People from all over the world have an American president they identify with, whether that be John F Kennedy, Ronald Reagan, Barack Obama or another. For me, it is Bill Clinton. Why? Well, his 1996 re-election campaign was the first political campaign I was aware of. I saw him playing the saxophone on television and thought he was cool – so automatically supported him. I also admire his people skills, where he can apparently make you feel like you are the only person in the room with him even with lots of others there. His 1992 election campaign was built around the slogan ‘I believe in a place called hope’ – so I want to write about how the Labour party can help disabled people believe in hope and that the party will support them in their lives.
Since the credit crunch it has been tough to be a disabled person, because of welfare cuts and the media demonisation of benefit claimants and disabled people. In a previous article for Progress I argued for a disability manifesto to be produced by Labour for the next election. I do not think now it will happen, which is a shame. It is a shame because it would be an opportunity for the party to put its commitment to equality into practice and show that the commitment is not just words but actions. Disabled people will tell you how they face barriers in every aspect of their lives, not just employment or benefits, so the manifesto would be the golden opportunity to show how we would help them, not just to survive by working, but to live as fully integrated citizens in Britain.
In the election manifesto the party must show it understands the issues faced by disabled people and their families to give them hope that things will be different under a Labour government.
How does the party give that hope? The shadow cabinet should go and spend time with disabled people and their families. I would love to share the barriers I face in my life so that I can use my experience to help others for example in area such as housing and unemployment. For example, until January this year I was unemployed for three years and had to turn down a job in London because I live in Edinburgh and could not find an accessible place to live in London – so I had to choose between a job and a home, something I should not have to do. It is a choice I will always face unless I win the lottery and can afford to buy my own home and adapt it.
Each policy commission involved in drawing up the 2015 manifesto should also put their policies through an equality impact assessment and think how do our proposals affect all the equality strands. It must also be bold and think: ‘Let’s set the disability agenda and not just react to things other parties are doing’.
The most important way the party can give disabled people and party members hope is to work closely with the disabled members’ groups here in Scotland and throughout the United Kingdom to help shape and implement a positive platform of policies for disabled people. That way we can give people that chance to believe in a place called hope. I also believe that issues that affect disabled people such as social care affect everybody; it is just they affect me a lot earlier than non-disabled people, who will face them in later life. It is important to think about these issues now and not wait till my generation is old enough and only then think ‘Why didn’t we sort this out?’
To end where I began, with the 1992 American presidential campaign and Fleetwood Mac: ‘Don’t stop thinking about tomorrow because it will soon be here’.
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Mark Cooper is former Young Labour disability officer, was Labour prospective parliamentary candidate for Orkney and Shetland in 2010, and tweets @markc1984
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