How Labour's Welfare Bill Dehumanises Disabled People In The UKOn the politicisation of disabled bodyminds
Between work meetings where I am supporting vulnerable disabled children and adults. Amongst the stresses and turmoils of my personal life as a disabled parent and professional. Seeping into my thoughts as I lay in bed trying desperately to recover from a day of working as a disabled adult; I have been watching and following the political debates around the Labour party's welfare bill. For context, I have supported and voted for the Labour party since I was 18 years old. I am a card carrying membership of the Labour party. I truly have believed in the values they have held as a party. But Starmer’s Labour? This is not the Labour I recognise or support. This party that promised to help the average person has lost sight of it's disabled population, reducing us to a site of political debate rather than the human beings that we are. I am a disabled professional, and their proposed changes to the benefits system have the potential to end the employment of countless like me, and kill countless more of us via a politics of poverty. It says a lot about our value in the eyes of Starmer's government that our lives are worth less than the pitiful savings their welfare bill purports to provide. Disabled people are not a cost to be debated. We are human beings with lives, and loves, and thoughts, and feelings. We have dreams and hopes. We face barriers that many MPs can not even imagine, and yet Labour have chosen to create more barriers. Barriers that have been projected to place 150,000 more of us into poverty by 2030. My body is not yours to debate. My existence is not yours to place value on. Disabled rights are human rights, and this cruel and misguided welfare bill not only amounts to the effective denial of our rights, it places our lives at risk. And yet, the Labour leadership pata itself on the back while sending us off into the void. We can not remain silent. Join Our Online Protest By Visiting The Facebook Event Page Here If you're not on Facebook, the online protest starts on Friday 4th at 12pm UK time. “Call To Action! Online die in, show Labour what they are causing by cutting benefits, these cuts WILL kill! What do we need from you? We need a photo of you on the floor, in bed, slumped in your car or on a chair with your eyes shut. Holding a sign if you want to with #LabourDieIn #BenefitCutsKill #MoreThanABudget We want to launch this Friday, so look out for us and join in!” Invite your friends and earn rewardsIf you enjoy David Gray-Hammond, share it with your friends and earn rewards when they subscribe.
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Tuesday, 1 July 2025
How Labour's Welfare Bill Dehumanises Disabled People In The UK
The World Won't Let Me Feel Tired
The audacity to feel tired has become a luxury.We’re not longer allowed to say we’re exhausted unless there’s something visibly demanding to point to, like heavy lifting, night shifts, endless meetings and/or screaming children. If we do not have physical proof of strain, our tiredness doesn’t count. We’re not allowed to complain. We’re not allowed to say ‘I’m tired’, unless we’ve somehow earned it in a way others can easily recognize and validate. Mental exhaustion? Emotional fatigue? The kind of tiredness that comes from strategizing endlessly, from carrying invisible stress, from constantly anticipating the next thing? All the things we do whilst sitting down, staring at our computers and/or our phone screens? That’s not seen as real work that would’ve warrant a rest. That’s easily dismissed by society as ‘being lazy’. Whenever we try to express that kind of tired, we’re always met with a scoff, a side-eye or the all-too familiar phrase: ‘But you’re not doing anything.’ As if staying still means we’re not strategizing. As if not moving means not working. As if being tired is a privilege reserved for people who are older, wealthier, overworked or those who’ve somehow ‘earned’ their right to rest. It’s unfair, but then again, this is the lie we’ve been sold: that unless we’re breaking our backs, visibly drained and emotionally unraveling in front of others, we haven’t earned the right to slow down. Feeling tired is no longer seen as a natural human signal. It’s treated like a privilege. The right to be tired now feels like a status symbol, an exclusive membership reserved for those with obvious, measurable burdens. It’s a quiet tragedy, really, the way we’ve been taught to ignore our own exhaustion. But just because society dismisses our fatigue doesn’t mean we have to. Listening to your body is not a weakness. Slowing down is not failure. It’s resistance, and it’s necessary, especially in the world that never slows down. Sincerely, Cherie. (I’ve also submitted this writing to be published on Journal Kita, a Medium publication for Indonesian writers. Since it’s still under review, feel free to check out all their other writings). The Whiffler is free today. But if you enjoyed this post, you can tell The Whiffler that their writing is valuable by pledging a future subscription. You won't be charged unless they enable payments.
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Monday, 30 June 2025
Now Accepting Applications: 2025–2026 John E. Rovensky Fellowships in Business and Economic History
The 2025–2026 John E. Rovensky Fellowships CFA is open through July 30, 2025. The fellowships support doctoral research in business and economic history. Funded by a gift from the late John E. Rovensky and administered by the University of Illinois Foundation, these fellowships offer $11,000 each to outstanding Ph.D. candidates whose dissertations demonstrate excellence in archival research and potential for contributing to the field. There are two fellowship tracks: 🔹 John E. Rovensky Fellowship in U.S. Business or Economic History Open to Ph.D. students at U.S. universities working on dissertations focused on U.S. business or economic history. 🔹 John E. Rovensky Fellowship in International Business or Economic History Designed for students in U.S. doctoral programs conducting research on business or economic history outside the United States. Each application requires a CV, a six-page research statement, and one letter of recommendation. The submission deadline is July 30, 2025, and recipients will be announced in late August. We encourage all eligible doctoral candidates to apply and help carry forward rigorous, archive-based scholarship in business and economic history. You're currently a free subscriber to Organizational History Network. For the full experience, upgrade your subscription.
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No Mental Health Conference Ticket? No Problem!
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Dear Reader, To read this week's post, click here: https://teachingtenets.wordpress.com/2025/07/02/aphorism-24-take-care-of-your-teach...
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A slightly unconventional guide to your first time ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ...
