Well hello again.
It’s been a while hasn’t it?
When we last spoke (well I last spoke at you) we were finally about to be free of the fascist-supporting, forcing disabled people into work and killing trans people Conservative Party government and I know we’re all so glad that definitely happened.
Lol, we’ll come back to that.
So long Wet Wi- oh ffs…
As regular readers of TWIABS will know, my mortal enemy for some time has been the now-former DWP boss Mel Stride
For a while now my ultimate dream had been to see Mel Stride the evil bastard formerly in charge of the DWP lose not only his job, but his seat. With this in mind, I made the pledge that I wasn’t going to bed until the Wet Wipe Wept.
Well, I was kept up a long fucking time wasn’t I?
Of course, being the little hanger on he is, Stride’s constituency was one of the last to declare. By that time of course much like his constant media appearances, people had grown weary of him so nobody was paying attention by the time it was called.
And after a night of ecstasy with many ministers and MPs crying in sports halls, the chief wet wipe had to ruin the mood. But as is often the case with justice, it comes in unsuspecting ways.
Instead of easing into the role of media commentator he’d been laying the groundwork for, he has to sit in parliament for another five years – and in the shadow cabinet no less. Sorry Wet Wipe babes, the Strictly glitter ball will have to wait.
Wet Wipes crying in sports halls: a megamix
While the chief wet wipe might’ve managed to cling onto his seat by 61 votes, many many terrible people who’d inflicted cruelty on disabled people did get to have a little huff in a leisure centre at 2am – and it was bloody beautiful.
Among them was Thérèse Coffey, who in her time in office said the DWP had no duty of care to ensure vulnerable benefits claimants didn’t kill themselves, then flat refused to hand over the data for how many had already done just that.
Luckily for that monster though, Rishi had just named her in his honours and she’s going to go ruin lives in the House of Lords.
Another who I didn’t get to actually see crying in a sports hall (thanks BBC coverage) but emotionally I did is Tom Pursglove. The ex-minister for disabled people who was responsible for stoking hatred against disabled people by among other things wearing a stab vest to benefits raids, bizarrely.
One of the first to lose their seat was Justin Tomlinson who at the beginning of the pandemic was nowhere to be found and left disabled people to die.
A fate worse than death: remaining in the dying Tory Party
Whilst at first, I delighted in so many bastards losing their seats, I’ve come to realise that the only thing worse than being part of the mass Tory casualties is being one of the survivors: part of the most dead Tory Party ever who still has to go to PMQs or if you’re even unluckier- be in the shadow cabinet.
As previously mentioned, the Wet Wipe (somehow) kept his seat and joining him are the other two most hateful ex-DWP bosses.
Esther McVey who is responsible for god knows how many deaths due to Universal Credit annoyingly is still an MP. This is also the evil cunt behind the two-child benefit cap clause that means you can receive benefits only if the third is a product of rape – tarring your child with that forever.
Joining her is someone who is responsible for some of the cruellest DWP decisions of the lot: Iain Duncan Smith. This death merchant’s victory is only thanks to the Labour Party, who deselected candidate Faiza Shaheen after she liked BDS-and Corbyn-supporting tweets. The new mum said she faced racism and harassment from within the party and decided to run as an independent.
Labour’s stubbornness around this split the left vote and meant IDS won. The blood is on their hands now.
So what now?
Like many disabled people, I’ve been (rightly as far as I see it) cynical that a Labour government would be any different for disabled people.
I’m not ashamed to admit that after 14 years of Tory cruelty, I felt a spark of hope on 5 July for what Labour would bring – but that spark was quickly snuffed out when Labour opened their mouths.
More of the same from Labour
Despite it being obvious that they were going to make Liz Kendall the secretary for the DWP, it still felt galling that a woman who focuses solely on work. She’s so far pledged to reform job centres and “help” disabled people.
She’s also, as the Canary’s Hannah Sharland reported, been completely silent on the proposed PIP reforms, coincidentally while the consultation is due to run out on 22 July. There are reports however though that instead of throwing out the reform plans, Kendall will be taking the responses into consideration. Which is why it’s vital you fill it in if you can.
Where’s our minister?
The minister for disabled people position felt like it was destined to go to Vicky Foxcroft, who’s done the shadow role for four years – so it was a shock when she was given Whip. It feels too great a coincidence that someone who has been instrumental in opposing welfare reforms now can’t have an opinion on them or join in debates.
Instead of Vicky, we got an over a week’s wait to find out who our minister for disabled people would be – which again feels cruel that she couldn’t address considering she’s pulled the government up twice in recent years for failing to give her an opposite number.
Finally, after spaffing on about getting disabled people back into work in a plan that looks suspiciously like the Tories Back to Work one, Liz Kendall appointed Stephen Timms – but not as minister for disabled people.
No, Timms’s new role is minister for disability and social security, which, whilst it takes away the work aspect that was in the ministerial title, instead lumps us in with benefits. Whilst this is hopefully a good thing and means benefits reform is coming, if it’s not it will make it easier for benefit scrounger rhetoric to take hold.
For what it’s worth though, Timms has an excellent record on disability rights, having chaired committees that stuck up for us and taken the former government to task on the cover-up of claimants deaths and cruel benefits reforms – but it must be noted that he also opposes gay marriage.
Labour needs to take us seriously or be prepared to fight
There’s so much Labour needs to do to prove themselves to disabled people, from benefit reforms to social housing to taking the UNCRPD seriously. But to do all of that they need to actually engage with us.
At the moment Labour’s strategy seems to be to ignore us and hope we’ll go away, but that’s the opposite of what they should be doing. Labour needs to compassionately and earnestly work with disabled people, or be prepared to have us fight against them.
Featured image via the Canary
