(not satire – it’s the sad state of the UK today)
I never usually reveal my personal situation in blog posts. I prefer to stay anonymous – not for legal reasons but I find it prevents criticisms becoming too personal. However, I’m going to make an exception in this case because I know this blog post is going to attract some criticism from people I usually like to regard as allies.
There’s probably only one thing worse than being disabled or sick. And that’s having a child who is disabled or sick.
And I have two.
That’s why it really bothers me to see the appalling way the sick and the disabled are being treated in this country today.
Of course we all know that politicians and tabloid journalists and even comedians like to scapegoat people – and it seems to be the turn of the sick and the disabled at the moment to bear the brunt of their prejudice.
But the worst thing for me is how so many sick and disabled people are being sold out by the very people we should normally expect to be on their side – the public figures, the charities, the spokespeople – the so-called ‘leaders’.
I see leaders of charities like Scope, Mind and The Papworth Trust – along with countless others – actually justifying using disabled and sick people on mandatory workfare placements while at the same time paying themselves huge 6-figure salaries and telling us how the privatisation of the NHS will create fantastic business opportunities for the ‘charitable sector’.
I see disabled MPs – the very people who should be speaking out in support of the disabled and the sick – standing up in parliament labelling disability campaigners as ‘extremists’.
I see well-liked disability bloggers telling their followers not to share damaging information about how this same MP had claimed over 10 grand in expenses for things like soap, coasters and biscuits.
This was because it turned out there was a meeting with the MP arranged by disability ‘leaders’ in the House of Commons designed to ‘bring him onside’ as a future ally (an attempt which by the way failed – he’s a Tory FFS)
I see barely any mainstream journalist willing to tell the truth about the government’s attacks on the disabled and the sick apart from one extremely dodgy one who occasionally works as the token lefty for the Express (FFS) and the Mail (FFS) and David Icke (FFS).
Because I can tell you now, of all the many, many problems facing the sick and the disabled in this country at the moment, 6-foot lizards isn’t one of them.
Where are all the real journalists, charities, spokespeople, leaders prepared to speak up for the disabled and the sick?
The bitter truth is, I see very few so-called leaders who are really interested in the true welfare of the disabled and the sick. Most have their own agendas – usually furthering their own careers in politics, charities or journalism.
But then I look around and I see there is real help for sick and disabled people. I see local groups, self-help groups on social media like Facebook, a whole network of mostly small self-run groups offering real practical advice and help and support for disabled and sick people who are desperate to survive a worsening onslaught of attacks against them.
I’m talking about groups on Facebook like ESA/DLA, AFTER ATOS, ATOS MIRACLES, DISABILITY DEFENCE, FIGHTBACK, BENEFITS & WORK etc and all the countless local groups that share practical advice for people who need help.
It’s truly a case of lions led by donkeys.
In a future post I would like to compile a list of self-help groups which are valuable sources of help for the disabled and the sick – so if you have any suggestions, please leave them in the comment section below. Thanks.
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Nick said:
your so right nothing as it seams those that should be helping you or being kind to you continually stab you in the back much to the governments delight
but for those kids alone or the sick and disabled or their own they live in a world of constant abuse sometimes 24/7
i don’t live on my own but have suffered years of abuse from the DWP and I’m still alive but only just
this country and it’s leaders will never change only god can deliver the fatal blow to those that persecute others same say he’s a bit slow he may well be but he does take out a few every now and again and over the long term he takes them all
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Barbara Hulme said:
There is also 4up on facebook and fightback which are helping people in a practical way – fab article. thank you
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Paddy Murphy said:
Eh, DPAC? & Black Triangle?
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Editor said:
Reblogged this on kickingthecat.
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hirsutemal said:
Reblogged this on MAL's MURMURINGS.
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peter said:
Hear Us – mental health in Croydon. As mentioned above DPAC and Black Triangle
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overburdenddonkey said:
i feel that we have been walled out of any form of meaningful dialogue, with many agencies who simply tells us how it is, in one way valve process, these people are not accountable, they control our pathway to our benefits, so that we have to leap over hurdles, dodge the furniture thrown in our paths to hinder our progress, and run around in ever decreasing circles to get our benefits..
let alone any sort of levellers..
the wca really is a pointless work of fiction, but we still have to go, to prove over and over again, the medical facts of our medical conditions, as if, they are some rare and exotic manifestation..our diagnosis could not exist without the medical facts of our conditions, so why does this wca exist????
(+ all of the other benefit hurdles stops and go’s it is constant grind, of envelopes and admin.)
imo it exists to grind one down, i feel that we are forced to go, and deal with all of this stuff, or no vitals..being disabled should not cause one to feel powerless, but it does…human being, is discounted from the capitalist equation, we must put people, before profit..
imho all activism should focus on human rights, then all else falls into place. we need to be down to earth, and very practical, to beat them…
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Neuron Therapy (@Neuron_Therapy) said:
Rebound in Portsmouth for dual diagnosis
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Michelle said:
hi Tom I read your posts and share them quite a lot, I am co founder of Fightback where we offer practical advice for anyone going through the tribunal process or appealing a DWP decision and related areas. We have other area of social welfare we advise on too such as debt, but most of our articles and tips are not focused on welfare benefits, mainly disability as this is where there is the most need. We have a fabulous team of volunteers and are non funded at present other than kind donations. With a forum too we can offer more help to others in this area. We offer advocacy, buddy service to medicals, and peace and mind to those going through the process. Also we have such a wide ray of experience on the page and amid our members that we all pull together to help everyone help themselves on a daily basis, Thanks everyone above for the mention, if you havent already joined, then fightback4justice is how you search facebook for our page. http://fightback.boards.net/ is the webforum..
Michelle
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AJH said:
As the husband of a sick and disabled person,I have to concur.We happen to be OK compared to most as it is harder to remove once in place and the systematic reduction in income though exponential over time is manageable for us -the simple fact is if my better half had become disabled now-we would have lost our home leading to subsequent INCREASE in expenditure.Under UC a return to work for me results in the complete removal of all housing support on ANY earnings-needless to say we cannot work enough hours to make up for that loss-a pincer movement if you will,above all it is the hatred and compulsive lies which sicken me.A useful organisation-https://www.facebook.com/WeAreSpartacus?fref=ts
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leonc1963 said:
Reblogged this on Diary of an SAH Stroke Survivor.
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leonc1963 said:
Hiya Tom you are right the various help and support groups on facebook is the way to go because mostly they have been through it themselves so have a real understanding which has been lost elsewhere.
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DaveBrigg said:
Tom, don’t be fearful of stating the truth. Policies and attitudes are being set by the tabloid press, in collusion with the Tories, and it seems that very few people are brave enough to stand up in public and point out how evil the current regime is. When they write the history of this failed coalition people will ask how it was allowed to happen, and those who sat by and allowed it should be consumed by shame.
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aussieeh said:
There are tens of thousands of us Sick and or Disabled, or we have children who are, Sick and or Disabled, some are looking after older relatives who are ill in one way or another, some need constant care, many Sick and or Disabled are old themselves and they live on their own, with no family, who have lost their jobs and friends through their illness, The point being we are strong, we are numerous, we do have loud voices, we can Roar. Many of us have suffered in more ways than one, been put through the grinder Atos, D,W,P, un helpful Doctors, having to parade yourself constantly like some circus freak for the pittance they allow you, just to survive on. There are many fantastic bloggers around, Satirists’ included, there’s Vox, Skwawkbox, Scriptonite Daily, The Void, Benefit Tales etc, etc, Sorry to all those I’ve missed. All like threads with many readers each. I’m no blogger, not very good at the storytelling, health wouldn’t permit anyway, but I do Tweet, re-tweet, post to Face book and Google almost everything you people print. What do you think would happen if we pulled all those threads together? All had a common page somewhere, where help could be obtained through the experience of others, where pages of information could be downloaded or uploaded, where people could upload their up-to-date stories of Atos , name and shame the Health Care Professionals involved etc, keep a massive log of the atrocities being committed against us. One site with probably a hundred thousand members, that wouldn’t be threads that would be steel rope, and the ROAR would be deafening. One site dedicated to the defence of the Sick and or Disabled, helping to fight against a corrupt, fascist, regime that is hell-bent on our destruction. It would take a keener mind than mine to set it up, plus the morphine slows me down somewhat.
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overburdenddonkey said:
aussieeh…i like your thinking!
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Paul Callaghan said:
Well said Tom, telling it like it is as usual, don`t let the bastards ground you down
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ingrid said:
Thanks for your personal honesty today. There must be so so many of us being treated in this inhuman, degrading way either directly or whose family, relatives, close friends are suffering and dying at the hands of these tyrants of an unelected government. I’ve wondered for a long time where all the big supportive voices are – the silence is deafening. You’re right, we only have each other, but that includes a wealth of experience and mutual compassion. Thank bloody goodness for the little guys. Great post as ever. One addition to those mentioned above : dwpexamination.org really helped me. Sadly one of the founders died this year but it’s still going strong.
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sparaszczukster said:
You’re right, Tom. The Donkeys are disabling the debate and should be shot at dawn.
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jaynel62 said:
Totally agree Tom, and there’s nothing at all wrong with a posting from a personal view. It is also agree it is perhaps even more concerning that as popularity grows amongst some of the best grass root groups & as the campaigns grow, some of the ‘leaders’ begin to act in the same arbitrary and secretive ways that The big Charities do! Maybe the old adage of Power Corrupting is absolute?
Having said that there are a small number of Politicians who always support the disabled agenda – John McDonnell, Michael Meacher & Tom Greatrex all have gone out of their way to help advise & push disabled groups and individuals.
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Hossylass said:
I think you are being a bit unfair.
People were tweeting that Paul Maynard had spent £10k on coasters, or £10k on biscuits – which was untrue.
Tweeting a blatent untruth wont progress anything, or win us any alliances – it just makes us look like unprofessional hysterics.
If we want to affect change we need the multi-level response.
Some set out to prove statements from the DWP as wrong.
Some search out new information.
Some demonstrate.
Some confront.
Some advise to mitigate the worst effects of policies.
All have their place.
Except charities, obviously, who have always shafted us, and will continue to do so whilst smiling and patting us on the head.
We need the whole; the comics, the cynics, the thinkers, the debaters, the writers (See the Guardian), the carers, the legals, the givers and the huggers.
And we need to stay cohesive – its them against us, and they would love it if we destroyed ourselves.
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sparaszczukster said:
Well said, Hossylass. A blind friend of mine, who became blind at the age of 42 due to a genetic disease, has a very dim view of the whole concept of charity. He’s an academic now, he was an engineer before he became blind. It took him 8 years of learning to live with his disability to get a degree and a teaching qualification so he can teach in universities. His wife left him when he became blind and he’s struggled more or less on his own with help from friends.Initially, he approached a charity for help getting some kind of employment. He was horrified when all they could offer was sheltered employment doing craft work for very little money.He said their view of him was patronising and rather than supporting him to become independent they were more or less encouraging him to be helpless and dependent.
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Hen said:
This link states Mind’s statement on this subject. http://www.mind.org.uk/news/7868_mandatory_unpaid_work_placements_for_people_on_esa
If you have evidence to the contrary I’d like to know as this is a charity I work for voluntarily. Thanks.
http://www.mind.org.uk/news/7868_mandatory_unpaid_work_placements_for_people_on_esa
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nuggy said:
mind are a completely parasitic organization with total contempt for the people they cliam to represent.
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Hen said:
Feel free to expand. I’m genuinely interested – not trying to catch you out!
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Michelle said:
I worked for a big charity and believe me it doesnt always put its clients first, greed can play an active part for those at the top, and many refused to help vulnerable clients if the case wasnt solid enough to get legal aid funding etc, now that has been withdrawn many of the branches of the one I worked for have refused to deal with benefit claims, and legal advocacy. Says it all really, as they are funded for helping those who cannot help themselves not just those that generate another income.
I certainly had my eyes opened to their ways, and am currently taking them to an employment tribunal.
Fightback and other groups like it on fb atos miracles etc, help people no matter what, they do not judge and are mostly run by the people affected the most, the disabled, myself excluded, however we have 9 admins who are.. they are the way forward, sadly though as we receive no funding from elsewhere, we are struggling to maintain the level of support we are being asked to commit as our likers grows to over 5000 almost… it is left for us to pick up the pieces for this governments failings.
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yetanotherlefty said:
Are you familiar with Crippen’s artwork? I find the cartoons helpful, even if just for pointing out how ridiculously bad our situation really is. http://www.crippencartoons.co.uk/
I say a lot these days that disabled and sick people’s best resources are EACH OTHER. As a chronically ill and disabled person, I’ve ended up knowing more about my conditions, the various treatments and research, equality law and social security than my GP and more than several of my advisors (and I still struggle to know what I should be doing lots of the time). Disabled people make up around 20% of people, there’s lots of us and we can and do help each other. I actually advise anyone who is chronically ill to start using twitter!
Also worth checking out: http://chronicillnesscat.tumblr.com/, http://www.butyoudontlooksick.com/ and http://www.depressioncomix.com/
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overburdenddonkey said:
nuggy..
a charity that cures mental health problems for free..used to be the “james nayler foundation”, but relied on charitable donations, but they dried up, he and his wife sue are on a mission, to cure mhp’s..
http://www.truthtrustconsent.com/ + his work at parkhurst prison.
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jed goodright said:
I can relate the brief tale of the Blue Badge staff in Gloucester actually laughing when they informed me they were removing my Blue Badge of 14 years from me and with it my access to my local town. They were delighted.
Tom, this article is sound. It highlights the increasing number of barriers placed in front of disabled and sick people in this country. We could be forgiven for thinking that they intend to ‘remove us’ from their sight, their finances and their planet! Nazism is alive and kicking in UKplc
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jed goodright said:
there’s a world of difference between appeasement and sticking together!
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jed goodright said:
“I see barely any mainstream journalist willing to tell the truth about the government’s attacks on the disabled and the sick apart from one extremely dodgy one who occasionally works as the token lefty for the Express (FFS) and the Mail (FFS) and David Icke (FFS).”
?SP at the mail???
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nuggy said:
well there is mark steele and owen jones.
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Nick said:
totally agree charities will only help people who are 100% in need having exhausted all other avenues
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Nightingale said:
Great article, and again, we should find as many ways as we can to get our voices heard, and stop the disability pimps in their tracks. Workfare for disabled? NHS privatisation a “growth opportunity”? (WTF)
I have become an active follower of this & many other posts, groups, organisations, writing to MPs etc, in the last few months, while recovering from a terrible dip in health over the last 2 years, and I will say this:-
I appear to be having my emails monitored. Simple things – an mailing-list invitation to a local Peoples Party (or commission or something) meeting, turned up 2 days after the event. Non-appearance of emails allowing me to activate accounts. Even an account for light bulb supplier…… I recall i how they used to monitor post and phones in the past, and the use of the media and things like PRISM have just made it a whole lot easier. I am not intimidated, and nor should anyone else be. If that is all that they can do, we’ll get around it. We must keep our push going, and we must be prepared for the odd inconvenience (today I couldn’t track a parcel, so???).
I like the concept name ROAR because it is so strong, and says that the disabled, the disenfranchised etc can ROAR and not be miserable little charity cases, waving our needs and disabilities as one other said – a constant parade of our problems / incapacity/ disability, like some modern take on the Napoleonic War veterans.
Let us all ROAR.
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overburdenddonkey said:
jed..
i agree they do all that they can to make the life of the unemployed and disabled as unbearable and unpleasant as possible…
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Hossylass said:
Sorry I dont understand what you mean.
I certainly wont “stick together” with people who lower themselves to blatant untruths.
That simply makes us look as stupid as IDS and his “beliefs”.
Remember the Government get paid to look stupid – I dont think that we should make ourselves look stupid for free, and lose all credibility with those who are listening.
As for the petty jealousy regarding some people are being listened to, then comfort yourselves that at least those who are speaking for us are at least not resorting to hysterical rhetoric.
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guy fawkes said:
Nuggy show me a charity that isn’t parasitic or useless.
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Atos Victims (@AtosVictims1) said:
www,atosvictimsgroup.co.uk
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nuggy said:
mind closed all there day centers dispite the fact it would of cost next to nothing to keep them open.
they closed them purely becouse there was no longer any profit in them.
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argotina1 said:
Reblogged this on Benefit tales.
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foggy said:
http://dwpexamination.org/
No, this isn’t a gov site, it’s a free speech site that mainly gives information, advice & support about the process and pitfalls of a WCA. Members can post for advice/information and will receive almost immediate & speedy responses (not 2 days later). This forum is and has been a lifesaver to many that we’re on the brink or in the process of suicide due to the complicated and wrong decisions of the DWP or ATOS
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paddi obrien said:
disability activists. On the whole charitable orgs, representing disabled people trade off real campaigning for their means of existence (grant funding). In Scotland we have access panels, apparently their is an Access Panel in most local authorities, run by SDEF. Local panels recieve funding from SDEF, but the panel recieve limitations, such as it can only comment on “local” issues of “general issues” Basicaly disabled people ability to speak out are ristricted by the very organisations that have been established to be the voice for disabled people. Great blog
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carerwatch said:
Just like to add a link in for carers too. This group has members that are carers and disabled, in some cases both. If we cant help, we are usually in a network that will have someone that can.
http://carerwatch.wordpress.com/
admin@carerwatch.com
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Outlaw said:
It apparently did not stop you or those you sent to attack me did it Tommy Boy?
I call hypocrite..
Going for the sympathy vote now as people are starting to view you in a whole new light… Can you get much lower Tom?
Apparently so.
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Tom Pride said:
Can I get much lower than mentioning I’ve got two disabled children? Take a look at yourself Outlaw. I’m not the one being low here. You and your other Daily Express trolls show how low you can be all by yourselves with no help from me. So keep digging. Tabloid journalists don’t scare me.
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sonia poulton said:
knickers
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guy fawkes said:
well said hossylass.
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Not you again said:
Are you the Sonia Poulton who lied in that abysmal article about trolls attacking YOU when you and your cronies have been perennially attacking the *innocents* in all this?!!! I was *disgusted* at that piece of lying ‘journalism’. Outrageous lies. Your vulgar one word response is all I would expect from someone with such low journalistic ‘standards’.
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Not you again said:
Up he pops again…………………yawn, getting boring this troll. Can’t be many left who can’t see him for what he is now. ‘Outlaw’ or ‘OutOfDate’?
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Yesmeagain said:
The token commentor arises from the cesspit . No support for Mr Prides blog piece,just another arena to attack. Wish I had the same amount of time you have to be hateful to spend loving my friends and family. Unreal. Can someone please help this group of sad graduates of the school of janette scharenborg.
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Pam Field @earwiggle said:
There’s nothing wrong at all in personalising a blog if relevant, as in this case. In understand the need for anonymity also. One of the criticisms of politicians is that they cannot understand because they do not live in the real world among ordinary people , or have an understand of issues. Showing a human touch shows that you have a real understanding, not just bathed in political jargon. Well done Tom. I am sure your disabled children are lucky to have you.
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Pam Field @earwiggle said:
Guy F.. That’ll be the Tory Party
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Pam Field @earwiggle said:
I mean that the one that is most parasitic and useless, except to themselves.
!!
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Clive- ukcarers.net said:
” I dont think that we should make ourselves look stupid for free”<— I agree, I need a £1,500 laptop like Sue Marsh has just scrounged/had money donated from simpletons. Can I get money for posting on forums? Or is that too close to the mark?
Sorry but while people are ripping others off and trying to shut up those that oppose their minority view (WOW was avoided by most people in receipt of DLA and Carers Allowance for example) then expect their to be some "fantastic unity" to fight successive governments then they are as deluded as Nick Clegg is.
The fight is fragmented and will never happen with separate groups under one collective banner. "Cohesive"? Don't make me laugh.
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