Disabled people to take to the streets

DISABLED and sick people angry at government cuts and changes that will hit thousands of vulnerable people across Britain are taking to the streets this weekend.

They are to calling on the Westminster parliament to think again about its Welfare Reform Bill, Work Capability Assessment (WCA), and the abolition of Disability Living Allowance (DLA) and its replacement by vaguely specified Personal Independence Payments.

The protests, backed by UK Uncut, Disabled People Against Cuts and by the lobbying group 38 Degrees, cover concerns widely shared in Scotland, though determined by reserved powers in Westminster. The government has now suffered six defeats in the House of Lords over welfare issues.

The key role in awakening public and political opinion has been the work of disabled people themselves in publishing the Spartacus Report on DLA. They are demanding full inclusion in policy determination and shaping processes, in line with the ethos and values of the Poverty Truth Commission.

Scottish Health Secretary and Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has commented after the first three Lords amendments passed 11 January on that "pleased to hear about Lords votes tonight. The Welfare Reform Bill will hurt many vulnerable people."