My Red Line

It is very difficult on Twitter to fully express how I, personally, feel about the entire tax credit issue. My cold attitude towards the woman who wept on TV “I voted Conservative for my kids” has led to criticism that I, myself, are in some way inhumane and compassionless. Did I back down? Fold? Apologise? Did I Hell.

And let me express this in its full non-140 character limit form – I will NEVER apologise for feeling angry that someone voted Conservative for ‘their’ kids by throwing OTHER peoples’ kids and disabled/sick people under the bus.

If that makes me a bad person – I am a 100% ok with that. My soul (core or nature – whichever words you want to use) will continue without so much as a flicker of the type of corruption that plagues the UK emanating from the House of Commons.

Conservatives have murdered thousands of disabled people[1] and destroyed the independent living fund[2]. They are now going after the Work Related Activity benefits[3] and the PIP itself is already a degrading[4] unfair and disgusting process for people to be submitted to (with one woman with Crohns disease told to work in a nappy and their own staff admitting they are forced to lie and trick claimants[5]).

I have friends that are now dead in (have died in the past 2 years). And they died for NOTHING but the greed of others. So if this ‘apathy of society’ has become my ‘Red Line’ then so be it.

I also don’t feel the excuse of ‘I didn’t know’ is actually valid anymore.

Even if you managed to miss every single article, news report, protest and campaign groups from all over Scotland indeed in your own town – nearly EVERY newspaper has reported that a Coroner Mary Hassell (who will most likely now be subjected to Project Smear) put down the DWP as a major factor in the ‘cause of death’ on someone’s (Mr A’s) death certificate[6].

And that’s just the recent one. There are archives FULL of articles from all over the media world[7].

So whilst I am against MSM coverage in general and believe the BBC is nothing more than a propaganda mouthpiece for Westminster – they are actually not entirely responsible for the ‘black-out’ of breaches of BASIC Human Rights.

The UK is under UN investigation for Human Rights abuses of the disabled. That has not magically appeared overnight (although is long overdue)[8]

An unpopular side-theory is that we, the people, are part of the problem. The ‘black out’ on social cleansing (whether you are poor, on tax credits or disabled or sick) is also coming from ourselves.

Many times our twitter account has been told “You’re very depressing today” and as many times we have politely paraphrased the sentence “I do NOT care if it depresses you – this is REALITY”.

The quickest (although slightly inaccurate) way of demonstrating this theory within your own life is to go onto Twitter. Send out 2 tweets. One of those tweets should be insanely happy (if you can slide a unicorn into it – you get double points) and cheerful. The other tweet – the hard cold reality of life in the UK, preferably something that outrages you and that you think the entire world should sit up and take notice of.

My own experiences over the past five years (and you’ll see this on Facebook or any social media) is that people will favourite, retweet or ‘Like’ the happy one.

Because the current working Theories are:–

Theory 1. I didn’t Retweet you (and yes – I have asked) because it depresses ME (take a moment to admire that excuse because it is very similar to theory 2)

Theory 2. I don’t care because it does not affect ME.

So if I’m criticising the reaction to working tax credits cuts – does that mean I agree with said cuts?

NO. No it certainly does not.

My argument is that if we, the UK, had STOPPED the UK Government from coming for the most SEVERELY disabled people in society (by erasing the ILF: Independent Living Fund), or stopped them from murdering thousands of sick / disabled people through the DWP & ATOs-soon-to-be-Maximus, if we had stopped them from attacking our communities over the last FIVE YEARS – then they would have not been able to come after people on working tax credits.

A very hard thing to tweet in 140 characters- If people fought even HALF as hard for disabled people as they fought for Tax Credits – UK would have NEVER reached this stage in 1st place.

I am not defeatist either. I do not accept “What’s done is done”. As long as there is Time – what was done can be undone. We cannot resurrect the dead or rewrite the past (no matter how hard the UK Government tries) but we can stop this from continuing. But in order to stop it – we must ALL start discussing it. If we cannot open up a dialogue involving everyone – then how can we challenge Westminster?

And Yes. I am aware the internet and twittersphere is saturated with paraphrases of this original poem (by Pastor Martin Niemöller):-

First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Socialist.

Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me

Into poems such as:-

First they came for the unemployed, the poor and disabled, I did not speak out because I was not unemployed, poor or disabled.

Then they came for the working poor, and I did not speak out because I was not one of the working poor.

Then they came for those on middle incomes, and I did not speak out because my income was higher, not top rate, but higher.

Then they came for me …… and there was no one left to speak out for me.

These poems are relevant.

Make no mistake here. This is social cleansing and the UK Government is attacking its own people.

But the War is actually Against Apathy.

So if you get angry or I get angry about the current UK political system and go ‘off on one’ online or in the real-world – GOOD. We should all be angry and be able to express ourselves within the realms of free speech.

And no – I will not apologise about my ‘ inhumane and compassionless’ ‘cold attitude’.  Because I would rather hold my ground on this issue than compromise my heart.

—————————————————

[1] http://voxpoliticalonline.com/2015/10/05/will-david-cameron-explain-the-dwp-deaths-to-the-conservative-conference/

[2] http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/disabled-man-lost-half-care-6370509

[3] http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-33347511

[4] http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/atos-victims-call-immediate-halt-3171692

http://www.itv.com/news/tyne-tees/update/2014-02-19/stockton-protest-against-degrading-benefits-assessments/

http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2013/01/shadow-state-dehumanising-degrading-treatment-disabled

[5] https://kittysjones.wordpress.com/2013/04/18/what-you-need-to-know-about-atos-assessments/

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/nurse-makes-heartfelt-apology-after-1340838

[6] http://www.disabilitynewsservice.com/coroners-ground-breaking-verdict-suicide-was-triggered-by-fit-for-work-test/

[7] http://bravemany.com/archive-1/ (Archive #1 is now online from the original blog – in reality it is number is 31). We have #62 archives to date although the topics are sectioned into different aspects. Archive 31 (or #1 on bravemany) is probably the most valid for the current run of articles on bravemany 28/10/15)

[8] http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/un-to-investigate-uk-over-human-rights-abuses-against-disabled-people-caused-by-welfare-reform-10478536.html

 

 

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