Blood on their hands

Thank you for sharing this. A very moving and honest speech.

Every fat cat and his uncle should be made to watch this very powerful speech by this woman, also every single member of our government. Our country is a disgrace to treat its citizens as they do.

I suspect the last thread was cut, trisher, because it singled out a particular poster. I can't see that there is anything contentious in the video.

I just wonder how many of the audience who applauded her so vigorously would actually vote for a party which promised to do something about it.

Yet people still vote them into power... Heaven help us all.

Crossed posts, MaisieD

" Disabled" she may be, but what she said rings true against what we're told from the able-bodied who fester in Westminster and whose interests are only for themselves. How is it possible that these politicians can know what goes on outside those walls when they don't even visit the areas where their seats are held ?

As the speaker said------" it's outrageous !"

There is something very wrong happening to this country.

My DiL has recently broken her ankle and it is not healing as well as expected. Consequently she has to use a wheel chair at the moment on days when the swelling is too bad to walk with crutches.

They recently had a cruise from Southampton with 99% of British on board.

This is what they experienced.

DiL at the buffet with plate in one hand and serving spoon in the other helping herself. A woman became impatient because the wheelchair was presumably blocking what she wanted. She simple pushed DiL away entirely from the buffet.

Son and dial in wheelchair waiting to get the lift and found that when th3 lift opened people simply rushed in leaving them stood there, that was bad enough, but after this happening numerous times when the lift came son asked if someone would be so kind as to make room because they had been waiting so long. People stared and shut the lift doors.

DIL on crutches waiting for the loo. Woman came in with child bursting. She elbowed son out of the way, then reached to grade the crutches to push DiL out of the way. She was told to stop by son.

There were other instances, but this is apparently the sort of behaviour that is meted out to the disabled. Quite unbelievable and government attitude may well encourage it.

On a cruise!!! Thats awful

That sounds unwarranted but a bit exaggerated. In the telling, it probably sounds worse than it was.
I remember one occasion, on a tour of London taking in China's Terracotta Army, we were handed earphones and guidebooks and followed the group, a few of whom (and some in the first group ahead of us) were in wheelchairs with carers.
Several of us were pushed to tbe back as the wheelchairs were given priority and several of us had our ankles bashed and exits from tea rooms blocked due to careless placement of the wheelchairs sfter users were transferred to dining chairs.
I'm all for equality but it certainly wasn't in evidence on that day nor at some other events I've attended.

I have experienced both types of behaviour: when my mother was in a wheelchair, but also the actions of a group of disabled people at a theatre, when they rearranged the seating, took seats that were not theirs and seated themselves in the gangways (illegal).
The behaviour cited by Whitewave and Gabrielle G is unfortunately believable, but is down to individuals.
You cannot blame the Government for this.

I believe it starts with the poor behaviour that has to be tolerated by schools, witness the recent thread concerning the behaviour of a child who was punished for his bad behaviour, and his mother's reaction.

Or possibly the type of person who condones Jo Brand's style of 'comedy.'

That was a very powerful speech.

I think another poster on a different thread posted a link to the Full Fact Independent report, link here:
fullfact.org/health/130000-preventable-deaths-austerity/

whitewave your DD was very unfortunate in her experiences on the cruise - whilst I have never been on one in a wheelchair, I have experienced a temporary time in one, and also taken out relatives in wheelchairs and always found that people behaved with the utmost consideration and courtesy. I recently had another injury (was walking but arm in a sling) and found that, once people noticed this (sometimes they did not at first!) they were quick to give me room to pass or to help open doors etc.
I'm sorry your DD had such a bad time.

I do think, however, that not all children are being brought up to show consideration towards others which doesn't bode well for the future either.

You can blame the government for a culture that fails to recognise the needs of others and that promotes the idea that people on benefits are scroungers, immigrants are just here for benefits and disabled people should be made to jump through hoops to prove they need basic necessities. And that culture permeates through the rest of society.
GabriellaG54* where do you want wheelchair users to go? They are substantially lower than most people and need to be at the front to see. They need to be given priority. As for getting your ankles bashed-take a step back FFS you are far more mobile than any wheelchair user and if you had ever pushed someone in a wheelchair you would know they are very difficult to manoeuvre and need space.
As for in the tea rooms, do as my DSs do when they see someone trying to seat someone with a disability and park a wheelchair offer to park the chair for them. (Pushing my mum and managing a wheelchair has made us all more conscious of the difficulties)
eazybee Staff are employed in a theatre to ensure everyone uses the seat they have paid for and no-one else's regardless of disability.

In my experience, I have found people to be very helpful towards people with disabilities. When I had a knee replacement, I went shopping, initially, with a stick to give support. Lot of motorists would stop their car as I crossed the road, doors were held open for me and the stick was always picked for me if I placed it against a counter while sorting out change and it fell over! Maybe I just live in a nice area!

I accompanied my D's ma-in-law to Oz on one occasion and a wheelchair user at the time we had the best seats on the plane near the exit doors where all the room is and the disabled toilet facilities were near where we were------so handy, no queues. We were both treated with the utmost respect, even helping her 2 yards to the toilet if I was having a drink or reading. Well done Qantas and Nigel for his help.

I have a friend who has been a wheelchair user for the last 15 years and she tells me that most people are really considerate when they are out and about,She says that now and then you get the odd person making a crass remark ( as if she had special needs and couldn't understand long words) when she is very intelligent and her problems are that she cannot walk at all, or even stand, unaided.
So trisher although your DIL had some bad experiences, that was all down to some people being selfish and nothing to do with governments.

lemongrove could you please tell me where my DIL had some bad experiences? Or is it just a case of you finding that the only thing you have to argue about is something imaginary and I am as usual the focus of your ire?
Still waiting for those who have continuosly supported this government to tell me how the speech on QT was so wrong, or are they at last acknowledging the wrongs that have been done?

I'm a wheelchair user and mostly the able bodied choose not to see wheelchair users. They push past us to make sure they can get in lifts first because we take up more room. The worst offenders funnily enough are in hospitals wearing uniforms. I've twice been clouted around the head by elderly women swinging their handbags over their shoulder without looking. I had one woman take several steps backwards in the supermarket to see what was on the upper shelves and ended up sitting on my lap and blamed me for it. Never mind she'd landed on my bad knee and I was in agony. So I can quite believe the stories from the cruise. I might say I have never been asked to jump through hoops to receive Pip I have attended reviews and have always been treated with courtesy.

I suppose one major difference is, after being ever so slightly inconvenienced at the Terracotta Army exhibition, you jumped in a taxi or went home in the car or whatever.

Still , you can't teach somebody empathy can you?

Does anyone remember "Does he Take Sugar" which was, I think a radio programme about disabilities years ago.

The Does he take sugar referring to the fact that some people talk to the carer and not to the person in the wheelchair, regardless of the fact that the person in the wheelchair may be perfectly compos mentis, just perhaps unable to walk.

'Twas ever thus, I think, and I am not sure if attitudes in public have got worse, better or no different. Certainly access is better nowadays for wheelchair users to many facilities.
FlexibleFriend, I am shocked that the woman was so rude, although, yes, someone started walking backwards into me not long ago and I held out my good arm and stopped him - he was extremely apologetic.

I have a vision of handbag-wielding women creating havoc at the Terracotta Army Exhibition

Trisher
Engage brain before opening mouth.
When there is a crowd, as there often is on a tour, every one pushes to towards the point of interest and stepping back to avoid ankle bashing isn't always possible unless one chooses to flatten the people behind who have no idea why you want to move. Many on that particular tour didn't speak English so communication was not easy.
As for the cafe seating scenario.
We arrived after the wheelchair users were seated (we ushered them in first) and the problems occurred because the wheelchairs, sans occupants, were blocking our entry and later exit.
It's not my job to move them it's the job of carers to acknowledge that able-bodied people have as much right as their principals to free (and safe) passage.
If there was a fire...?
FYI, I have pushed a few wheelchairs of all types in my time and have always been aware of H&S and consideration of others.

Elvive
Why make such nasty pronouncements/judgements/ suppositions?
You sound bitter.
I was with a friend, an ex professional ballerina who was recovering from a stroke, walked with a stick and whose husband drove us there and met us for the return journey to Mortimer.
Is that sufficient info to make it clear.

GabriellaG54 it always amuses me when people change their accounts of an event after it is pointed out to them what an a**e they were being

My account hasn't changed in the slightest.
Specsavers should be your next shopping experience.