Tories thought they could persecute the disabled; now Tories hide from them
Protection: Members of the Conservative Government need large numbers of police to protect them from disabled people in wheelchairs [Image: Paula Peters].
They had to call in the police to hold back the mob as they blockaded Prime Minister’s Questions, just after midday today (Wednesday).
The activists from Disabled People Against Cuts, other organisations, and individuals were campaigning against the closure of the Independent Living Fund – the Conservative Government’s latest (although long-planned) blow against those who minister had believed were not strong enough to stand up for themselves.
This video link to the BBC News report provides a more accurate picture of British disabled people and their strength:
https://youtu.be/EgXVECJU0Xs
The Daily Telegraph (of all papers) was first to report the events:
“Onlookers said that dozens of police officers attempted to restrain the demonstrators… One woman was led away by police as she tried to get into the chamber.
“Mary Johnson, from Doncaster, South Yorkshire, said: ‘We tried to get down there because the Government needs to listen. We tried to get into the chamber but we were stopped by police.’
“She said she witnessed one protester being ‘dragged away by police’ claiming officers’ behaviour was ‘disgusting’ and that they had been ‘pushing wheelchairs around’.”
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Isn’t this classic bully behaviour?
The BBC actually grew a pair and broke into the transmission of PMQs, despite being asked not to film the demo:-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=EgXVECJU0Xs
Wouldn’t have been great if the Police turned blind eye for once, I am delighted they got that far enough to rattle Cameron’s cage. It’s going to get worse this is new beginnings, they can only push so far and those being pushed will turn nasty and justifiably so.
You can’t hide for ever Cameron / IDS you days are numbered.The tax paid body guards won’t be with you for eternity.
I know one of the disabled lords mike who would know only to well on how these protesters feel
The bottom line is the government hate disabled people they find it very difficult to even understand them same as the queen
The only person that ever cuddled a disable person in this country from the government of the day is David Cameron and from the royal family the late Diana princess of wales and prince harry (fact)
If your ill or disabled the uk is not the place to be. yes you may have a few bob in your pocket but no dignity the uk government always robs the sick and disabled of that along with equality
Oi Camoron! This is just the start Davey Boy just wait until the able-bodied rise up there won’t be enough coppers to protect you then!
Gladdens my heart to see this and read the Blog Mike, there is hope in the Nation after all, bullying and dictatorial Government can only be sustained for so long Camoron and I’m not even sure you can rely on the Army to shoot protesters anymore as Churchill did so often, mind bullying people in wheelchairs is about your limit isn’t it?
Angry, BP rising, Nuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuurrrse me pills please!
Amazing to see the BBC covering it, well done the Beeb, for once! Camoron needs to be confronted head on with how he is messing up people’s lives and although he is behind heavy doors and heavily guarded he WILL know that people are angry. He is a charlatan, a poodle-faker and a PR man who believes his own hype.
the main tragedy here thou is that some UK citizens feel the need to get out and live in the middle east and feel that option is better for their family then staying here with David Cameron.
i can certainly see that heading west to the Caribbean is far better but going to the middle east is David Cameron that bad a leader in which anywhere will do?
Good post – only one thing – PLEASE don’t use the term “wheelchair bound” it’s very ableist/discriminatory – a better way to put it that isn’t offensive to disabled people is “wheelchair user” or “wheelchair using”
Happy to change it!
Thank you!
Congratulations to all of you for having the guts to protest rather than just comment and I hope we will all take up your initiative and give you full support in any future activities.
Wish I was well enough to join them.
You have to understand that the ILF is funded more generously than the local authority care packages that were cut since 2010, and the ILF users are aware of this and are probably terrified by the prospect. What you are charged and the care packages allowed are also different from area to area. I’ve written here about how I’ve personally been affected by the social care cuts and how stark they are, but I don’t need 24/7 care like most ILF users.
They will only be funded for their very basic needs and a few extra hours if they need accompanying anywhere. It has a massive impact on your life. I’ve lost most of my social group through it and I’ve been forced to do some of the things concerning running the household myself. That came about because the LA privatised so much of the care plan, and with still having to pay the same contribution, plus private care, I just didn’t have the money to pay for these things, which has had a big detrimental affect on my health in terms of pain and fatigue, my psychology due to isolation, and my dignity as the house and garden deteriorate.
I wouldn’t wish that upon anyone. And if they further reduce disability benefits, I’m afraid that I will have to give up my care plan, and pay for what I can actually afford, and I’ll then have to face further isolation and see the house and garden go to pot!
There seems to be a misguided feeling that aggressive demonstrations lend credibility to a cause. They may show the strong feeling of those involved by do not attach any validity to their cause. The Independent living fund is being replaced by a new system and has been closed to new claimants since 2010.
The cause is valid. The new system is rubbish.
Most of the population had never heard of the Independent Living Fund until that demo got wall to media coverage.
Thus far the only news media I can find that hasn’t covered it is Press TV.
There is little else they can do after door after door is slammed in their faces the only response left is anger, I feel angry and helpless at the same time, I have an MP that doesn’t listen to my concerns about a number of issues nor does she care about those concerns, a pro hunting, anti the sick elderly and disabled what else is left? Dare I say it violent revolution. This Government cannot continue to ride roughshod over its people and not expect consequences in return and they, the people may yet take the only course of action left open to them.
Another thing worth taking into account this Government, and I use that term in it’s loosest sense is barely two months into its term, even Thatcher didn’t engender this much hatred in such a short space of time, and finally may I suggest you keep on reading your Torygraph and Daily Wail as they will print the stuff you want to read because you certainly won’t be reading it on here.
This a common complaint. My MP doesn’t listen to me or the government doesn’t listen to me. What you actually mean is that my MP or government doesn’t do what I want. It is called democracy and a mandate to govern. The way it works is that you make your views known and the government decides what to do based on the majority view. It may well not be what you want but it may be what the majority wants. You have a right to make your opinion heard, but not necessarily to have what you want. In some cases it may even be that the majority doesn’t get what they want. For instance, capital punishment was overwhelmingly the wish of the majority but they didn’t get what they wanted because MPs voted against it. In fact this year is the first year that the majority is against capital punishment.
The government only had the support of 24 per cent of the population at the election. How can you possibly equate that with “the majority view”?
No – you need to accept that David Cameron said what he had to, in order to get elected, and then planned to do whatever he wants. All that’s stopping him now are his own backbenchers, because his majority is so pitifully small he needs to make concessions to keep them on-side.
The view of the majority has nothing to do with it.
well said mike it’s the likes of Cameron and many other middle eastern leaders saying one thing to get into power at all costs then conning their people and expect their people to just sit idly by year in year out on the hope that things will change for the better for the majority of the people
Well i can tell you now the waiting around in the middle east and Greece and so many other countries Egypt /Tunisia/ etc will turn out to be not what you would expect as the overall tolerance of any sane person does run out at some point and it’s about time the EU leaders along with the middle eastern leaders realized that all of the turmoil put on their people leads them to break away into various cults and all that does is make the whole of the world unstable
if you are serious about wanting peace in the world it’s very simple you just have to be seen to be doing the right thing for the people looking out for them making sure their health and education is up to par alongside their ability to buy their own house and to make their own decisions and in general treat them with respect like you would a friend
Not like, we see today where most government’s hell bent on screwing up their people’s wishes with lies and propaganda and i can tell you now that path just leads to deaths and where innocent people die in their thousands and displace millions
The world overall makes a bad choice when it comes to electing it’s leader David Cameron very bad choice and why the world does that in all probability may never be truly understood