This article was first published in the St Austell Voice on 11th September 2019

Johnson (and Cummings) have made their move, Parliament is to be prorogued, a highly controversial plan which basically (despite what the Tories will try to argue) shortens the timetable for MPs who want to scrutinise a no-deal Brexit, which we know will be harmful to people and businesses in the UK. 

I am outraged by this action and I think that we can all see it for what it is, a deliberate restriction of democratic engagement. 

Jacob Rees-Mogg calmly explaining “move along folks, nothing to see here…” gives me cause for concern. Johnson claims that the decision to suspend parliament is not linked to his Brexit strategy, and is instead needed because this session of parliament is late being prorogued. Our very own MP has tweeted that the overall loss is “only 4 days” so why should we worry. Unsurprisingly this was quoted by all Conservative MPs indicating that this was the “mantra” of the day to be used by all.

The government has announced that it would suspend (or 'prorogue') parliament from a day between the 9 and 12 September to 14 October. The period includes the traditional recess of around three weeks for party conferences. However, the insult to parliamentary power is clear. Parliament gives its assent to the conference recess each time. Had MPs wanted more time to debate Brexit, they could have decided not to support the recess this year (and there are indications that this was being considered). The five-week prorogation will be the longest in history; if it was just about bringing a new Queen’s Speech it could have been much shorter.

Large numbers of people have taken to the streets to protest about the proroguing of Parliament and I know that many people are very angry about this move, as am I. We took to the streets in a cross-party peaceful demonstration in St Austell this Tuesday and I am sure there will be many other protests.  If this was a Labour government that had taken this action, does anybody imagine that Rees-Mogg would be saying “this is all perfectly above board”. Of course he wouldn’t, he would be outraged.
​
Recently cabinet members Sajid Javed, Amber Rudd and Matt Hancock were on record as being against proroguing and now they face criticism (rightly) for backing the plan. Hypocrites, being made to bend to the will of Cummings. Sajid Javid’s aide Sonia Hussain was suspected of leaking information and summoned to the office of Dominic Cummings for interrogation. He then sacked her with no evidence of wrongdoing and had her escorted away by the police. Only later, was Javid informed and he wasn’t happy apparently, because he confronted Johnson. So this is what the Tory government has come to in the midst of handling what has become a national crisis. Truly shocking.
More than 50 cross-party MPs have vowed to sit in an alternative House of Commons if Johnson carries out his suspension. They have said that the suspension is an unconstitutional coup and that parliamentarians must not allow the government to avoid scrutiny at this time of emergency.
​
So this is about seizing power from the people’s representatives and handing it to a non-elected Prime Minister. The government seems to have learnt from President Trump; nothing is about principle, but focusing, not on the ethics of what you are doing, but simply how you can win. The latest announcement from Johnson/Cummings is that they are going to bar any Tory MP who doesn’t go along with their plot to force a “No Deal” Brexit; they will not be allowed to stand as Tory candidates at the next election. In taking this decision Johnson/Cummings have shown a complete disregard for the most fundamental of our democratic traditions.

Proroguing parliament goes against the spirit of democracy.

We must ALL fight this downward slide into something that resembles dictatorship.
​
My email address if you wish to contact me about any issues is felicity.ppclabour@gmail.com

Two years ago the United Nations released the findings of an inquiry into state-level violations of the human rights of disabled people in Britain. Its conclusion was that a “human catastrophe” was under way. In employment, education, housing and social security, disabled people are hugely disadvantaged. In Britain we still have huge problems in how we perceive disability. The Tories over the last nine years have systematically destroyed many of the rights, independence, dignity and mental health of many of Britain’s disabled people.Disabled people have been demonised as not really disabled. Meanwhile, the welfare state has become an instrument of punishment.
The Centre for Welfare Reform calculated in 2013 that disabled people have endured nine times the average burden of austerity cuts. The figure rises to 19 times for the most severely disabled. In 2017 figures show that 4 million disabled people were living below the breadline.
The gains in the 1990s, such as the Disability benefits, which provided more help for more people with care and mobility needs, have all been affected by severe cuts, and then we have the introduction of the bedroom tax, universal credit and the notorious “fit for work” tests. Sanctions against disabled people and the chronically ill rose 580%. Last year 70% of disabled people judged fit for work successfully overturned that decision on appeal.
Austerity has been a Tory political choice since 2010. Social security benefits will have been cut by £35 billion a year by the early 2020s. Tax cuts will cost the Treasury £47 billion per year by 2021-2. This is great, if you are wealthy.
Cuts to social care have pushed back disabled people's ability to live independently, cuts to benefits have pushed back gains in lifting disabled people out of poverty.
Social care is often portrayed as the basics – going to the toilet and getting dressed; that's obviously key, but cuts to care provision mean that there are many people who are having to pay extra costs and choosing between buying food or things like incontinence pads. 
But it's more than that, it's your ability to live the sort of life that a non-disabled person takes for granted; going to the pub with friends, to a job interview, going on a trip to see a relative in a different city. You take social care away and disabled people are treated in a way that just isn’t acceptable. You have to tackle the attitudes that make those cuts easy as much as the cuts themselves. Ministers have worked with the right-wing press to spread the myth that disabled people are a drain on the public purse – Iain Duncan Smith backing the Sun's campaign to track down so-called benefits cheats, Esther McVey telling the Mail she's going after the bogus disabled, Philip Hammond blaming the economy stalling on the increase of disabled workers. That's very scary indeed.
So what can be done to effect change? Well representation is really important. More disabled people need to be involved in leading the conversation, for example disability charities led by disabled people. A future Labour Government will review this whole issue and invite disabled-led organisations to the table. There need to be more disabled people involved in the decision-making, and nothing decided without the disabled. This should be the standard rights stance, and is quoted as a key approach in Labour’s disability manifesto.
Labour’s manifesto will undertake many changes – for example, ending the use of private companies to do benefits assessments. It proposes to provide holistic assessments which would help disabled people overcome barriers put in their way; things like that would have a huge impact on improving disabled people's lives. It should be well within our capability to make the changes that would make life better for disabled people.
Please note that Debbie George has been elected as the Disabilities Officer for St. Austell and Newquay Constituency Labour Party so please contact her if you have any issues, and she will do her best to help.
Tel:  07710262219
Vote Labour. FOR THE MANY NOT THE FEW.
​