As someone who grew up through the miners strikes of the 80's, the fall of heavy industry and lots of other things that saw entire communities pulled apart, I have seen a lot. Margaret Thatcher, the architect, has a lot to answer for but I am beginning to think that she was tame compared with what is happening now. At least she understood that some people needed invalidity benefit and shouldn't be forced to work. At least she encouraged investment in supported employment to help people who wanted to work to do so. This is the end of the praise for Thatcher. It pains me to do it!

What is happening now? Regardless of who tells them, the Tories are pressing on with welfare reforms that will put the lives of sick and disabled people at risk. They ignore the Scottish Government, the Lords, disabled people and anyone else with a valid opinion. They ignore the 30 + reported suicides as a result of flawed ESA tests and rising debts. They demonise sick and disabled people through the press. Regardless of almost complete opposition from all sides, they are pressing on with the privitisation of the English NHS. UK business sees the flaws in the Workfare programme before the UK Government does. Remember, there is no time limit to how long sick and disabled people can be forced to stay on this unpaid programme or risk losing essential benefits.

Meanwhile, behind the scenes, the UK Government are considering a watered down version of the UK Human Rights Act, they have changed the criteria of who can apply for legal aid and are also looking at reducing the rights of workers in general and relaxing health and safety legislation.

The question is, does this only affect disabled people? No, they are hell bent on punishing the 99% of the population with the least wealth to feather the pockets of the 1% who are richest. Mothers are going hungry to feed their kids and a new food bank opens in the UK every four days.

Remember that the majority of the UK Government Cabinet are millionaires. They are just feeding the general population in a clever, nasty way that divides the population and sets us all against each other.

I apologise as I just didn't realise how bad things could get. I thought that they were all the same. They are not. If you are a Liberal Democrat, shame on you! Your party is all but finished unless you remember your principles? If that word is still in your vocabulary?

I don't believe for a minute that the British public would accept what is happening if they truly understood it but we all have a responsibility to inform and to get people on side. So my plea is this, write to the tabloids, talk to your neighbours, campaign and get the true message out there. Yes, we are all in it together (with the exception of the Tory millionaires) and what is happening now is nothing to do with austerity measures and everything to do with Tory policy which is documented as far back as 2006, before the financial crisis of 2008.

Are you up for it?

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