Campaign seeks to bring victims of austerity 'to the table'

A new campaigning group, Cradle2Grave, has come together to "join the dots together after being battered and bruised by Tory austerity for six years".

It points out that many of the poorest in society who are living on the breadline on meagre social security payments, or working on minimum wage zero hour contracts, are experiencing hardships not seen since World War II.

The campaign cites the Work Capability Assessment (WCA), the loss of the Independent Living Fund (ILP), the removal of the Disability Living Allowance (DLA) and its replacement by the "critically flawed Personal Independence Payment" (PIP). It points to the bedroom tax, sanctions, workfare, the rise in food banks and cuts to public services "to name just a few of the attacks against the most vulnerable people in society."

Thousands of deaths have occurred as a direct result of the removal of the safety net those individuals relied upon to survive, but, says the campaign. "that's not something the DWP are in a hurry to report to the British people."

It points out that campaigners have been very vocal about the hardships faced by many due to job losses, social care cuts, poor mental health provision, and  provision for disabled people, saying that "Westminster have [sic] targeted them in policy after policy".

Yet, says the campaign, despite the United Nations investigating the UK for "grave and systemic violations of disabled people's rights", the media have failed to highlight this issue which Cradle2Grave describes as "one of the shameful events of 21st century Britain". Despite some within the Labour party supporting campaigners during the last six years, they say many feel their voices are not heard, and that "they have been silenced by the constant drip of poisonous rhetoric by an extreme right wing government fed to the general public, who are too busy making ends meet to notice what is really happening."

Urging Labour to pay attention to its use of words such as 'benefit', 'welfare' and 'handouts' and to recognise that not everyone is capable of paid employment, it calls on those "fighting on the front line" to be brought to the table so their lived experiences may be told.

It believes its campaign is vitally important to inform the public and gain their support. It aims to place a crowdfunded poster, designed by Cross Border Alliance and the Black Triangle Campaign, in every town.

The campaign is supported by Ken Loach and Paul Laverty who created the critically acclaimed new film I, Daniel Blake, which exposes the painful realities of 'welfare reform'.

The campaign says "we are looking for donations to crowd fund this ambition, but also support from fellow campaigners to unite together to support this. We are all fighting the same fight and unity is strength."

*Cradle2Grave http://www.cradle2grave.co.uk/

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