Labour MP and former shadow chancellor John McDonnell will join chronically ill and disabled people in protests on the first day of the new Parliament, amid widespread concern about the Labour government’s position on disability rights, and activists want to send a clear message to MPs that they would do best to listen to “disabled people’s demands”.
Demands of people with disabilities…
On Thursday 18 July, a number of disability rights campaigners and support groups will welcome the new Labour government to Parliament Square by presenting a range of solutions to the various crises facing disabled people across the UK, followed by a celebration of disability culture through music, art and poetry.
Disability People Against Cuts (DPAC), Recovery in the Bin, Bromley and Croydon Unite Community, Disabled People and Migrants Network (DAMN) and Trans Safety Network are just some of the organisations taking part in the event, titled ‘Disabled People’s Demands’. The day promises to be both a creative spectacle and a statement of intent to the newly elected Prime Minister and his party.
Disabled people have been unfairly made to shoulder the burden of government spending through arguments used by Labour, Coalition and Conservative governments to cut resources and services. These cuts to public services were not forced on governments by disabled people or immigrants, they were a political choice.
So now is the time to start writing a new chapter.
The Labour Party is not trying to save the people.
But DPAC and others are not expecting the new government to save us. They are offering solutions to these crises, solutions born out of common experience over many years and decades, and they are calling on the new government to implement them.
DPAC said:
#DisabledPeopleDemand We demand that our voices be heard and that we can legitimately and fully participate in rebuilding our society.
The event will begin at midday on Parliament Square and will feature a series of speeches by:
John McDonnell MP. Ben Sellers of the People’s Parliament. Paula Peters of DPAC.
This will be followed by a creative showcase with exhibitions, music, entertainment and poetry.
There will also be events in Liverpool and Leeds on the same day, organised by their local DPAC groups.
More than protest
In a statement, DPAC said:
This is more than just a protest.
Closing the door on the past doesn’t just mean closing the door on past policies, it also means closing the door on past negative and exclusionary practices.This day is a celebration of our communities that have survived austerity, benefit cuts, the torture of assessments, Covid-19 and the cost of living crisis, but also a reminder that many of us did not.
We have a long history of coming up with our own solutions to any crisis we face, which is why we are using this opportunity to put our solutions forward to political decision makers and the rest of the UK public – we are putting forward what we believe is possible and achievable.
So there is no place to hide from them. No one can say they didn’t know.
We will use it as a gauge for the success or failure of the next administration.
We have a list of demands we are making to the new government, including enshrining the Disability Rights Convention into UK law, abolishing social care charges and redesigning the social security system so that it is co-implemented by us.
Featured image via Canary