The Resilience of the Disabled Lobby

The highly controversial Welfare Reform Bill was debated and voted on again this week. The Government may have won but the hard fight, resilience and absolute chutzpah shown by the disability community is something to be written about on how to mount a class protest, action and activism by galvanising critical mass.

 'A PR Win for the Government but An Actual Win for Disabled People' is how Sue March, a campaigner on silent disabilities, described the process in her blog. People with disabilities have been pilloried and made fun of (thanks to rotten Ricky Gervais recently), disability hate crime is on the increase and, personally, I am fed up of non-disabled people pulling certain faces that mock the disabled because they think it is funny. It is not!

Collectively this lobby has raised their profile and fought their corner. Why was this fight so important?

'People are looking to us to ameliorate the worst excesses of this welfare reform bill. Though it has some very sensible and progressive things at its core, in the shape of the universal credit, nevertheless it goes too far to most people's consciences in the way in which it takes vital support away from some of the most needy in our society,' said Lord Low of Dalston, Vice-President of the RNIB who read his speech from braille and who, himself, receives the disability living allowance.

Bucharest On A Monday Night

I love the 70s and 80s era and one of my favourite films from that time is 'Love At First Bite'. It starred George Hamilton as Dracula. There is a wonderful line which occurs in a scene quite early on in the film when George Hamilton is being chased out of Bucharest by the inhabitants who, frankly, are fed up of him feeding off them. As he leaves he curses them with the words: 'Without me Transylvania will be as exciting as Bucharest, on a Monday night!

I have always wondered what prompted the script writers to come up with that quote. Was Bucharest really that boring? I may finally have my answer but with a twist to the tale. Apparently, 'Polenta does not explode', was a catchphrase in Bucharest because it summed up the meek nature of society there.

Not anymore though,  protests are taking place in the same vein as the Arab Spring demonstrations because the people of Bucharest are fed up with their country's (Romania) president, Traian Basescu, for his alleged mismanagement of the economy. At the weekend protesters shouted, 'Get out you miserable dog' and threw paving stones and smoke bombs at riot police.

For a city that was once known as the 'Paris of the East' and for provoking such a memorable line in a very funny movie I pray for peace in Bucharest.

Stop Calling the Disabled 'Scroungers'

I am part of a charity called The Powerhouse which serves women with disabilities. NONE of the women of this charity are scroungers. Yes, they need benefits and are wholly dependent on a welfare system through no fault of their own. This makes them 'dependent' but this word does not translate into 'scroungers'.

Tomorrow disabled people will be holding a vigil outside Parliament at 1pm to oppose the proposed cuts set out in the Welfare Reform Bill. Their call is for the Government to call a halt to the 20% cut in Disability Living Allowance, among other cuts proposed. A report called 'Responsible Reform' was written by people with disabilities, some of whom have fallen ill through the stress of putting together this comprehensive set of evidence and counter proposals. Their struggle affects all of us because a society's values system must be based on a mix of individual, community and natural justice ethics.

Young and Old Need Respect

The Archbishop of Canterbury's new year message urges British society to care for the youth in this country. Dr Williams said that there was a national habit of being hostile and suspicious of the youth. To his message I wish to add that the same advice needs to be advanced in resolving attitudes towards the elderly. The gap between the young and the ageing population in terms of inter-generational respect and mutual understanding is far too wide.

We talk about bridging the economic gap on inequality but there is a deficit that exists in terms of human capital. The young are seen as slothful, predatory and as potential lawbreakers. The elderly are seen as being on the margins of society too. Both sub-sets of society have much to offer in terms of helping to build a strong ethical society.

The breaking down of prejudices could be triggered by watching the words that we use. I am a firm believer of the theory that language frames mindsets. Words such as 'olds', 'oldies', and 'grandpa' (unless he is your real grandpa) conjure up images of people who are not capable of much. The ageing population is showing us that there are many healthy older people who still have much to offer. 'Hoodies' and 'upstarts' are words used to describe the young. These labels immediately reek of trouble-makers don't they?

So, let's watch our language as we start 2012. Happy New Year.

WHAT IF? 3 Wise Women

A thought for Christmas evening. Do you know what may possibly have happened if it had been 3 wise women instead of 3 wise men? The 3 wise women would most probably have asked for directions, in the first place, then they would have arrived on time and helped deliver the baby, cleaned the stable, made a casserole, brought practical presents and there would be peace on earth.

Christmas is for Everyone

Every year I rant and rage about how Christmas is being hijacked by consumerism, rampant buying and shopping, without a thought about the true meaning of the day. It saddens me that people don't stop to think about the birth of Christ. However, I have arrived at a new realisation. There are other faith believers who celebrate Christmas as a mark of national unity and the spirit of Jesus was about unity.

I have two Muslim friends who are celebrating Christmas by having roast chicken (they could not get Halal Turkey). They tell me about their Muslim friends who are doing the same. Apart from wanting to join in the merriment of the day they are also paying homage to the birth of Jesus, they say.

To me, this is a cause for celebration in a week when the British Social Attitudes Survey reports that 51% of people in Britain do not subscribe to a faith. Christmas is an indicator of a values based society even if not as a religious event. By this I mean that people get together with friends and family to reaffirm what is important in life. Charitable giving is at its' most visible during Christmas. While I still cannot stand the thought of Christmas being about presents I take heart that the Christian message resonates both with non faith people and with other faith people.

Directions for the Religious Conduct of a Family

The following is an extract from a book written in 1698 by Sir George Wheeler who was educated at Oxford University and became an author. The rules of conduct set out below come from his book titled:
'The Protestant Monastery: Or, Christian Oeconomicks. Containing Directions for the Religious Conduct of a Family'.

Men should have power over their wives
Good wives should be patient, loving, sweet, kind and obedient
Men should look after their wives
Men should never hit their wives
Men should take advice from their wives
Men are stronger and wiser than women
Men should respect their wives
Wives should obey their husbands

Have contemporary marriages moved away from this model for a happy marriage? Your immediate instinct would be to say 'yes', I suspect, but do consider the rise in domestic violence, the recent spate of family killings by men and the favourable way policy makers view marriage with a sub-text of keeping traditional roles going.