Disability Activism Relinquished

With the exception of my long-standing friend Michelle (who made a genuine Barnabas attempt to keep me at it) and a couple of folks over at Manchester DPAC (with a well-meaning exhortation resulting in my feeling guilt-ridden and even more demoralised with the whole activism-thing!), there was no resounding endorsement of my continuing as a ‎disability-rights activist despite over a hundred views (113) of my blog-post, A Disillusioned Activist: Falling Down the Rabbit-Hole.

Therefore I have exited all the disability groups to which I was aligned, unfollowed news-feeds and switched off most activist feeds.

Moving forward I am going to attempt to carry on being a bedtivist by continuing my support for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (shortened to M.E. and known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or C.F.S. in the USA) and other invisible-illness causes.

However, if I still feel as if I am being dragged down, I shall stop such too. My all-round health (including physical, psychological, emotional & spiritual) has to come first, however much I should like to help.

I hope folk will understand and accept my decision. Bless us all! %)

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Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC), including the Manchester branch, do need support; so, if you are able, please offer to volunteer or donate.

[Image description: Manchester DPAC's logo ©]

BBC Fails Again to Cover Disability Issues

Inter alia the Huffington Post, The Daily Mirror, The Independent and numerous bloggers have managed to put out information in respect to the mortality rates of benefit recipients. This information has been subject to freedom of information requests and a ruling by the Information Commissioner, but the notorious Department for Work & Pensions has fought the release of the data every step of the way. Today, some information was published, concealed apparently within immigration data. Odd perhaps, one might think. However, not unusual for the Ministry of Truth that is renowned for feeding so-called propaganda to the neo-liberal press and sympathetic reporters (hardly journalists!).

The national broadcaster, the BBC, (paid for my a licence fee, a de facto tax on every TV-using household in the UK) has thus far failed to publish any item thereon. Or if it has, it has hidden it from accessible sight. I could find no mention on their main news page, so I searched elsewhere. Below are the timed screen-caps.

Nothing under "UK" news:

Nothing under "Politics" news:

 Nothing under "Science" news:

Nothing under "Health" news:

Next I though I should try specific searches. Here is how I fared.

Nothing under "mortality statistics":

Nothing under "death statistics":

Nothing under "DWP statistics":

 Nothing under "ESA statistics":

Nothing under "Employment & Support Allowance":

 Nothing under "WRAG":

 Nothing under "Work Related Activity Group":

 Nothing under "Iain Duncan Smith" (Minister in charge of the DWP):

 Nothing under "Fit for Work":

 Nothing under "WCA":

Nothing under "Work Capability Assessment":

I consider this yet another Auntie Beeb failure and snub to a large demographic section of British society (about one seventh of the population per ODI figures.). We chronically sick &/or folk with impairments, aka the disabled, deserve better. We also pay for our television licences and deserve for serious news that concerns us to be covered by one of the largest news-gathering organisations in the world.


***UPDATE***

An article appeared on BBC website an hour ago: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-34074557?post_id=959487854098217_969804189733250#_=_