Right lovely people. While they are doing the hunter-gathering, I'm going to bring back a little feature I used to do months ago. Some of you might remember it, it's the return of #WonderWomanWednesday for one week only in celebration of #InternationalWomensDay. 1
All these ladies are truly magnificent and I am honoured to know them. So, without further ado here we go. (The regular #BCLI will still take place on Friday as usual)2
🧵Today is #InternationalWomensDay and to mark the occasion I'm writing this thread on the domestic abuse endured by disabled women, with particular reference to how the Social Security system can leave them trapped in such toxic situations with no realistic prospect of escape 1
Research by the domestic abuse charity Safelives found that disabled women were twice as likely than non-disabled women to experience domestic abuse, and that the abuse itself would last significantly longer, on average for disabled women in comparison to their nondisabled…2
Counterparts.The report also found that the perpetrators of this abuse are often also providers of care to their victims. This means that they have the ability to exercise significant levels of coercive control because victims may be reliant on them for things such as… 3
🧵 my lovely night owls! I hope you’re all well. The problems with Twitter today regarding not being able to see links or or images highlight the increasing fragility of our community. Not in terms of our incredibly strong bonds of friendship, but rather of our ability…1
To continue to communicate with each other. If this platform were to suddenly die, we would risk losing all the wonderful connections we have built up on here over the years. And there are genuinely people who I have met on here and now couldn’t imagine life without.…2
While I do have the means of contacting some of you lovely people outside of Twitter (for which I am very grateful), there are still many people with who, Twitter is my only means of communication, and I would be genuinely devastated if I could never find them again. 3
Right, here we go as promised yesterday a thread on the #StartleReflex and why I find it so incredibly frustrating. 1
It's quite common among babies to have such a reflex which causes them to 'jump out of their skin' at the slightest little unexpected noise. While many people soon grow out of it, that's not the case for an unlucky gang of which I am a member. Part of the impact of my 2
Cerebral palsy means that I have this reflex for life. This means that whenever I hear an unexpected or unpleasantly loud noise I am always prone to the overfull feeling of being momentarily gripped with a sense of confusion while I work out what's going on. It's even worse 3
As many of you will most likely know, I have never had a partner of any description in my entire life, mainly as a result of laws governing joint income for people in receipt of social security. I have long been campaigning to… 1
change these laws and that fight is still ongoing. However this thread is not about an explanation of the laws and the general consequences, you can read more about that in the piece that I will link at the bottom, although it will be slightly outdated for reasons which…2
I will shortly explain. For the past two years, ever since I began the #RightToLove campaign, it was my belief that it would be better for me not to seek a life partner for several reasons. The first being that I didn’t want to risk becoming financially dependent on her…3
🧵The thing that strikes me about that Civitas report from yesterday isn't the headline figures, it's the fact they factored in schools and the NHS as well. Not only does that make the figures look grossly inflated, but also it says a lot for the mentality of the organisation. 1
It's one of those Tufton Street think tanks; not only do they not believe in working age Social Security, but they actually want a complete dismantling of the public sector, including schools and healthcare. No wonder they included that in their ridiculous report. 2
And yet the right-wing lap it up, because they love to have a go at the mythical 'dependency culture', which they have been told is their enemy since at least the run-up to the 2010 election. It is of course talking bollocks, it was then, however that doesn't stop..3
Honestly the fact that the idea of giving people who need social security vouchers instead of money is doing the rounds again really makes my blood boil! Another short #Thread 1
How is this meant to work exactly? Would we only be able to get our shopping from approved stores and then only certain goods? What if you didn't live anywhere near one of the approved stores? What if you needed to pay for a service rather than a physical item? 2
For example, a repair to your dishwasher, washing machine or other such essential appliance. What happens if you need to buy something that isn't available in one of the approved stores but is nevertheless vital to your existence? Indeed, this boils down to the central question 3