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OPEN MEETING ON ‘DISABILITY’ 13TH NOVEMBER
2024
Green Left, a group within the Green Party of England
and Wales, is hosting an online open meeting on ‘Disability’ to discuss
the politics of disability and its relation to other aspects of Green and
left politics on Wednesday 13th -November 2024. At
7.00pm via zoom.
Speakers are Debra Cooper of the Green Party Disability group, Joseph Healy Committee Member COVID Action UK, former
Unite workplace Rep, Beccy Sawbridge, Green Party Councillor, Dover City Council, Mary-Ellen, Disabled People Against Cuts
Chair: Martin Francis, Green Left.
Disability is a label applied to a wide variety of people.
It can be used officially by agencies such as government, or unofficially in
everyday speech, and many more hurtful terms may be used instead. It can lead
to many forms of discrimination against those labelled ‘disabled’, in
employment, in housing, in access to public facilities and in many other
areas. Such discrimination has been challenged by the ‘disabled’ themselves,
but how much has been gained?
COMMENTS AND LINKS FROM THE CHAT
COMMENTS · Green Party manifesto states: “Elected Greens will back changing the law on assisted dying. We support a humane and dignified approach to terminal illness, allowing people to choose to end their lives to avoid prolonging unnecessary suffering, if this is their clear and settled will. Proper safeguards would need to be put in place.” Assisted dying has been a Green Party policy for some time, although in previous statements they hadn’t explicitly limited their policy to people who were terminally ill. We hope that politicians consider a Bill that extends to adults who are unbearably suffering from conditions without a cure, who are of sound mind and have a clear and settled wish to die. · From Nicole Haydock : Palliative care must be sorted before the proposed Assisted dying bill goes any further. Labour will not support it for the time being for that reason a alone. But there are also a number of issues with the proposal. It will be interesting to see how our 4 Green MPs engage with this important debate. · From Charli (she/her) : I would always be on the side of personal autonomy and choice for individuals about their own bodies, but that is the key. It’s about REAL choice and there is a huge opportunity here for coercion and totally removal of choice.: · 'As medical science advances, the cost of prolonging human life way past human usefulness will impose an ever heavier burden on the community for an ever longer proportion of its members’ lives. Already we are keeping people alive in a near-vegetative state. The human and financial resources necessary will mean that an ever greater weight will fall upon the shoulders of the diminishing proportion of the population still productive.' https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/matthew-parris-assisted-dying-lives/ · Message from Caroline Russell, Green Party London Assembly member : ‘Sorry not able to join this meeting but thought might be useful to share some work I’m doing at City Hall. Working with many NGOs representing older and disabled people over the last seven years I’ve pushed the Mayor to acknowledge that provision of toilets is part of providing an accessible transport system and got him to spend £15m on installing new and renovating old toilets. This PR has links to main steps in campaign in the notes to editors. https://www.london.gov.uk/who-we-are/what-london-assembly-does/assembly-member-press-releases/mind-gap-public-toilets-tube Working with Transport for All on launching their new report on accessibility and planning this week. Under embargo until Wed. Engaging with many organisations including RNIB and Guide Dogs on finding a route through the discussion about making streets safer and more accessible. Especially looking at bus stop by passes. Caroline Russell London Assembly member LINKS · From Mary-Ellen : A thread of issues to bring up with MPs and others: https://x.com/Dis_PPL_Protest/status/1856756417601868158 · From Mary-Ellen : Tweet by DPAC, with video from Dr Bob Gill on why he opposes the Assisted Suicide Bill. https://x.com/Dis_PPL_Protest/status/1856650501305118814 · From Mary-Ellen : Liz Carr's video 'Better off dead?' https://youtu.be/gEysXRLTG5M?si=JKcn_cj5V3VJyG1d · From Charli (she/her) : https://www.campaignrealcare.org/ · From David King : stopdesignerbabies.org https://coalitionstopdesignerbabies.net/ info@stopdesignerbabies.org · From Mary-Ellen : Would love to have David King and all the other speakers and members of this join and be involved in the Climate Emergency Centres Wednesday Webinars This one's from last week. https://youtu.be/1EB3xJLM-o4?si=aBMuMuZxmolGFwsO
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