UKIP candidate apologises for party stance on the disabled

Perhaps one of the better things to come out of the BAPS meeting on Wednesday was a frank admission by the local UKIP candidate that the party had let itself down in regards to the comments of its former member Owen Lister, who stated that disabled children should be guillotined at birth. UKIP candidate Adrian Murray-Leonard was confronted by an incensed disabled rights campaigner, Mr John Sullivan, who angrily asked Mr Murray-Leonard whether he supported the comments of Owen Lister. The Barnet Eye spoke to Mr Murray-Leonard on Thursday and he was bemused by Mr Sullivans comments. As a result of the Barnet Eye blog and conversations with the local party, Mr Murray-Leonard read the full story. He states that he'd never heard of Mr Lister and his comments prior to being approached by Mr Sullivan. I suggested that Mr Murray-Leonard should read the full story and then comment. He has now read the full story and here is his comment

Hi Roger

After reading that Daily Mirror article,it made me feel quite sick to be honest.

I have never heard of Owen Lister nor do i particularly want to know him.I fully understand Mr Sullivan`s anger towards me on Wednesday evening.

UK independence party have now set up a dedicated vetting team to root out the fruitloops of society,i will certainly bring this individual (Lister) to their attention and do my best to have him brought to account,i have no powers to their decisions.

Please send my warmest regards to Mr Sullivan,as you know me better than he does

Adrian.

It can only be a positive thing that the UKIP candidate has made his position on this 100% clear. In private talks with UKIP officials, they agreed that given the fact Mr Sullivan has a disabled daughter, Mr Sullivan was well withing his rights to raise the matter in such a forthright manner. They also agreed that a man who had publicly made such disgusting comments, should never have been given a platform by their party. 

There is however a far more disturbing story, one which both Mr Murray-Leonard and Mr Sullivan have missed. Whilst UKIP have not covered themselves in glory, the original story in the Mirror shows a far more scandalous story  http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/tory-deputy-mayor-owen-lister-558677#.UnpB-P0YiHM.twitter  - 

Mr Lister was a member of the Conservative party and a deputy Mayor when he made the comments. The local authority he was serving on took disciplinary action against him and suspended him from the Council. The charge was for bringing the council into disrepute with his comments. The Barnet Eye fully agrees that this was an appropriate punishment for the authority to take. What became clear however is that whilst the Council recognised that Mr Lister was beyond the pale, the Conservative Party did not. One has to ask the question "WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO DO TO GET SLUNG OUT OF THE CONSERVATIVE PARTY". Researching the story of Mr Lister  I found the answer  http://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/news/2096074.Conservatives_sack_councillor_for_joining_UKIP/  Mr Lister was later slung out of the Conservative Party. You may ask "what could be worse than suggesting that disabled babies should be guillotined?" Well if you are a Conservative, it appears that joining UKIP is a worse crime. That is the warped world of British politics. Whilst Mr Murray-Leonard of UKIP conceded that if he agreed with Lister, Mr Sullivan would have been within his rights to thump him, let alone tell him off, the Tory Party think that Mr Lister was a valued member until he joined UKIP. So what can we conclude about the Tory party attitude towards the disabled? Well of all the groups in society, the disabled have been hardest hit by the Tory cuts both locally in Barnet and Nationally. Whilst I have no doubt that many Tory members would recoil at the thought of guillotining handicapped babies, they are quite happy to champion cuts, which will ruin the lives of such babies. We hear stories of "care packages" being cut. If a handicapped person needs care and it is cut, we can only conclude that they "dont care".

So what can we conclude from this. Well what I would conclude is this. I am not a Conservative voter. If however I was a Conservative voter and I lived in Barnet and believed the UK would be better off outside of the EU (which I most definately don't), I would defect to UKIP. Whatever his faults, Mr Murray-Leonard at least has the human decency to state unequivicably that the views of Mr Lister are abhorrent. In the Barnet council chamber, Conservative members have voted time and time again for policies which hurt the disabled. They may not be so crass as to call for them to be gullotined, but their policies are extremely cruel and heartless, to a group who has no choice but to suffer them. The one character trait I despise above all others is dishonesty. I admire people who can admit they got it wrong. Mr Murray-Leonard admitted that when he realised the reasons for Mr Sullivans anger, he fully understood it and actually felt Mr Sullivan had probably been more reasonable than the situation warranted. It is almost unheard of for a Politician to admit they deserved a thump, but in this case, it shows a realistic understanding of the situation. Sadly, Mr Murray-Leonard seems to be unique in the world of Barnet politics for acknowledging that parents of disabled children such as Mr Sullivan are not being "unreasonable" or "cranks" when they stand up for their childrens rights.

For the record, I do not agree at all with the majority of UKIP policies. I believe that the only way the UK can remain prosperous and influential is to remain in the EU. I disagree with many UKIP policies on immigration and I find their economic policies to be naive in the extreme. With regards to local policies, I agreed with the fact they weren't invited onto the BAPS panel, as they haven't published any. I suspect that Mr Murray -Leonard is going to cause a lot of trouble in Barnet in the coming months. I suspect that most of it will be for the local Conservatives, because despite all of his faults, he is not afraid to stand above the parapet and take the shots. Given the total anonymity of the local Conservatives and their total cowardice in not turning up for the BAPS meeting, Mr Murray-Leonard is onto a winner. Only the dimmest Tory will fail to realise that Mr Murray-Leonards stunt at BAPS has gained him great publicity and raised his local profile. We can only conclude that he relished the role of the hard done by outsider and that this will do him a lot of good with disgruntled Tory voters.

A lesson in life

So what did you spend the last week doing? Watching the Olympics? Enjoying the summer holidays? Maybe you went abroad for a week and were on holiday. Maybe you still are. We ALL need a break from the routine of our life, a change of scenery and the chance to unwind, recharge our batteries and have a break from our normal routine. There is nothing I like more than getting away with family and friends, sinking a few beers and catching up on my sleep. Most of all I like a few days of not blogging, it does get a little bit draining.

So you may wonder, what was I up to last week? Well yes, I was away. I asked for a few guest blogs and I've been inundated. So much so that I've a load for next week as well. I wanted to enjoy the Olympics, so I did ask for some, so I'll be restricting my blogging over the next week (unless something really needs addressing). But that wasn't what I wanted to talk about. I wanted to tell you about my holiday. I went away with someone very special who I love very dearly. She's a beautiful woman and she's not my wife ! You will (hopefully) be pleased to know that Mrs T gave the arrangement her full approval and I took two of my children and adopted another one for the week. Who was the woman? My cousin Theresa. Theresa is a few months younger than me. She lives in Barnet, in the care of Barnet Council and is a very special person. This picture is us enjoying a drink in the Riviera Sol Cafe.

My cousin has Downes syndrome and this is her holiday for the year. We went with HCPT (a charity) and stayed at Hosanna House in Bartres, which is three kilometres outside Lourdes. Our group consisted of 40 people, nine of whom needed some form of help and assistance. I give what talents I possess to the group. My role includes a fair bit of driving (not after I've drunk any alcohol, I hasten to add, as there is a zero tolerance for drink & driving - the picture was on my 'day off') of minibuses. I also use my small talents as a musician to try and entertain the group.

My cousin loves visiting Lourdes with the group. The group is inclusive, with everyone doing all activities together. It is impossible to describe what the experience we had was like. Although a pilgrimage to Lourdes has a strong religious theme, with our group this is based on practical help of every member of the team and reflection on ways we can be better people within our own system of belief, whatever that is. My 'adopted' son for the week is Jewish. He came because he wanted to help with the group (strapping lads who can lift and push wheelchairs are at a premium). He confessed to me that before travelling he had minor worries that people in the group would not necessarily accept him because of his faith. By the end of the first day, his worries were dispelled. It wouldn't surprise me if one day, he would make a very able rabbi (although I don't think that's on his plan right now).  He was rather relieved to find that we didn't say the rosary once during the week (although in the past we've had one or two who have felt their wasn't a big enough 'Catholic' element within our particular group). The overwhelming view in our group is that our expression of faith is more based on the practical and the sense of brother and sisterhood we develop during the week.

The reason that most of the helpers come is because they get a huge amount out of helping people, who otherwise wouldn't get a holiday to get out and about. Hosanna House is specially equipped for dealing with handicapped people. This means that there are hoists to lift people, nurses and doctors within the group and everywhere is wheelchair accessable.

One of our group, Helen, who has spent her life in a wheelchair spent an hour with the CEO of the HCPT trust explaining why the rooms are not fit for purpose. It amazes me that resources such as Helen are never usually consulted. The practical things such as ample room for helpers to get someone on  a toilet, push button door openers, rooms laid out to allow hoist access. I asked Helen why she likes this group as she's not particularly religious and she explained that most activities for the handicapped involve activities like basket weaving and being patronised. That doesn't happen with our group.

I have been going with the group most years since 2001. I used to take my disabled mum. When she passed away in 2008, I started taking Theresa. One thing which has become clear is that for many of the people within the group, the cuts imposed by the coalition are starting to bite. It also appears that less people generally are going away due to precious money being needed for day to day living. As I said, we all need a break. For people with disabilities, living in hostels or care homes, this is especially necessary. It is easier for disabled members of society who belong to faith groups to go on holiday. The Catholic church, for all it's faults, does look after people and most churches have appeals to send people to Lourdes, which are well sponsored. It disturbs me greatly that people of different or no faith, who don't have such a support network, are in effect financially excluded, because they don't have a machine to raise money for their holiday. HCPT do not discriminate against people who are not Catholic in who goes and who gets financial assistance. Having said that there are many people who our trip would not be their cup of tea, so many will completely miss out.

I go to Lourdes with our group for many reasons. The sheer joy which I saw on Theresa's face for much of the week was reason enough. We are the same age and were born six months apart in the same bit of Barnet. Probably 99.999% of our gene's (being cousins) are the same. Sadly the .0001% which gave her Downes syndrome, has meant we have had very different lives. We as we walked down the road or sat in bars that .0001% defined how we are treated and regarded.

Perhaps the saddest irony of our week in Lourdes is that in 1944, Lourdes was under Nazi occupation. This shrine where millions of sick and disabled people have visited was controlled by a monstrous regime who's policy towards people such as my cousin was one of instant death. They would have considered Theresa to be a worthless life, one with no purpose and they would have executed her. All of the joy she brings to the world would be lost.

As far as I'm concerned, anyone who discriminates against my cousin, because of that .0001% genetic difference is as much a Nazi as those evil bastards who sponsored a state execution of her ilk. Once you  start walking down the road to saying "These people" and reducing their status as human beings you are on the rocky road back to gas chambers. The disabled were the first victims of the Nazi repression.

I look at the arrogant, smug policies of the rotund politicians, some of whom in Barnet live in flats provided by charities and I despair. I  often wonder just how you can get through to people who really don't give a shit about their fellow man.  What especially disturbs me is how David Cameron, who had a disabled son, can preside over cuts which so disadvantage my friends who I travelled with? I genuinely thought that his experiences would make him a different kind of Tory. The stories I've heard of the effects of cuts in the last week have convinced me that Cameron is perhaps even more callous and heartless than those who have not had such a lesson in life. It had never really occurred to me before, but it is rather clear that some of us can attend a lesson in life and totally ignore it.

One final thing I must say. When I get back, a few people usually say to me 'Oh, you are so marvellous taking your cousin away'. Not a bit of it. I had a complete blast all week. It was great.

Have a great Sunday. I'm now off to open a beer and watch the Olympics !

What government cuts mean to people on benefits in Barnet.

So you think that we have a fair and compassionate government? You think everyone in Barnet is doing well? Let me tell you that you need to think again. Yesterday an old school friend of mine popped into the shop. Why? Her daughter is doing business studies GCSE and she is doing a project on the impact of the recession on a local business. Her daughter has been in diligently working on it. She came in two weeks ago and this was a follow up, to clarify the some of my answers. The daughter is at the Wren Academy.

After I'd answered all of the questions (I must say that the young lady is a credit to her mum and her school), I asked my friend how she was getting on. I've known he since my days at Orange Hill School. At school she was a popular, attractive and intelligent girl. When she left school she started a successful career and was soon on a decent wage. She had a daughter bought a house and was earning £45,000 a year. Then she developed a debiltating chronic degenerative illness. She has been on benefit for the last few years, unable to work and struggling to bring up her daughter. She has a close local network of friends and family who help out with childcare and needs the help of friends.

As she is well organised and sensible, she was managing Ok. That was until this government got in. I didn't know, but for people such as her on disability benefit with a mortgage, the government used to pay 2/3rds of the mortgage interest. At a stroke, this was cut to 1/3rd. Can you imagine how this affects someone living with chronic illness and trying to raise a daughter? As we discussed it she said "Did you know that Free school dinners no longer exist in Barnet?" I queried this. I know of familys who get them. No they don't, she said. Barnet give an allowance of £1.80 a day. At the Wren Academy, the average cost of a meal is £3.50 a day. That is a shortfall of £1.70. Now to you and me that may seem like nothing, but to someone on a tightly balanced budget, it is a fortune. Her daughter is a diligent student. Wheras treats from granny for most children are CD's or chocolates, for her it is printer ink cartridges to do her homework. In all my friend has a £45 a week budget gap. She has had this since October. She spoke to the Council. They said "Sell your house and move". If only it were that simple, her daughter is studying GCSE's and will be for the next year and a half. Wren Academy follows a fairly unique syllabus, so she her education would be completely disrupted if she moved. She will also be cut off from her support network of family and friends.

As my friend told me this, I mused upon the various tribulations of the disabled in Barnet. It suddenly occurred to me that maybe Barnet have secretly embarked on a program of ethnically cleansing the disabled and downtrodden from the Borough. Every spiteful cut demoralises people more. Eventually they will be driven out, to cheaper parts of the country. The sickening thing about this is that Barnet is one of the richest areas of the country. The disabled are being sacrificed to keep property taxes low for the well off.

Do you really want want the local authority to drive all of the ill, disabled, handicapped out? Is that the sort of society you want to be a part of. My friend is quite happy to move, once her daughter has completed her education. In the meantime, she is absolutely stuffed and in a state of despair.

I helped filmmaker Charles Honderick make a film called A Tale of Two Barnets to give people such as my friend a voice. Please support the film and come and see it at one of the showings. The full details are on the Film website. 


http://ataleoftwobarnets.yolasite.com/