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From The Socialist newspaper, 27 January 2021
TV review: The Hidden Story of Disabled Britain
The Hidden Story of Disabled Britain (Click to enlarge)
Derek McMillan
Cerrie Burnell and her team have produced a landmark documentary on the subject of disability.
She herself faced horrific discrimination when she first became a CBeebies presenter and was confronted with the reality of prejudice against disabled people.
The documentary traces the development of prejudice from the eugenics movement so beloved of Dominic Cummings and Adolf Hitler. The clear concept of segregation was to prevent 'inferior humans' from breeding.
This lived on beyond the Nazi era, with special schools for special students, exclusion of disabled people from public transport and the organised patronising of disabled people by charities.
The movement against this led to access to mainstream education for a number of disabled students. One campaigner recalled pupils who had no disabilities chanting "we want to be with our friends". Unanswerable.
Access to public transport for people in wheelchairs is now the norm, but that access is patchy at best, and the poor provision is a denial of civil rights - actually no different from the Alabama bus company refusing a seat to Rosa Parks.
It is ludicrous and insulting that people with disabilities are expected to rely on charities - Chris Tarrant was shown making a self-righteous defence of his patronising attitude.
Disabled people have suffered disproportionately from cuts in public spending and from the impact of the pandemic. Attitudes need to change and this first-class documentary will help.
The prejudice against people with disabilities is a major alibi for the Tories to justify refusing them basic civil rights, and refusing to spend public money on improving facilities and improving access. It is also a means to 'divide and rule'.
- The Hidden Story of Disabled Britain is on BBC Two on iPlayer
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The coronavirus crisis has laid bare the class character of society in numerous ways. It is making clear to many that it is the working class that keeps society running, not the CEOs of major corporations.
The results of austerity have been graphically demonstrated as public services strain to cope with the crisis.
The government has now ripped up its 'austerity' mantra and turned to policies that not long ago were denounced as socialist. But after the corona crisis, it will try to make the working class pay for it, by trying to claw back what has been given.
- The Socialist Party's material is more vital than ever, so we can continue to report from workers who are fighting for better health and safety measures, against layoffs, for adequate staffing levels, etc.
- When the health crisis subsides, we must be ready for the stormy events ahead and the need to arm workers' movements with a socialist programme - one which puts the health and needs of humanity before the profits of a few.
Inevitably, during the crisis we have not been able to sell the Socialist and raise funds in the ways we normally would.
We therefore urgently appeal to all our viewers to donate to our Fighting Fund.
In The Socialist 27 January 2021:
News
Covid spreading, poverty rising, rich get richer, fight for socialism!
Health, Covid and the vaccine: It's a class issue
Poverty wages: When workers can't afford to self-isolate
Fees frozen at £9,250 a year, fight for free education
DVLA Covid outbreak: They only care about output and productivity
Jaguar Land Rover: West Midlands superspreader
Schools
Schools: 'We have to fight for everything'
Martin Powell-Davies for NEU DGS: "We need to use our collective strength"
What we think
Biden, Labour, and the need for a new mass workers' party
Workplace news
Sage care workers strike again: Billionaires refuse to pay up
Unison NEC elections: United left challenge needed to fight slaughter of jobs and services
Steel site scaffolders strike for the 'rate of the job'
Merseyside: DHL workers at Burton's Biscuits strike against half-baked pay deal and bullying bosses
British Gas engineers continue strike against fire-and-rehire plans
Low-paid hospital workers strike
NHS
Overwhelmed, underfunded, underpaid, and still fighting for safe PPE
Health worker cooperation in the face of the pandemic
Arab Spring
Ten years since the 'Arab Spring'
TUSC
TUSC is up and running for May elections
Come to the TUSC local elections conference - 7 February
Why I'm leaving Labour and campaigning for TUSC
Councillors in Surrey resign from Labour and look to stand independently
Campaigns
Solidarity meeting with Mohamud Hassan
Save Our Square from New Labour gentrification
Help fund a challenge to austerity at the ballot box - donate today!
International socialist news and analysis
Mass protests in Russia against Putin regime
Review
TV review: The Hidden Story of Disabled Britain
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