1 on Twitter and kept trending at 2 throughout the day. The support from celebrities and journalists and other bloggers was humbling. Today, we have a chance to really explain our issues, but despite our desperation and fear we MUST remember that our issues are new to most people. We must trust that the report has it's own strength. It is backed by Disability Alliance, representing over 380 charities. Scope, Mind, RNIB, Sense, National Autistic Society, ME Action Papworth Trust and many, many more endorse our report and share its concerns. Politicans are supporting us. Lords are supporting us. We must give them every chance to hear our evidence and act on it. The report raises some very serious issues and it is those issues we must explain. Today, we ask anyone who read and was shocked by the #spartacusreport to wear this twibbonhttp://twibbon.com/join/spartacusreport and stand with the sick and disabled people of the UK have fought so very hard for this one chance to be heard. We only have a few more days. Lords return tomorrow and the issues we have raised for so long will face votes. If we work together, no matter how exhausted we are, no matter how frightened, we can say we did all we could to make our arguments eloquently, reasonably and most importantly - based on evidence. Evidence that has been painfully lacking in this debate so far. Can we show today that we are an electorate? That we can be seen, that we can be heard. Every twibbon is a "vote" for the #spartacusreport If you are sick and disabled wear the twibbon. If you realise that one day, at any moment, you too could face illness or disability and that our fight is your fight, please wear the twibbon. If you are concerned at the lack of rigour and openness of our government, please where the twibbon If you want us to be heard, wear the twibbon. Keep tweeting, keep sharing and trust that if we work together, we can be heard. Sick and Disabled people can speak for themselves and for the first time, the #spartacusreport allows us to do that. Take this opportunity, take this platform and use it wisely. I am Spartacus, and I will keep trying everything I can to protect our futures.
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