If you decide to make contact, talk to Ravinder.
Cheers
Clair
The film is for BBC 3 & we're particularly looking for young people - either teenagers (13 plus) with Poly-parents, or young adults (older teens, people in their early 20s) who're in polyamorous relationships or seriously thinking about it.
The people (and in the case of the younger teens living at home - their parents) need to be open and happy to speak about themselves and the way they live.
The style of the film will be observational character-driven documentary (ie not reality TV, not a Tabloid expose or anything involving swaps , fixes or makeovers!). The point of the film will be to show a different way of life, alternate choices and make the viewer think about their own life-choices and look again at their own pre-conceptions.
A very good recent example of this type of film that we made (also for BBC 3) is Deborah 13, Servant of God - the family were very wary of media interest initially but are now extremely happy with the film and the way they were portrayed”.
I'm happy for my email and office number (0208 9601446) to go out with the text.
Thanks again for your help & I'll keep you posted as to how we get on,
R"
Write a letter for disabled people's freedomAsk: Why ration care services? Why not fight for more funding? | |
| Start Time: | Monday, 14 September 2009 at 13:00 |
| End Time: | Tuesday, 15 September 2009 at 23:00 |
| Location: | where you are |
Take ten minutes to do something really worthwhile today. Disabled people are taking to the streets to fight for our lives - for independent living. Join us in solidarity by sending a short letter to your local paper about the state of the social care system and disabled people's need for adequate support.
You could base your short letter around this question to the head of your local social care services:
Disabled people are dying and getting suicidal waiting for essential care services. Why is social care being rationed instead of heads of service fighting for more funding?
Invite your friends... Share your letters on DAN's wall to give other people ideas. Send us a link if your letter is published.
Our protest is 14th September, but we will extend this solidarity protest to any time.
Here's the link to today's event
clairlewis.livejournal.com/9416.html
- Mood:
sick
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/l
Thanks Colette for such a thoughtful and intelligent article - I do a lot of activism related press work, but normally avoid such personal pieces. I feel content today we made the right decision to be included in a more personal capacity.
- Mood:accomplished
clairlewis.livejournal.com/9416.html
Meeting point for Monday's protest
If you are going to join Birmingham DAN at Monday's protest, you need to
find out where the meeting point is.
If you can definitely come, please contact Steve at soulrebel@riseup.
07931 421947
or
Linda 07714 927533 linda_burnip@
If you have already sent a request to Tom, you now need to send another one
to one of the above people.
Thanks
Free our people!
- Mood:determined
The next DAN action in Birmingham will be on Monday 14th September.
We meet at 1pm and cannot confirm an exact end time, it should be around teatime unless anyone is arrested and held for ages. Obviously unless you are under arrest people are free to leave any time.
You will need to contact us for the location (we are sure you understand that because we do civil disobedience and are never welcome at the places we visit, that we need to be a little secretive).
More details will be made public closer to the time. Suffice to say that the protest is about INDEPENDENT LIVING and disabled people in Birmingham are sick of being let down.
If you need more information you can email Steve at soulrebel@riseup.
or contact Tom on 07816275985 or phone tomcomdan@hotmail.
Free Our People
Steve
FROM CLAIR:
The below is some video from DAN's last visit to Birmingham. We occupied a council office all afternoon. We said if we didn't get what we want we'd go back. This time we are returning in greater number, with more press and a lot more anger. Someone we know has died due to inexcusable neglect, despite activists from our number trying to intervene and save his life.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPXAPiVMz- Mood:
angry
Heresy Corner:
My life is unbearable - don't fix it, just kill me
http://bit.ly/IOwl6
(by Clair Lewis)
Thanks, Heresiarch, for this opportunity. :-)
PS See also:
Hitler is Not Dead
Nabil shaban's protest video based on his poem "Hitler is not Dead" (1998), which was in turn inspired by Black south African freedom Fighter, Steve Biko who wrote the first "Hitler is not Dead".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4onqBSSmV
- Mood:accomplished
'Protest on the Plinth' is a film made by Barry Seddon of Indefilms of
Liz Crow's recent appearance on the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square.
The film is about the Nazi mass-murder of disabled people and the
warning it holds for us today.
Check it out at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfswOExef
pass it on.
ADDITION FROM CLAIR.
At this stage the film is not fully accessible. A plain text version follows of subtitles and description of the above for those who are only accessing images or audio of this film.
PROTEST ON THE PLINTH FILM.
SUBTITLE:
The gentle background hum of many people talking.
DESCRIPTION:
Red text on black screen: Late 1938/ early 1939. A chance letter from the
father of a disabled child finds its way to Adolf Hitler. The letter is a
request to have the child killed. Hitler gives his approval. Disabled
children and adults were already being sterilised. Now a form was produced
for doctors to fill in. Three crosses on the form signified that a disabled
baby could be killed days after birth. Months after the form's introduction,
the policy was extended to the killing of disabled children. Two years after
its introduction, the form was discarded and staff in institutions made the
choice of which children lived and which were to be killed.
images are shown of several old black and white medical images of disabled
children, including one who seems to be held by the throat.
Text continues: disabled adults then faced the same fate. Methods of
extermination for disabled people included the first use of gas chambers.
The killing continued after the development of concentration camps.
SUBTITLE:
The continued hum of people talking.
DESCRIPTION:
Background - a view of Fountain in Trafalgar Square. Voice begins as this
message comes on screen:
"Trafalgar Square
Saturday Evening
8th August 2009"
SUBTITLE:
Liz Crow:
I wanted to draw attention to a hidden history.
DESCRIPTION:
The plinth towering high above Trafalgar square. A figure is hidden under a
pale shroud, motionless on the top of the plinth.)
SUBTITLE:
Voice of Liz Crow: It's the 70th Anniversary of the Nazi's signing and
setting up their first systematic program of mass murder and they started
out by targeting disabled people.
DESCRIPTION:
Liz Crow giving a close interview to camera.
SUBTITLE:
Liz: It's a history that's been virtually written out of the record and yet
it was the first stage of the final solution. It set the blueprint,
literally the machinery of concentration camps and used to murder vast
numbers of people.
DESCRIPTION:
Trafalgar Square with people gathered near the plinth, a crowd of disabled
people is visible.
SUBTITLE:
Liz: Had people only spoken out at that very first stage when disabled
people were murdered, had they thought that disabled people's lives were
worth saving and speaking out for, then the rest of that history would also
have been different.
DESCRIPTION:
The figure on the plinth begins to move under the shroud, throwing it off,
and Liz Crow reveals herself in her wheelchair, dressed in a black Nazi
uniform.
SUBTITLE:
Cheers from supporters and some clapping, then the murmur of people talking.
DESCRIPTION:
Liz smoothes back her hair and places a peaked hat on her head then sits
very still like a statue with hands in her lap and a firm look on her face.
The uniform from various angles, so the swastika can be seen on the red
armband.
Camera moves to a disabled leafletter in the square wearing a bandana, being
interviewed.
Leafletter: That's why she's gone up there with such a controversial image.
We have spent a lot of time recently trying to get our message out there to
the press, and they, actually. the press only seems to want to talk to
disabled people who want to die. And most of us are quite busy living.
DESCRIPTION:
The leafletter wheels towards a disabled person who has accepted a leaflet,
people are moving around in the background staring up at the plinth.
SUBTITLE:
Leafletter (over background noise of many people talking): Thanks for taking
that mate.
Disabled man: You're welcome. (some speech not picked up clearly) .. the
woman who got up there, that figure up there?
Leafletter: Can you say that again? Oh. Yes this is about the woman up
there. OK. Can you read this? Would you like me to read it to you, would
that help?
Onlooker: No I can read it.
Leafletter: Oh wicked, ok.
DESCRIPTION:
Liz on the plinth, opening a large red flag on a telescopic pole, until it
is extended above her head. Flag reads, "They came for the sick, the so
called incurables, but I did not speak out because I was not an incurable."
SUBTITLE:
Loud cheers, clapping and a horn honking.
DESCRIPTION:
Liz now giving her interview to camera. Subtitle: Liz Crow, Artist,
filmmaker and activist
SUBTITLE:
Liz Crow: When you look at the values that underpin that program of murder,
they are still really contemporary. So they put across the idea of disabled
people as suffering and deserving of mercy killing, in other words they're
doing us a favour, by putting us out of our misery. Or where that doesn't
work, they put us across as an economic burden and therefore it's in the
interests of familes and our nation and so on, to kill us. Three hundred and
fourty thousand people live in institutions in the UK, which is more than
the population of Cardiff. Children are excluded from schools. Underlying
all of that is still the same set of values, about us as other, and lesser.
DESCRIPTION:
Leafletter again, talking to people in the square.
SUBTITLE:
Leafletter: When we try and communicate with the press and with the
government about this, to be honest, they don't really want to know.
Person off camera with deep voice: No, they don't, you're right there, they
don't.
Leafletter: Well it would be cheaper to give us assisted suicide than
independence, wouldn't it? It would be cheaper to give us that than to
include us in education so that when disabled people grow up they have jobs
and are part of their communities.
DESCRIPTION:
Liz giving interview to camera.
SUBTITLE:
Liz Crow: There's a move for assisted suicide legislation. But that move
isn't
being debated, our voices are not in the debate. It's.. the debates, what
exists of them, all seem to start from the same premise that living with
impairment is intolerable and when that is your starting point, how can you
make safe legislation? That's my real fear about this, is that, if our lives
are supposedly intolerable, then isn't it second nature that everybody will
help us on our way, instead of actually looking at what makes our lives
intolerable. Which can sometimes be impairment, but actually is generally
about external factors. The fact that we can't actually access and
participate in society fully. I think that while we as a society debate this
at such a low level of understanding, whilst it is nondisabled people who
are making decisions about the legislation, we cannot make safe legislation.
There's no possibility of it being safe.
DESCRIPTION:
Liz shrugs. Black screen.
Text on screen: It is estimated that up to a quarter of a million disabled
people (including children) were murdered by the Nazi's. First they came for
the sick, the so called incurables, And I did not speak out because I was
not incurable. Then they came for the Jews and I did not speak out, because
I was not a Jew. Then they came for the Communists and I did not speak out
because I was not a communist. Then they came for the Trades Unionists and I
did not speak out because I was not a Trade Unionist. Then they came for me
and there was no-one left to speak out for me. Pastor Neimoeller, victim of
the Nazi's 1946.
Liz Crow, high above Trafalgar square, tears off her uniform jacket and
casts it downward onto the plinth.
SUBTITLES:
The gentle humming of many people talking turns into clapping and whistling.
DESCRIPTION:
Liz lifts her hat above her, shakes her head and casts that down too, then
holds her flag strongly and looks up to the words.
Text on screen: For further information go to www.roaring-girl.com
(Resistance)
- Mood:accomplished
"Tomorrow's Woman's Hour on Radio 4 (7th August 10.00am - 11.00am) will include an interview with Debbie Purdy - the woman who went to the High Court last week to seek clarity on prosecution for those who assist people to commit suicide. Please, please, please contact the BBC and demand that they have a disabled woman on the programme giving the opposite point of view.
Womans Hour has its own webpage
www.bbc.co.uk/
Woman's Hour is appalling when it comes to reporting on issues concerning disabled women. Let's start demanding they change by asking them to give more coverage to items we consider to be important. They could start by including an item about Liz Crow's performance on the plinth this Saturday.
Linda Laurie"
I have sent a message, as follows:
I am writing to suggest that if you do not interview another disabled woman alongside Miss Purdy tomorrow, you will be providing very unbalanced reporting. There are thousands of people who fight for decent lives every day with similar impairments and disabled people are getting angry that in many areas of media our protests against assisted suicide are ignored. If you cannot do this, will you do it next time? If not why not? I think it's inexcusable...
Clair Lewis
Disabled people's Direct Action Network
- Mood:
anxious
PLEASE SHARE THIS WHEREVER YOU CAN!
ACTION REQUESTED! URGENT:
Lecturer being fired for showing Del LaGrace Volcano's trans-themed work to students!
ACTION REQUESTED! URGENT:
Lecturer being fired for showing Del LaGrace Volcano's trans-themed work to students!
From: Carla LaGata
Dear Colleagues,
Please read the below email regarding a lecturer at East Surrey College
in the UK who faces serious repercussions for showing visual artist Del
LaGrace Volcano's work to students. Spread the word and take action if
you can.
Here is a link to Del's work:
http://www.dellagracevolca
From: Del LaGrace Volcano
URGENT: Lecturer being fired for showing my work to students!
Dear Friends and Colleagues:
I am asking for a favour. A young man who used to attend my lectures as
a photography student is being threatened with redundancy because he
recommended my work to a student doing a project on gender and
sexuality. Please send letters of support for Simon Burgess to Dr
Eugenie Shinkle as soon as possible! Time IS of the essence here as it
seems the institutional powers that be at East Surrey College have
scheduled the hearing for a time when it will be hard for Simon to rally
support.
If you value the work I and others like me have done over the past 25
years please stand up and say so! Simon needs your "expert" opinions if
he is to keep his job! If you would be so kind as to Bcc: me that would
be great!
Thank you so much!
Del LaGrace Volcano
From: UoW UoW <shinkle@westminster.ac.uk
Date: Tue, 4 Aug 2009 21:37:40 +0100
Subject: support for Simon Burgess
Simon Burgess, a lecturer at East Surrey College, is facing serious
disciplinary action (and possible redundancy) for introducing students
to the work of photographic artist Del LaGrace Volcano.
Management are claiming it is pornography, salacious, grotesque,
worthless and not relevant to, or appropriate for 2nd year level 3
photography students preparing for higher study.
Apart from being censorious, backward, and homophobic, management's
stance displays a remarkable ignorance of contemporary debates and
image-making strategies. This is a serious matter that has implications
for all academics, teachers, and students, and we would be very grateful
for an email expressing your support for Simon, and offering your expert
opinion on the relevance of Del's work to contemporary debates and
practices, his status as an international transgender artist, etc.
All emails should be sent to Eugenie Shinkle (shinkle@wmin.ac.uk), and
she will forward them on to the appropriate person (we're not sure just
yet whether they should be sent to Simon, to his UCU rep, or directly to
management). We're under a bit of time pressure as his hearing has been
scheduled for August 17th - which I've only just found out, so apologies
if this reaches you at an awkward time.
Dr. Eugenie Shinkle
Senior Lecturer in Photographic Theory and Criticism
School of Media, Arts and Design
University of Westminster
Watford Road, Northwick Park
Harrow, Middlesex
HA1 3TP
- Mood: angry
JOIN ME AND SEND YOUR COMPLAINT TO:
reader@guardian.co.uk
complaints@pcc.org.uk
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2
reader@guardian.co.uk
complaints@pcc.org.uk
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2
Why do you allow Polly to continue to report on this matter when it is clear she deliberately omits everything about disabled people protesting against assisted suicide? She even discusses events we've protested, such as Lords debates.
I know she knows that these protests exist, as disabled activists have challenged her a number of times over the years - she has offended us so much so many times, that once, a bunch of us protested at the Guardian office because of it a few years back (I believe 'worthless speck of existence' was one term she used to describe a disabled baby).
Why are you allowing this woman who clearly does not respect disabled people to even discuss matters relating to us.
I think this is unbalanced reporting, it omits important facts I believe the writer is fully aware of - and so is this paper, having previously reported Jane Campbell. All the links below lead to people who want us to die. Peddling these beliefs is going to lead to killings, it's about the most serious form of misinformation there is and you all know it influences the public greatly.
Please direct me where to complain properly. Perhaps it is press standards, I have copied them in.
I should warn you that protests from disabled and sick people asking for an equal right to a decent standard of living instead of death clinics are going to increase... it would be nice if a self professed equal rights supporting type paper such as yourself didn't become one of the targets instead of being one of those reporting it.
Polly lists most of the problems people face pretty well... disabled people in the majority are fighting for decent lives on a daily basis, not to die - that's why such a few cases come to press attention. I don't believe she is actually stupid enough to think being dead fixes these problems - she's made it pretty clear previously that she just thinks some people are not worthy of life (an old Nazi ideal).
Clair Lewis
Disabled People's Direct Action Network.
SEND YOUR COMPLAINT TO:
reader@guardian.co.uk
complaints@pcc.org.uk
- Mood: angry
SUPPORTING ACTION: URGENT HELP NEEDED! Anti Nazi protest
Leafletters to defend OUTRAGEOUS danner on The Plinth
Saturday, 08 August 2009
Time:22:00 - 23:00
Location:Trafalgar Square
Street:Whitehall
Town/City:London, United Kingdom
Phone:07970959791
Email:clair.lewis1@ntlworld.com
Description
Our long time D.A.N. sister Liz Crow, who you have met on many DAN protests, is going on the Plinth in Trafalgar Square on Saturday evening. It's only for an hour and she urgently needs our support.
I know a lot of you can't come but it would be great if you could 'share' the event, pass it on and publicise however you can, You can also join in by watch online at 10pm saturday and sharing the link. UNITE AGAINST FASCISM and fight eugenics in all it's forms.
What Liz is about to do is shocking and may offend some people, and could even put her at risk. It is a statement of outrage against historic and current eugenics in all it's forms, which I'm really hoping will get big publicity for disabled people's fight against modern eugenics.
Liz really needs our support to do this, as without some of us leafletting near her to explain, the message could be misunderstood. It is also likely to get press attention.
Let's make this our first in a series of hard hitting protests against those who think we'd be better off dead. Contact me for more information and PLEASE let me know if you can come (Clair Lewis)
Message from Roaring Girl Productions:
"Liz Crow, Director of the 'Resistance' installation will be on Antony Gormley's plinth (http://www.facebook.com/l/;www.oneandot
Please support LIz in the Square, handing out leaflet and talking to people. This is a great chance to bring these big issues to the press and public."
Saturday, 08 August 2009
Time:22:00 - 23:00
Location:Trafalgar Square
Street:Whitehall
Town/City:London, United Kingdom
Phone:07970959791
Email:clair.lewis1@ntlworld.com
Description
Our long time D.A.N. sister Liz Crow, who you have met on many DAN protests, is going on the Plinth in Trafalgar Square on Saturday evening. It's only for an hour and she urgently needs our support.
I know a lot of you can't come but it would be great if you could 'share' the event, pass it on and publicise however you can, You can also join in by watch online at 10pm saturday and sharing the link. UNITE AGAINST FASCISM and fight eugenics in all it's forms.
What Liz is about to do is shocking and may offend some people, and could even put her at risk. It is a statement of outrage against historic and current eugenics in all it's forms, which I'm really hoping will get big publicity for disabled people's fight against modern eugenics.
Liz really needs our support to do this, as without some of us leafletting near her to explain, the message could be misunderstood. It is also likely to get press attention.
Let's make this our first in a series of hard hitting protests against those who think we'd be better off dead. Contact me for more information and PLEASE let me know if you can come (Clair Lewis)
Message from Roaring Girl Productions:
"Liz Crow, Director of the 'Resistance' installation will be on Antony Gormley's plinth (http://www.facebook.com/l/;www.oneandot
Please support LIz in the Square, handing out leaflet and talking to people. This is a great chance to bring these big issues to the press and public."
- Mood:busy
This is a new site and it is looking for submissions, so if you have something to say or contribute on the theme of UK polyamoury, please get in touch with the webmaster Graham
http://www.polyamory.org.uk/jealousy_cle
De
- Mood:accomplished
This is a great article, sensitively written to consider people who have full time experience too :-) This quote made it for me:
" We need to scream again and again, as loudly as is humanly possible, about the unbelievably shocking treatment that wheelchair users have to endure in this country." And of course, the same applies to most other disabled people too.
Teriffic example of someone using their position to raise awareness and also KUDOS for not just spending the six weeks in bed, and realising how much more freedom equipment can bring (despite its limits).
Let's hope we've gained an excellent ally for the disabled people's movement.
David might like this old link to access protests...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngkx8ASyW
- Mood:
rejuvenated
A last minute amendment to the Coroners and Justice Bill is proposed, in line with the extreme porn ban on possession, to create a cut and paste version of it to cover writings: Some news pieces,following the saga are below, form John Ozimek at The Register:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/07/06/d
www.theregister.co.uk/2009/07/07/o_catha
And a report of the results, and the amendment being withdrawn (for now)
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/07/07/o
Various pieces of activism are brewing, including this on Informed Consent website, which you can join in with (this is a BDSM community website, you'll need to click Continue as Guest to view this)
http://www.informedconsent
You'll be hearing something more formal about what else you can join in with from CAAN soon:-) meanwhile, all hands to the pump and all support welcome. We need to be in position for the next debate (maybe October?)
(For background to this piece, see my next blog entry.. here: clairlewis.livejournal.com/7107.html )
AMENDMENTS
UNLIKELY TO BE MOVED
IN COMMITTEE
[Supplementary to being slipped onto Any Random List nobody is watching]
After Clause 59
BARONESS CONSENSIA
Insert the following new Clause—
"Possession of extreme censorious witterings
(1) It is an offense for a person to be in possession of extreme censorious witterings.
(2) "Extreme censorious wittering" is wittering which is both—
(a) Censorious, and
(b) extreme wittering.
(3) Wittering is "censorious" if it is of such a nature that it must reasonably be assumed to have been produced solely or principally for the purpose of censoring the interests of consenting adults.
(4) Where (as found in the person's possession) the wittering forms part of a series of witterings, the question whether the wittering is of such a nature as is mentioned in subsection (3) is to be determined by reference to—
(a) the wittering itself, and
(b) (if the series of witterings is such as to be capable of providing a context for the wittering) the context in which it occurs in the series of witterings.
(5) So, for example, where—
(a) the wittering forms an integral part of a narrative constituted by a series of witterings, and
(b) having regard to those witterings as a whole, they are not of such a nature that they must reasonably be assumed to have been produced solely or principally for the purpose of censorship,
the wittering may, by virtue of being part of that narrative, be found not to be censorious, even though it might have been found to be censorious if taken by itself.
(6) "Extreme wittering" is wittering which—
(a) falls within subsection (7), and
(b) is grossly offensive, based on unfounded concerns, or otherwise of an obscene character.
(7) Wittering falls within this subsection if it portrays, in an explicit and realistic way, any of the following—
(a) Belief that viewing an act (real or otherwise) will cause ordinary people to murder or abuse.
(b) Belief that reading about an act (real or otherwise) will cause ordinary people to murder or abuse,
(c) Belief that just because some adult's fantasies disgust some other people, that the acts or images or writings about the act should be banned, despite lack of evidence of actual harm to any person or animal,
(d) Belief that images of consenting adults and fantasy text are the same thing as actual harm against any person,
(e) inability to understand the difference between fantasy / performance and reality / abuse.
(f) Claiming that snuff porn exists to validate the lack of evidence that pornography causes harm
(g) Proposing as truth that cracking down on consenting adults will in any way affect those who harm others
(h) Proposing laws which take away personal responsibility from the individual for their harmful or abusive actions.
and a reasonable person looking at the wittering would think that any portrayal of such beliefs realistic, rather than just an incredible joke.
(8) In this section "wittering" means written words (including but not limited to those published or otherwise available on the internet), books, leaflets,audio material, images(including cartoons, film and photography), and all words spoken within earshot at the time they are possessed in the mouth and in the ears of others.
(10) In the next amendment we'll be proposing that which is held in the mind should constitute possession under the law (before you beat us to it)
- Mood: amused
CAAN Newsletter 7 - July 2009 was released a few days ago and is now
published on our blog.
You can find PART 1 here:
http://consentingadultactionnet.spaces.l
And PART 2 here:
http://consentingadultactionnet.spaces.l
To receive the newsletter hot off the press, join our mailing list by
sending a request to info@caan.org.uk .
If you haven't done already, please also consider signing up to our
statement, on our website here: http://www.caan.org.uk/sign.php .
CAAN's statement:
"We believe in the right of consenting adults to make their own sexual
choices, in respect of what they do, see and enjoy alone or with other
consenting adults, unhindered and unfettered by government."
"We believe that it is not the business of government to intrude into the
sex lives of consenting adults."
- Mood: cheerful
Received this from Alan Holdsworth,via Diane Coleman. Will be sending my own version of this shortly. Perhaps it's time for another equal right to life demo...
Cassie, Johnny -- Hoping to reach DAN, but not sure how?]
I've have been contacted with some urgency by the Care Not Killing coalition organization in the United Kingdom. This coming Tuesday, the UK House of Lords will hear a bill that immunizes people from prosecution for taking "terminally ill" people abroad to suicide clinics (e.g. Dignitas clinics in Switzerland). Dignitas openly assists in the suicides of people who are not terminally ill. Stephen and I have agreed to sign onto the letter below, which we saw for the first time today. We also agreed to share it with other disability groups that might sign on. Time is short, and it appears that the decision to sign on might have a deadline of tomorrow, but Monday may not be too late. They are also still working on getting UK groups to sign on. The first signatory, Baroness Jane Campbell, is a wheelchair user and has been the leader of Not Dead Yet UK, but is resigning from that role due to the demands of her role in the House of Lords. If you are willing to sign on to this letter despite the short notice, please send your name, title and organization name to me at ndycoleman@aol.com and to Peter Saunders at pjs@cmf.org.uk
. Thanks and have a good weekend. --- Diane
Dear Sir,
As leaders of the disabled people’s movement in the UK and the USA, we are extremely concerned about how the proposed amendment to the Coroners and Justice Bill will impact on the lives of disabled people.
If Lord Falconer’s amendment succeeds in the House of Lords on Tuesday 7 July then those who assist ‘terminally ill’ people to go abroad to end their lives in ‘suicide clinics’ would be immune from prosecution. The phrase ‘terminally ill’ is not defined in the amendment, and could potentially apply to people with a very wide range of chronic progressive illnesses some with life expectancy stretching to decades.
Disabled people who experience progressive conditions understand far more than non-disabled people about what it is live with these pressures. We know what is acceptable as disease or disability progresses, and for the huge number of us who say no to assisted suicide, it is because we fear the changing culture such an amendment would bring. People without experience of disability, including our friends and families cannot predict what each stage of our personal journey will mean. Furthermore, financial and emotional conflicts of interest will always present an added burden to the situation. A law decriminalising assisted suicide would undoubtedly place disabled people under pressure to end their lives early to relieve the burden on relatives, carers or the state.
These concerns are not side issues that only affect disabled people. We are like society’s ‘canaries in the coalmine’ who can often see the dangers of potentially discriminatory legislation before others, as it impacts on us even before the deed is done. We are scared now; we will be terrified if assisted suicide becomes state-sanctioned.
The existing law, with the penalties it holds in reserve, causes potential assisters and those wishing to die, to think very carefully before acting. The discretion within current law enables judges to exercise compassion in hard cases. What is not broken does not need fixing.
Disabled people have been largely silent in this debate which has been carried out in the media by clerics, non-disabled commentators and a small handful of individuals with terminal conditions who are supported by Dignity in Dying. Until large numbers of people like us are present to engage in this highly complex and ethical debate, we must strongly oppose any device such as Lord Falconer’s amendment to get assisted dying in through the back door.
Baroness Campbell of Surbiton
Crossbench Peer
David Morris
Chair of Independent Living Alternatives
Haqeeq Bostan
Director of New Disability Policy Forum
- Mood: anxious
At the moment I'm feeling pretty cheesed off because this week another couple from the BDSM community are being doorstepped by The Sun. I think the reason these outings can happen is because BDSM people continue to be the victims of state sanctioned discrimination. CAAN thinks EHRC is in a position to change that.
So I called the EHRC to check CAAN are talking to the right person. Apparently we are, but things are soo slow.
I have mentioned to Maurice Shaw from the department that there's more press harassment and intimidation of BDSM people happening this week and that we urgently want to talk in person to Andrea Murray (the head of the relevant department) about why they will not join us in stopping the discrimination people experience around sexuality matters which don't just relate to the gender of our partners (they keep telling us that orientation only means being gay or lesbian or bi - ie that orientation is only about gender). I am being told to wait for our letter to be dealt with.
I am feeling pleased to have found out though, that the person we are dealing with is based in Manchester. If we do not get the requested meeting following this letter, I shall go and visit them anyway, cos I'm done with being polite. If anyone wants to join me, send a memo.
If anyone wants to contact Andrea Murray in support of CAAN's letter asking them to begin to cover all matters relating to sexuality, not just gender, I think her direct email is andrea.murray@equalityhumanrights.com and you can get a copy of CAAN's email from me, if you want to see it.
Otherwise, if anyone here works within the EHRC it won't hurt to spread rumours that we're reaching the end of our tether. :-) We know that there are kinky people in there, and we know you need us to press hard enough to make anything happen. Get ready, cos we're comin' ;-).
Andrea Murray is the person dealing with correspondence from CAAN. Maurice Shaw, who was very nice actually, says she heads the team which deal with matters relating to orientation.
Clair Lewis
(of Consenting Adult Action Network www.caan.org.uk )
- Mood: angry
Message from Steve.
Subject: Seeking artists for DAN benefit gig in late July...
The Birmingham branch of DAN (the UK Disabled People's Direct Action Network) are looking for singers/bands/DJs/any other sort of performers out there to play a benefit gig in July...
The headline act will be the legendary activist singer-songwriter Johhny Crescendo ( www.myspace.com/johnnycrescendo ), but what else we have can be eclectic and flexible - any musical style, or maybe even other things such as comedy - as yet, it's very open.
The venue hasn't yet been finalised, but all those being considered are fully wheelchair accessible. The date will be either Saturday 25th, Sunday 26th or Monday 27th July 2009 (the Saturday for preference, but if the other dates are there in case we can't get the Saturday, as venues haven't got back to us yet).
Anyone interested, please email Steve on soulrebel@riseup.net .
DAN doesn't yet have a website, but has a Facebook group here: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.p
and a report of our last action (in Birmingham) here: http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/regions/b
- Mood: hopeful
I SHOT PUDSEY BEAR - image is derived directly from the BBC image 2007 - yes it's ripped off. Unfortunately CIN don't seem keen to protest about it..
This is the message which accompanied the image:
"Children In Need? In the UK? What? Isn't this one of the richest countries in the world? Why do kids in the UK have to beg to have their needs met and why is the Government not too ashamed to broadcast it on TV? No kid should have to beg here. No celeb should be able to gain kudos by supporting this situation. If those celebs really care about kids, why don't they go on strike on November 14th and pay a visit to the Prime Minister instead and ask him why this is the case. THEN we might really see some change... "
(November 2007)
Here's some of the people CIN have helped - http://www.bbc.co.uk/pudse
Look out for action notices posted here regarding Children In Need in a couple of months time, ready for a winter protest. Last year we burned home made Pudsey Bear effigies - what shall we do this year? For Facebookers, see the "We all Shot Pudsey Bear" group started by Richard Downes (London DAN) last year.. www.facebook.com/photo.php
- Mood: amused
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