The War on Disabled People - by Ellen Clifford (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

In 2016, a United Nations report found the UK government culpable for 'grave and systematic violations' of disabled people's rights. Since then, driven by the Tory government's obsessive drive to slash public spending whilst scapegoating the most disadvantaged in society, the situation for disabled people in Britain has continued to deteriorate. Punitive welfare regimes, the removal of essential support and services, and an ideological regime that seeks to deny disability has resulted in a situation described by the UN as a 'human catastrophe'.

In this searing account, Ellen Clifford - an activist who has been at the heart of resistance against the war on disabled people - reveals precisely how and why this state of affairs has come about. From spineless political opposition to self-interested disability charities, rightwing ideological myopia to the media demonization of benefits claimants, a shocking picture emerges of how the government of the fifth-richest country in the world has been able to marginalize disabled people with near-impunity. Even so, and despite austerity biting ever deeper, the fightback has begun, with a vibrant movement of disabled activists and their supporters determined to hold the government to account - the slogan 'Nothing About Us Without Us' has never been so apt. As this book so powerfully demonstrates, if Britain is to stand any chance of being a just and equitable society, their battle is one we should all be fighting.

Review Quotes

"A new book by disabled activist Ellen Clifford could not be more timely. Clifford, who is active in the UK with the Disabled People Against the Cuts (DPAC) looks at the intersection between capitalism and disability and how disabled activists have been fighting against the austerity agenda in the UK ... The courage, commitment and clarity of politics found in Clifford's book are a resource that anyone who is serious about building a better world can draw on." - Spring Magazine

"The War on Disabled People is a must-read book on resistance to the "conscious cruelty" of austerity, which attacks the most disadvantaged ... Clifford's book thoroughly documents the government's ideological policy agenda of welfare reforms to rip away the welfare-state safety net and put conscious cruelty at the heart of their austerity agenda." --Morning Star

"A fascinating and well-researched understanding of how, since 2010, the lives of disabled people in the UK have been negatively impacted by political decisions including austerity and capitalism ... The book packs a punch. It leaves the reader in no doubt about how each separate austerity cut has cumulatively affected and eroded the lives of disabled people." --Independent Living

"'A vivid account of the systemic oppression on people labelled "disabled" and is essential reading for everyone concerned about inequality and injustice." --Colin Barnes, University of Leeds

"'If you want to resist the cold cruelty of the war on disabled people and its intensification in the age of austerity, this book is utterly indispensable." --John Clarke, Ontario Coalition Against Poverty

"Disabled people have suffered terribly in the period of Tory austerity. Just bad luck? Ellen Clifford gives the answer and explores the uncaring politics behind this harsh regime of punishing the vulnerable. This is an essential book." --Ken Loach, filmmaker & activist

"A valuable framework for our continued resistance against the continuing onslaught of purely ideological attacks on our human rights." --Linda Burnip, Disabled People Against Cuts

"As the proportion of disabled people gets ever larger in societies globally, this becomes a must-read text." --Peter Beresford, University of Essex and Co-Chair of Shaping Our Lives

"'A forensic account of the devastating assault on disabled people's benefits and services." --Roddy Slorach, author of A Very Capitalist Condition: A History and Politics of Disability

About the Author

Ellen Clifford is a disabled activist who has worked within the disability sector, for over twenty years. She currently serves on the National Steering Group for Disabled People Against Cuts.
Ellen Clifford is a disabled activist who has worked within the disability sector, for over twenty years. She currently serves on the National Steering Group for Disabled People Against Cuts.