*Blushes*
It seems I may have already had one or two votes for the Total Politics Favourite Blog of 2011 award.
It also seems that others are shamelessly pimping themselves out for votes, so I too will bashfully clasp my hands behind my back, kick one foot about whilst looking down at the ground and ask quietly that if you've liked my blog, you might spend the 10 minutes or so filling out the (pesky) form here :
http://www.totalpolitics.com/surveys/total-politics-blog-awards/
The closing date for votes is, I believe, this Friday, 19th August
*sidles off*
Tuesday, 16 August 2011
Monday, 15 August 2011
Alternative Reality
Good morning world! I'm back from my "holiday".
The next time I suggest it might be a good idea to go camping with two small boys, bowel disease and osteoporosis, could some kind benefactor please send me to the Caribbean instead? First class? With porters? I was so exhausted by the time we went to stay with our friends at the weekend, that I could barely get out of bed.
I valiantly smiled and joked through long days out at Longleat, cold, damp, evenings around the campfire and endless meals I really shouldn't have been eating, but truthfully, I'll need a fortnight to recover.
The only real mishap came after we'd driven through the wonderful safari. After lunch (plastic hotdog with chemical mustard) I just hit the "spoonie wall". I couldn't walk another step and simply had to lie down. Easier said than done in the middle of a several hundred acre estate where, sadly, Lord Bath was not available to offer me a bed for an hour or two. (Though I believe his track record may have made that a rather dangerous proposition in itself.)
We decided that I would get a cup of reviving tea in the beautiful orangery cafe, then find a quiet corner of the "secret garden" for a nap. Dave would take the boys to see the birds of prey. A little embarrassing certainly, but far better than fainting in the middle of the maze. The queue for tea was mighty and I looked at the counter in defeated-dismay. In the end I just collapsed at a cafe table in the beautiful rose garden and fell asleep on my arms, drugged by the roses warming the air with heady scent. After a while a kind waitress walked past and I swallowed my pride to ask if she could get me a drink. I'm disabled, I explained and just couldn't manage the queue.
With my tan and lack of any visible aids, I don't look at all disabled, but I guess falling asleep at the table gave her a clue.
After I'd had a drink, I shuffled painfully towards the beautiful walled gardens and curled up in a corner, the latest display for tourists to gawk and giggle at. I waited for Dave to come back with the boys. And waited. And waited. They just didn't show up! What could I do? I couldn't possibly walk anywhere to go and find them. I wondered if Longleat had a mobility centre? Could I get a wheelchair for the rest of the day? My phone was with Dave, so I couldn't call him, I just had to wait and hope they found me in the end.
It's a scary prospect. Being too "vulnerable" to help myself, suddenly removed from the safety of Dave to help me through, unsure what I'd do or how on earth I would alert anyone to my distress. I went over the options in my mind, frantically trying to form a plan. By this stage, Dave and the boys had been gone for over two hours. The sun was burning me, I was getting weaker. (I may have been cursing myself a little too, for being too proud to even carry a backup folding walking stick...)
I decided there was nothing for it but to throw myself on the mercy of a passing tourist, ask them to get a member of staff and try to arrange some kind of wheelchair (and someone to push it!) until we found my family. Just as I was plucking up my courage to call across the lawns to some random stranger, Dave appeared around the corner with two exhausted little boys. We're still not quite sure how we managed to miss each other - they'd been looking for me for over an hour, but I can't tell you how relieved I was to see them.
This is not the first time I've been stranded in the middle of a theme-park/zoo/play centre wondering why on earth I think I can do these things. Invariably, Dave ends up carrying me back to the car (we pretend it's a game for the kids) or I'm on my own with the boys and feel that same sense of panic - it's terrifying. "There's no such word as can't" is becoming patently less true as the years go by, but I'm too stubborn to admit it.
I cringe when I hear Dave tell the boys "Mummy just needs a little rest" or "Mummy's going to have a quiet day today" as he persuades them boys need boy-time and really, it's nothing to do with Mummy's "poorly" at all.
Still, despite my rather gloomy account, I made it, we had fun when we could, and I'm back in one piece.
I got home to my DLA decision. I'd sent my application off a month or two ago and knew the letter would probably be waiting for me when I got back. Sure enough, there was a brown envelope lurking amongst the flyers from Virgin media and the take-away menus. The brown envelope. Those few square inches of terror that makes any disabled person quake now.
Guess what? I'm fine!! Don't need any help at all, apparently. No help with Longleat-mobility at all. No help with care, nothing. The "reasons" quoted in the rejection letter were exactly the kind of kafka-esque nonsense we have come to expect from the DWP. They bore no relation whatsoever to the answers I'd given on my form - so much so that you'd laugh if it wasn't so depressing.
I have a month to appeal, they say. Great. Yet another hoop to jump through, more forms to fill in, more letters to write. Anyone who's not quite sure why I might need DLA can read my profile on the right hand side of this blog. Yet I don't qualify according to the "decision maker" It makes you wonder who does doesn't it?
We are not too despondent. It's incredibly common for people with long term variable conditions to be excluded from the welfare system. But I do feel a little grubby.
Somehow, being turned down initially makes me feel like a fraud for appealing. It's exactly how those in charge of the process hope I will feel. They know many won't bother. If I could possibly survive any more without acknowledging that my disability is becoming more intrusive, I wouldn't bother either. If I was wealthy, I certainly wouldn't bother to demean myself and my pride, begging for a paltry few quid a month.
But I'm not. And I need a little more help than I used to. It shouldn't really be a big deal should it? I have a severe form of a diagnosed long term condition with a clear, degenerative pathology. People like me are clearly going to need a little help if we're lucky enough to dodge death as adroitly as I have.
Still, I'm not wealthy, and I'm not as able as I used to be and Dave is caring for me more and more, so I shall just have to swallow that huge ball of pride and hold out my begging bowl. I suppose the only silver lining is that the system is now working exactly as those who designed it hoped it would.
The next time I suggest it might be a good idea to go camping with two small boys, bowel disease and osteoporosis, could some kind benefactor please send me to the Caribbean instead? First class? With porters? I was so exhausted by the time we went to stay with our friends at the weekend, that I could barely get out of bed.
I valiantly smiled and joked through long days out at Longleat, cold, damp, evenings around the campfire and endless meals I really shouldn't have been eating, but truthfully, I'll need a fortnight to recover.
The only real mishap came after we'd driven through the wonderful safari. After lunch (plastic hotdog with chemical mustard) I just hit the "spoonie wall". I couldn't walk another step and simply had to lie down. Easier said than done in the middle of a several hundred acre estate where, sadly, Lord Bath was not available to offer me a bed for an hour or two. (Though I believe his track record may have made that a rather dangerous proposition in itself.)
We decided that I would get a cup of reviving tea in the beautiful orangery cafe, then find a quiet corner of the "secret garden" for a nap. Dave would take the boys to see the birds of prey. A little embarrassing certainly, but far better than fainting in the middle of the maze. The queue for tea was mighty and I looked at the counter in defeated-dismay. In the end I just collapsed at a cafe table in the beautiful rose garden and fell asleep on my arms, drugged by the roses warming the air with heady scent. After a while a kind waitress walked past and I swallowed my pride to ask if she could get me a drink. I'm disabled, I explained and just couldn't manage the queue.
With my tan and lack of any visible aids, I don't look at all disabled, but I guess falling asleep at the table gave her a clue.
After I'd had a drink, I shuffled painfully towards the beautiful walled gardens and curled up in a corner, the latest display for tourists to gawk and giggle at. I waited for Dave to come back with the boys. And waited. And waited. They just didn't show up! What could I do? I couldn't possibly walk anywhere to go and find them. I wondered if Longleat had a mobility centre? Could I get a wheelchair for the rest of the day? My phone was with Dave, so I couldn't call him, I just had to wait and hope they found me in the end.
It's a scary prospect. Being too "vulnerable" to help myself, suddenly removed from the safety of Dave to help me through, unsure what I'd do or how on earth I would alert anyone to my distress. I went over the options in my mind, frantically trying to form a plan. By this stage, Dave and the boys had been gone for over two hours. The sun was burning me, I was getting weaker. (I may have been cursing myself a little too, for being too proud to even carry a backup folding walking stick...)
I decided there was nothing for it but to throw myself on the mercy of a passing tourist, ask them to get a member of staff and try to arrange some kind of wheelchair (and someone to push it!) until we found my family. Just as I was plucking up my courage to call across the lawns to some random stranger, Dave appeared around the corner with two exhausted little boys. We're still not quite sure how we managed to miss each other - they'd been looking for me for over an hour, but I can't tell you how relieved I was to see them.
This is not the first time I've been stranded in the middle of a theme-park/zoo/play centre wondering why on earth I think I can do these things. Invariably, Dave ends up carrying me back to the car (we pretend it's a game for the kids) or I'm on my own with the boys and feel that same sense of panic - it's terrifying. "There's no such word as can't" is becoming patently less true as the years go by, but I'm too stubborn to admit it.
I cringe when I hear Dave tell the boys "Mummy just needs a little rest" or "Mummy's going to have a quiet day today" as he persuades them boys need boy-time and really, it's nothing to do with Mummy's "poorly" at all.
Still, despite my rather gloomy account, I made it, we had fun when we could, and I'm back in one piece.
I got home to my DLA decision. I'd sent my application off a month or two ago and knew the letter would probably be waiting for me when I got back. Sure enough, there was a brown envelope lurking amongst the flyers from Virgin media and the take-away menus. The brown envelope. Those few square inches of terror that makes any disabled person quake now.
Guess what? I'm fine!! Don't need any help at all, apparently. No help with Longleat-mobility at all. No help with care, nothing. The "reasons" quoted in the rejection letter were exactly the kind of kafka-esque nonsense we have come to expect from the DWP. They bore no relation whatsoever to the answers I'd given on my form - so much so that you'd laugh if it wasn't so depressing.
I have a month to appeal, they say. Great. Yet another hoop to jump through, more forms to fill in, more letters to write. Anyone who's not quite sure why I might need DLA can read my profile on the right hand side of this blog. Yet I don't qualify according to the "decision maker" It makes you wonder who does doesn't it?
We are not too despondent. It's incredibly common for people with long term variable conditions to be excluded from the welfare system. But I do feel a little grubby.
Somehow, being turned down initially makes me feel like a fraud for appealing. It's exactly how those in charge of the process hope I will feel. They know many won't bother. If I could possibly survive any more without acknowledging that my disability is becoming more intrusive, I wouldn't bother either. If I was wealthy, I certainly wouldn't bother to demean myself and my pride, begging for a paltry few quid a month.
But I'm not. And I need a little more help than I used to. It shouldn't really be a big deal should it? I have a severe form of a diagnosed long term condition with a clear, degenerative pathology. People like me are clearly going to need a little help if we're lucky enough to dodge death as adroitly as I have.
Still, I'm not wealthy, and I'm not as able as I used to be and Dave is caring for me more and more, so I shall just have to swallow that huge ball of pride and hold out my begging bowl. I suppose the only silver lining is that the system is now working exactly as those who designed it hoped it would.
Friday, 5 August 2011
More Potter Magic!
I really am going on holiday, honest, but I couldn't go without sharing the latest exploits of George Potter, the Lib Dem who has tabled the motion at conference to oppose both the assessments and time limiting of ESA. http://diaryofabenefitscrounger.blogspot.com/2011/07/magic-mr-potter.html
This article http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/aug/05/liberal-democrats-employment-support-allowance is causing quite a stir online and having spoken to George quite a lot lately, I get more impressed by the day! He wondered if any of you could share a short paragraph of your own experiences of ESA assessments or how the time limit will affect you? It would help to add the "personal story" to the debate of the motion.
If so, please either leave your comment below or email me at suey2yblog@hotmail.co.uk.
Let's hope no-one can break Mr Potter's spell :*
A Song for Danny Alexander
Did you ever see Danny Alexander defending the sick and disabled against ESA? Did you see how he knew the details, was aware how many decisions were incorrect? He's never mentioned it again since he became a minister. The link to him opposing ESA is here (just the first minute).
When you've seen it, perhaps you'd like to click on the next link and read the lyrics below it at the same time? My Ode to Danny, "Oh Danny boy, the jags, the jags are calling....."
Oh Danny Boy!
The jags and jags are calling.
From No.10 and from the Treasury.
The passion’s gone and ESA forgotten.
T’was you t'was you, but now you’ve turned away.
So come ye back! Remember how we need you
Disabled, sick and vulnerable in need.
We’re all still here, forgotten in the shadows.
Oh Danny Boy! Oh Danny Boy, we need you so.
And if one day, you think again of ESA
And I am dead, as dead I may well be
Will you recall, the times you said you’d help us?
Or hide away? Pretend you cannot see?
We have no friends, no politicians caring
No-one to save our fragile dignity.
Will you come back and fight for what your heart knows?
Your time has come to be the man you ought to be.
Thursday, 4 August 2011
Holidays
Today, I will mostly be washing odd socks, frantically searching for swimming trunks and last year's buckets and spades and making sure my meds are all up to date and in plentiful supply.
We're going on holiday with the kids, largely thanks to the goodwill of dear friends and family.
We have no money, but friends have lent us their canal boat for a day or two, arranged a cottage for a few more days and lent us a tent to cover the rest of the week. We have a pass for Longleat that still has lots to do on it from last year, and I will be attempting to cook for four on a two burner gas stove without burning down half of Somerset.
I won't take my laptop or iphone and I intend to steer clear of the news at all costs.
I can't pretend I'm not concerned. Camping and bowel disease are not easy bedfellows, but more than that, I worry about taking a whole week away from emails and journalists and politics at a time when every day counts in the race to stop the welfare reform bill. I have articles cueing up to be written, documentaries to finalise and reports to read.
I also have two adorable little boys who can't wait to build sandcastles and climb trees and remember what Mummy's face looks like without a computer screen in front of it.
David Cameron meanwhile is in Tuscany. For two weeks. Apparently the villa costs £9,700 a week. The telegraph reports that he will have another holiday before the end of summer recess, taking his holiday tally to four in just under 5 months. That's Tuscany, Ibiza, Spain and Yet to be Confirmed. In 5 months.
George Osborne is in LA, staying in a pricey hotel and taking his kids to Disneyland. He went skiing in Klosters at Christmas, on of the most expensive ski resorts available.
Now, don't get me wrong, I couldn't care less where wealthy people go for their holidays or how often they take them. I do worry however, that our country is in pretty dire shape and both our PM and chancellor seem less concerned with sorting it out than I am.
I also wonder exactly what families like mine, up and down the country make of our "All in This Together" austerity-freak politicians. As we empty pound jars to boost the ice cream funds and put off fixing the gutters to fund a few days out, we wonder if we'll still have a job to come home to.
Oh well, for 9 glorious days, I refuse to make it my problem!! Think of me if it rains and whatever your own plans, I hope they're joyful and relaxing. Take a break, read a book or two, and I'll see you all back here soon, refreshed, energised and ready to let battle recommence.
Happy holidays!
We're going on holiday with the kids, largely thanks to the goodwill of dear friends and family.
We have no money, but friends have lent us their canal boat for a day or two, arranged a cottage for a few more days and lent us a tent to cover the rest of the week. We have a pass for Longleat that still has lots to do on it from last year, and I will be attempting to cook for four on a two burner gas stove without burning down half of Somerset.
I won't take my laptop or iphone and I intend to steer clear of the news at all costs.
I can't pretend I'm not concerned. Camping and bowel disease are not easy bedfellows, but more than that, I worry about taking a whole week away from emails and journalists and politics at a time when every day counts in the race to stop the welfare reform bill. I have articles cueing up to be written, documentaries to finalise and reports to read.
I also have two adorable little boys who can't wait to build sandcastles and climb trees and remember what Mummy's face looks like without a computer screen in front of it.
David Cameron meanwhile is in Tuscany. For two weeks. Apparently the villa costs £9,700 a week. The telegraph reports that he will have another holiday before the end of summer recess, taking his holiday tally to four in just under 5 months. That's Tuscany, Ibiza, Spain and Yet to be Confirmed. In 5 months.
George Osborne is in LA, staying in a pricey hotel and taking his kids to Disneyland. He went skiing in Klosters at Christmas, on of the most expensive ski resorts available.
Now, don't get me wrong, I couldn't care less where wealthy people go for their holidays or how often they take them. I do worry however, that our country is in pretty dire shape and both our PM and chancellor seem less concerned with sorting it out than I am.
I also wonder exactly what families like mine, up and down the country make of our "All in This Together" austerity-freak politicians. As we empty pound jars to boost the ice cream funds and put off fixing the gutters to fund a few days out, we wonder if we'll still have a job to come home to.
Oh well, for 9 glorious days, I refuse to make it my problem!! Think of me if it rains and whatever your own plans, I hope they're joyful and relaxing. Take a break, read a book or two, and I'll see you all back here soon, refreshed, energised and ready to let battle recommence.
Happy holidays!
Monday, 1 August 2011
Survey on DLA - Papworth Trust
The Papworth Trust are running a survey on DLA - how you feel about the proposals to replace it with Personal Independence Payments, what it would mean to your life if you no longer qualify under the new rules, etc.
If you'd like to help, it's anonymous unless you want to leave details at the end and every view counts!!
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/dlachanges)
If you'd like to help, it's anonymous unless you want to leave details at the end and every view counts!!
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/dlachanges)
What have we Achieved?
Regular readers of my blog will be familiar with both the sense of crushing defeat and delighted success we regularly share.
We have one of the hardest battles of any group. We have no unqualified political support, we have to battle a hostile media, we have less physical ability to make our protest and we are dealing with Welfare. The most right-wing, hard-line department in politics - whoever is in power.
Perhaps most dauntingly of all we must try to counteract and disprove a set of perceived wisdoms in society treated as "fact" by most. We are "scroungers" "irresponsible" "invalid". They think sick and disabled people don't work - 60% of us do. They think we live a life of ease at taxpayers expense - we are in fact more likely to live in poverty than any other group.
Given all these disadvantages and barriers, it would seem likely that we would give up. It would seem fair to assume that we would not find a voice, that we could never make ourselves "visible". Politicians might assume we would achieve no sway over political outcomes or gain much traction with a sceptical public.
Today, 250,000 articles will have been read on this blog. A quarter of a million opportunities to make our case. Since last October, tens of thousands of people have shared it with their friends, sent it to their MPs and linked it to their social networking pages. I have found myself speaking to welfare ministers and journalists, radio shows and conferences.
Thanks to all of you, my blog went into the the top 50 political blogs within 4 months (Wikio) and has stayed there ever since, climbing to No. 31 today.
You support me daily both in small ways and by taking enormous personal risk. Together we've found a voice and it has gained power and strength. We've come together to fight and as we celebrate such a significant milestone I wanted to take a look at how far we've come as a movement in just a few short months.
I think the most significant achievement is the solidarity and commitment of all those involved. Charities have come together as never before, campaign groups and unions are united on the issues that matter the most. We have managed to distil our arguments down into a few vital points and from Scope to The Broken of Britain, from The Disability Alliance (an umbrella group of over 270 charities) to DPAC, from Carer Watch to MIND we respond to challenges with a dazzling array of different voices, but they all carry the same message.
May saw the biggest protest of sick and disabled people in UK history. Over 8,000 people turned up to the Hardest Hit march, with hundreds staying to lobby their MPs in Westminster. The support of both traditional charities and social media gave the event a profile it probably wouldn't have had just a few months ago.
Other wonderful blogs achieve huge impact too - Benefit Scrounging Scum, The Tentacles of Doom, Dawn Willis, Where's the Benefit False Economy, FactCheck and many many more work despite great personal cost to reveal the mistruths and dangers of welfare reform.
Social Media is really where I feel we can be proudest. The speed and accessibility of social media has revolutionised the way sick and disabled people can engage with their own voices. This is vitally important. Unless we can speak for ourselves, we will never be able to explain how we are affected by random government policies. Never before have we been able to respond to a misleading newspaper story or government press release. Our articles are the most read and commented on and shared - not just in politics but often in the entire UK across any media. The internet has become one big forum accessible to sick and disabled people and we make the most of it every day.
Groups such as "The Armchair Army" have been set up specifically to support those who are a little more able physically to attend protests by arranging mass email events. These enable the less able to be heard and support the wider protest by raising awareness of our issues in the media. Quite apart from anything else, it's empowering. People who thought they were powerless can now make a real difference, every day.
The left wing bloggers could not have been more supportive or generous. They promoted my blog from day one and have always given me the space and encouragement to explain our cause - even when Labour came out of it like a stinky-pig. Left Foot Forward, Labour List and Liberal Conspiracy took up the call to stand "shoulder to wheel" with us and it has made a big difference.
The media have started to listen. Oh so slowly, and sometimes with frustrating inaccuracy, but that's simply because we all know the issues so well ourselves. Forget the Mail and Express - we have the Guardian who couldn't be more supportive, but lately, there have been stories on the BBC, Channel 4 News, The Mirror LBC, Dale & Co, Radio 5 live and many more. It is inevitable that such a "pressure-cooker" issue on-line will eventually spill over into the mainstream and when it does, we'll be ready. I've been working on contacts in the right wing press with considerable success, I hope you'll start to see the fruits of that very soon.
And politicians. When George Osborne announced the CSR we had no-one. No-one at all. Labour had largely got us into this mess and the Tories were happy to hoover us up and throw us out with the deficit. Prominent Lib Dems who had opposed ESA before the coalition such as Danny Alexander suddenly went silent when we needed them most.
But politically, we've come the furthest of all. The brilliant Rhydian Fon-James from Broken of Britain achieved success close to alchemy with Plaid and the Welsh parliament, resulting in Early Day motions backed by Hywel Williams. He deconstructed DLA/PiP proposals forensically, I worked on every line of the Welfare Reform Bill relating to ESA until my head hurt. Within days of knowing exactly what we were up against, we were able to start publicising and opposing the elements of the WRB that we felt were most dangerous to our supporters.
The stunningly successful Broken of Britain campaigns to raise awareness of DLA and what it's for went viral, supported by thousands online. It led to over 5,000 submissions to the DLA consultation - thousands more than they usually receive. I ran an "ESA week" a little later that brought issues such as Time Limiting ESA to just one year to the forefront.
Today, we can be proud. Labour took on almost all of the issues we're fighting and tabled them as amendments to the bill. In some cases they argued for much less than we need, but it gave us a chance to be heard in parliament and oh my goodness how we are heard!! We have been directly quoted in the committees, our speeches have been read out in the House of Commons, and the pinnacle for me was the day Ed Miliband stood up in PMQs and devoted all 6 questions to my issue. Time Limiting ESA was suddenly the most important issue of the day and I practically exploded all over the telly!!
While I'm talking about PMQs, this is where every single one of you takes a bow. Most of my campaigning and that of Broken of Britain has focused on getting you all involved actively. You have responded with dazzlingly effective enthusiasm!! MPs mailbags are groaning under the weight of our letters - WCAs, ESA and the abolishing of DLA are absolutely at the forefront of issues raised around the country and there cannot be an MP who is not aware of the things that concern us about the WRB. You only have to keep a tally of the questions they raise at PMQs - on all sides of the house - to see the impact we've had. There are regularly 3 or 4 questions to the Prime Minister expressing concern.
But where has all of this got us? I read comments every day from supporters despairing at the slow progress of our politics and asking whether anyone is actually listening at all?
Well, in just the last few months, I believe things have changed and that we now have a real chance of making significant changes to the bill.
The coalition have made such little progress themselves in finalising the details of the bill that it had to be delayed by two months when it arrived in the Lords. There is real concern in the Lords over some of the issues and much more cross party support.
The Disability Alliance have mounted an unprecedented legal challenge supported by over 270 charities and we must do everything that we can to support them. Government will ensure that they are opposed every step of the way and we must keep reminding our own charities that we need them to do this. Whilst they must work with government, they must also speak for us, the people they represent and they are doing a fine job of doing so.
We are working on several documentaries for the BBC and other TV stations that should air in the Autumn, widening out the debate still further as the bill is debated in the Lords.
Finally, and perhaps most crucially, we are now able to work with the grassroots of the LibDems who have seen the inequalities we are facing and have tabled a motion for their Autumn Conference opposing ESA assessments and the time limit. We finally have a chance to undermine the parliamentary majority that would ensure the WRB is pushed through despite enormous democratic opposition.
It's been a surreal year. Almost daily I have to pinch myself. But today, we can be enormously proud of what we've achieved, proud of our calm, evidence based responses to what are often vicious attacks. Proud of our strength and resilience, proud of our self confidence and intelligence.
If nothing else, we've proven beyond doubt that we do not in any way fit the insidious stereotypes designed to undermine us. We've found our voice and it can only grow in strength and dedication as we go on to achieve countless further successes.
Together.
What makes our campaigns work is you. Please keep doing what you do - tweet, link, email, send to your MPs and don't let up on the pressure for a single day.
We have one of the hardest battles of any group. We have no unqualified political support, we have to battle a hostile media, we have less physical ability to make our protest and we are dealing with Welfare. The most right-wing, hard-line department in politics - whoever is in power.
Perhaps most dauntingly of all we must try to counteract and disprove a set of perceived wisdoms in society treated as "fact" by most. We are "scroungers" "irresponsible" "invalid". They think sick and disabled people don't work - 60% of us do. They think we live a life of ease at taxpayers expense - we are in fact more likely to live in poverty than any other group.
Given all these disadvantages and barriers, it would seem likely that we would give up. It would seem fair to assume that we would not find a voice, that we could never make ourselves "visible". Politicians might assume we would achieve no sway over political outcomes or gain much traction with a sceptical public.
Today, 250,000 articles will have been read on this blog. A quarter of a million opportunities to make our case. Since last October, tens of thousands of people have shared it with their friends, sent it to their MPs and linked it to their social networking pages. I have found myself speaking to welfare ministers and journalists, radio shows and conferences.
Thanks to all of you, my blog went into the the top 50 political blogs within 4 months (Wikio) and has stayed there ever since, climbing to No. 31 today.
You support me daily both in small ways and by taking enormous personal risk. Together we've found a voice and it has gained power and strength. We've come together to fight and as we celebrate such a significant milestone I wanted to take a look at how far we've come as a movement in just a few short months.
I think the most significant achievement is the solidarity and commitment of all those involved. Charities have come together as never before, campaign groups and unions are united on the issues that matter the most. We have managed to distil our arguments down into a few vital points and from Scope to The Broken of Britain, from The Disability Alliance (an umbrella group of over 270 charities) to DPAC, from Carer Watch to MIND we respond to challenges with a dazzling array of different voices, but they all carry the same message.
May saw the biggest protest of sick and disabled people in UK history. Over 8,000 people turned up to the Hardest Hit march, with hundreds staying to lobby their MPs in Westminster. The support of both traditional charities and social media gave the event a profile it probably wouldn't have had just a few months ago.
Other wonderful blogs achieve huge impact too - Benefit Scrounging Scum, The Tentacles of Doom, Dawn Willis, Where's the Benefit False Economy, FactCheck and many many more work despite great personal cost to reveal the mistruths and dangers of welfare reform.
Social Media is really where I feel we can be proudest. The speed and accessibility of social media has revolutionised the way sick and disabled people can engage with their own voices. This is vitally important. Unless we can speak for ourselves, we will never be able to explain how we are affected by random government policies. Never before have we been able to respond to a misleading newspaper story or government press release. Our articles are the most read and commented on and shared - not just in politics but often in the entire UK across any media. The internet has become one big forum accessible to sick and disabled people and we make the most of it every day.
Groups such as "The Armchair Army" have been set up specifically to support those who are a little more able physically to attend protests by arranging mass email events. These enable the less able to be heard and support the wider protest by raising awareness of our issues in the media. Quite apart from anything else, it's empowering. People who thought they were powerless can now make a real difference, every day.
The left wing bloggers could not have been more supportive or generous. They promoted my blog from day one and have always given me the space and encouragement to explain our cause - even when Labour came out of it like a stinky-pig. Left Foot Forward, Labour List and Liberal Conspiracy took up the call to stand "shoulder to wheel" with us and it has made a big difference.
The media have started to listen. Oh so slowly, and sometimes with frustrating inaccuracy, but that's simply because we all know the issues so well ourselves. Forget the Mail and Express - we have the Guardian who couldn't be more supportive, but lately, there have been stories on the BBC, Channel 4 News, The Mirror LBC, Dale & Co, Radio 5 live and many more. It is inevitable that such a "pressure-cooker" issue on-line will eventually spill over into the mainstream and when it does, we'll be ready. I've been working on contacts in the right wing press with considerable success, I hope you'll start to see the fruits of that very soon.
And politicians. When George Osborne announced the CSR we had no-one. No-one at all. Labour had largely got us into this mess and the Tories were happy to hoover us up and throw us out with the deficit. Prominent Lib Dems who had opposed ESA before the coalition such as Danny Alexander suddenly went silent when we needed them most.
But politically, we've come the furthest of all. The brilliant Rhydian Fon-James from Broken of Britain achieved success close to alchemy with Plaid and the Welsh parliament, resulting in Early Day motions backed by Hywel Williams. He deconstructed DLA/PiP proposals forensically, I worked on every line of the Welfare Reform Bill relating to ESA until my head hurt. Within days of knowing exactly what we were up against, we were able to start publicising and opposing the elements of the WRB that we felt were most dangerous to our supporters.
The stunningly successful Broken of Britain campaigns to raise awareness of DLA and what it's for went viral, supported by thousands online. It led to over 5,000 submissions to the DLA consultation - thousands more than they usually receive. I ran an "ESA week" a little later that brought issues such as Time Limiting ESA to just one year to the forefront.
Today, we can be proud. Labour took on almost all of the issues we're fighting and tabled them as amendments to the bill. In some cases they argued for much less than we need, but it gave us a chance to be heard in parliament and oh my goodness how we are heard!! We have been directly quoted in the committees, our speeches have been read out in the House of Commons, and the pinnacle for me was the day Ed Miliband stood up in PMQs and devoted all 6 questions to my issue. Time Limiting ESA was suddenly the most important issue of the day and I practically exploded all over the telly!!
While I'm talking about PMQs, this is where every single one of you takes a bow. Most of my campaigning and that of Broken of Britain has focused on getting you all involved actively. You have responded with dazzlingly effective enthusiasm!! MPs mailbags are groaning under the weight of our letters - WCAs, ESA and the abolishing of DLA are absolutely at the forefront of issues raised around the country and there cannot be an MP who is not aware of the things that concern us about the WRB. You only have to keep a tally of the questions they raise at PMQs - on all sides of the house - to see the impact we've had. There are regularly 3 or 4 questions to the Prime Minister expressing concern.
But where has all of this got us? I read comments every day from supporters despairing at the slow progress of our politics and asking whether anyone is actually listening at all?
Well, in just the last few months, I believe things have changed and that we now have a real chance of making significant changes to the bill.
The coalition have made such little progress themselves in finalising the details of the bill that it had to be delayed by two months when it arrived in the Lords. There is real concern in the Lords over some of the issues and much more cross party support.
The Disability Alliance have mounted an unprecedented legal challenge supported by over 270 charities and we must do everything that we can to support them. Government will ensure that they are opposed every step of the way and we must keep reminding our own charities that we need them to do this. Whilst they must work with government, they must also speak for us, the people they represent and they are doing a fine job of doing so.
We are working on several documentaries for the BBC and other TV stations that should air in the Autumn, widening out the debate still further as the bill is debated in the Lords.
Finally, and perhaps most crucially, we are now able to work with the grassroots of the LibDems who have seen the inequalities we are facing and have tabled a motion for their Autumn Conference opposing ESA assessments and the time limit. We finally have a chance to undermine the parliamentary majority that would ensure the WRB is pushed through despite enormous democratic opposition.
It's been a surreal year. Almost daily I have to pinch myself. But today, we can be enormously proud of what we've achieved, proud of our calm, evidence based responses to what are often vicious attacks. Proud of our strength and resilience, proud of our self confidence and intelligence.
If nothing else, we've proven beyond doubt that we do not in any way fit the insidious stereotypes designed to undermine us. We've found our voice and it can only grow in strength and dedication as we go on to achieve countless further successes.
Together.
What makes our campaigns work is you. Please keep doing what you do - tweet, link, email, send to your MPs and don't let up on the pressure for a single day.
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