2014 marks the 40th anniversary of the creation of what was then called the “Minister for the Disabled”. As latest ministerial incumbent Mike Penning settles into the role, what difference has such a role made over the years? “I came into politics to make a difference in people’s lives,” says Mike Penning MP, the new […]
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Walk on the Wild Side
Perhaps because most of us live in towns and cities, the appeal of the great outdoors has never been greater, but just how accessible is the British countryside? Paul F Cockburn finds out… “Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to […]
Bringing the Law to bear
“In many ways disability hate crime is the hate crime that has been overlooked. The criminal justice system must therefore change to provide an improved service for those with disabilities.” That isn’t the opinion of an exasperated disability campaigner – it’s the reasoned, evidence-based view of Michael Fuller, HM Chief Inspector of the Crown Prosecution […]
In an Alien Landscape
The artistic imperative is possibly the most distinctive aspect of what makes us human, but centuries of seeking the source of our innate need to express how we experience the world, remains unclear; and surely no more so than in the exceedingly rare Sudden Artistic Output Syndrome—so exceptional an occurrence, it hasn’t even got its […]
Who is Esther McVey?
Earlier this year, Prime Minister David Cameron and Chancellor George Osborne were criticised for being “two arrogant posh boys” with “no passion to want to understand the lives of others”. Neither of Nadine Dorries’ stinging criticisms, however, can be leveled at the Coalition Government’s second Minister for Disabled People, Esther McVey MP. “I was born […]
Access to Parliament
When Aberdeen South MP Anne Begg became the first full-time wheelchair-user to be elected to the House of Commons, the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 had been active for little more than six months — with most of its legal provisions yet to scheduled, let alone introduced. So it was hardly surprising that Begg — made […]
Kaite O’Reilly Interview
Disabled people’s lives are the focus of a new production from National Theatre Wales. Writer Kaite O’Reilly explains the origins of the piece. It’s the most cliched — and some would say most vital — question you can ask a writer: where do they get their ideas and inspiration from? For the multi-award-winning playwright Kaite […]
