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As my old campaigning tales proved so popular yesterday, inspired by @BeresfordPeter, here comes another. The tale of the 'free our people' bear.
This one is probably not a tactic to emulate.. /1
This one is probably not a tactic to emulate.. /1
Once upon a time, many years ago, although unfortunately for those involved still within the remit of The Theft Act, there lived a very sad bear. /2
The bear was sad because he lived in an institution belonging to the Conservative disability group & so only got to go out once a year. To the Conservative party conference where he and all the other bears sat sadly on a table in the main hall. /3
Sometimes people would stop at the stall, scratch their heads and wonder why there was a stall full of depressed looking toys at an otherwise empty booth labelled Conservative Disability Group /4
They were nice toys though, and people liked to look at them in their safe stall and feel reassured the toys were in the best place for them, being looked after by the nice people from the disability group. Even if those carers were largely absent, it was still care. /5
One day, some disabled people found the Conservative disability group, for whom they had long searched, and wheeled as fast as they could towards the stall. When they arrived, the stall was deserted, except for bears. /6
'Why all the bears?' asked a puzzled disability rights campaigner. 'Oh!' said a passing person from the 3rd sector, 'that's because the motto of The Conservative Disability Group is 'make disability bearable' '
'Oh' said all the disabled people gathered there 'OH!' /7
'Oh' said all the disabled people gathered there 'OH!' /7
The campaigners were momentarily silent and thoughtful. Remembering all those generations of disabled people in unbearable institutions, and those thousands of learning disabled and autistic people still locked away against their will /8
Eventually one campaigner said, 'But this isn't fair. I paid £5 to join this group and no one sent me a blummin bear. I simply cannot bear to be disabled without a make disability bearable bear' /9
After much* thought, a course of action was decided upon. In the finest disability rights tradition, we would free our people and liberate a 'make disability bearable', bear /10
*about a nanosecond
*about a nanosecond
The plan was hatched. A bear identified. Then, as all the finest plans do, it hit a teeny, tiny little flaw.
The stall of the Conservative Disability Group was not sufficiently wheelchair accessible to enable what, let's face it, was outright theft.
/11
The stall of the Conservative Disability Group was not sufficiently wheelchair accessible to enable what, let's face it, was outright theft.
/11
Undeterred, the campaigners decided that this was in fact, a perfect time to play to stereotypes. After all, the sweet, quite posh, Tories who'd been passing the stall had agreed that disabled members of the Conservative Disability Group should definitely have teddy bears /12
And, should that not work, there was always the old chestnut of pretending to be alot more disabled than you actually are in order to get away with flagrant breaches of the law /13
So, after all this careful thought, the campaigners concluded that this was definitely an activity that a personal assistant could complete on our behalf. After all, a disabled person would totally, definitely have committed the liberation themselves if there had been access /14
