Back in June last year BBC South East Today interviewed me about the rise in disability hate crime as the result of DWP propaganda portraying us as universally fakes and scroungers. The BBC gave Mark Reckless MP (Conservative, Rochester and Strood) a chance to put the government view. Unfortunately rather than condemning the abuse, he chose to come out with the appalling line "A lot of my constituents, hard-working people ... they feel real anger when they see people ... they don't believe are disabled" (it's a long, convoluted sentence, but I don't believe I've distorted his meaning). No thought that people are not competent to judge the disability of others, no thought about whether the disabled person is entitled to what they receive, no thought they might not even be a benefit claimant (I had abuse even while working and claiming nothing), just a chilling Conservative assertion that jealousy legitimises hatred against the disabled.
As the rise in disability hate crime is in the news again this came up in discussion today, and someone pointed out that the interview with Mark Reckless is actually up on his web-site. Apparently he's proud of what he said.
I was going to put up the letter that I sent him, and to which he never replied, but I think his words speak for themselves, and for the attitude of his party.
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