Disabled campaigners are launching a UK branch of international group @CripTheVote (@CripTheVoteUK) to put urgent disability issues on the UK General Election 2017 agenda.
Our launch video, hosted by Eleanor Lisney, is here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Kh-6djoTTE&feature=youtu.be
CripTheVoteUK is asking supporters to join in online today and be part of the campaign by sharing the hashtag #CripTheVoteUK, and sharing photos with their poll cards and a commitment to “spend 10 minutes to save 10,000 lives” by using their vote this 8 June.
You can see some here:
https://www.instagram.com/cripthevoteuk/
“At this point in time, disabled people are quite literally voting for our lives,” said Dennis Queen, a campaigner in CTVUK’s network . “We need ALL voters to know this is an emergency for thousands of disabled people and help us fight back,” she added.
CripTheVoteUK aims to ask voters to think about how their vote affects us, to encourage disabled people, our friends and families to register if needed, go postal if it's more accessible, and USE their vote in the General Election.
Disabled voters, our families, the families of disabled children and close allies make up around half of the voting population - enough people to create a big effect on what happens in the General Election.
Eleanor Lisney, disability activist #CriptheVoteUK, said “ disabled people should make sure they tell the politicians that, for 13 million in the voting age, they make a substantial number. They need to vote in order to get a chance to survive the future onslaught on their human rights.”
CripTheVoteUK would hope to find disability issues on the agenda of ALL political parties, so we will share their relevant material and generate discussion about the issues affecting disabled people, including children.
CripTheVoteUK does not promote any party or group, but we are not non-critical. We also cannot ignore or condone that disabled people of all ages, and our families, have been grossly harmed by the existing government, which has come under investigation by the United Nations and our own Equality and Human Rights Commission, both of whom condemned them for many abuses, including thousands of deaths which could have been stopped.
For example at least 10,000 disabled people have died in the last 7 years (since 2010) within 6 weeks of being declared Fit For Work, and the government ignored warnings about this in its early stages.
Alex Haagaard, a founding member of @CripTheVoteUK said “The prospect that this government might receive a renewed mandate to continue their harassment, neglect and - in the end - extermination of disabled people frankly terrifies me.”
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#CripTheVoteUK is shaping up fast, in keeping with the United Kingdom's typically fast-track approach to elections.
Whether you are in the UK and have a direct interest in disability policy there, or are simply interested from afar, be sure to read the tweets, contribute your own, join the chats, and visit the #CripTheVoteUK social media sites. And of course, when you have something to say, make sure it's included by adding the hashtag: #CripTheVoteUK. If you want to share it with #CripTheVote too, you can always add that as a second hashtag.
#CripTheVoteUK - Blog
@CripTheVoteUK - Twitter
#CripTheVoteUK - Facebook
#CripTheVoteUK - Thunderclap
Online campaign ‘could enable disabled people to affect election outcome’
John Pring, Disability News Service - April 27, 2017
What is #CripTheVote – and why do we need it?
Errol Kerr, Verbal Remedy - April 30, 2017