Summary
Disabled people in Swansea are angry about a politician who has been rude.
They say that the government should listen to disabled people and stop the cuts.
Disabled people in Swansea insulted by Torsten Bell MP
Swansea Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC) members have reacted strongly to public statements made on BlueSky by Swansea West MP Torsten Bell. The Labour MP has claimed that the group is “spreading falsehoods” and has made an allegation that they are “entirely falsely” attributing language to him.
A spokesperson for the group said, “being called liars is just the latest in a growing line of insults from this MP. He is welcome to argue that his remarks are taken out of context. We would invite the public to judge. However, following questions on the matter from the press, the MP has instead chosen to delete a post and the ‘edit history’. He is the one who has deleted the context, not us.”
The group has also highlighted offensive remarks made by other Labour MPs, such as Rachel Reeves MP, who defended plans to cut disability benefits by comparing it to “children’s pocket money”.
Politicians refuse to listen to disabled people
In an open letter signed by more than 250 people and organisations, including a national Labour-affiliated trade union, Swansea DPAC has made an appeal for a fair and respectful public debate with MPs over the issues. The group says it is now at a stalemate following the MP’s refusal to take part, but says it intends to host the debate regardless.
A Swansea DPAC spokesperson added, “we do not want a personal exchange of insults. We want to defeat the disability cuts (that Torsten defends) politically. We want an end to the offensive and upsetting language being used by many Labour MPs. We want a structured public debate, not a public spat carried out over social media. Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, that’s all we’re getting from Torsten.”
“Disabled people are certainly not getting anything close to a fair debate from an inaccessible so-called ‘public consultation’ that refuses to consult on half the issues, and repeatedly fails to respond to disabled people with access requirements. We are fighting to be heard.”
Stop the disability cuts
The group is calling for the proposed cuts to be scrapped, and for the government to start again, genuinely listening to disabled people and carers from day one in a process of co-production.
