• Search
  • Books
  • Blog
  • Events
  • Media
  • About
  • Search Close
  • Cart
  • Search Search
  • Close Close
Back
— The War on Disabled People — £ $ £ $
Share: Share article on Facebook Tweet article on Twitter Pin article on Pinterest Email to a friend

Please enable JavaScript to be able to buy books.

Free Shipping:
UK > £20 | EU > £50 | US & CA > US$25

The War on Disabled People

Capitalism, Welfare and the Making of a Human Catastrophe

Ellen Clifford

Blows the lid on what has been described by the UN as a 'human catastrophe' – the government’s war on disabled people

  • Overview
  • Author Bio
  • Table of Contents
  • Reviews
  • Details

Description

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.


Author Bio

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.


Table of Contents

  • Part I Hidden in Plain Sight: the social context for the war on disabled people 1
    • 1. Who are disabled people?  
    • 2. Justifiable exclusion: attitudes and othering of disabled people  
    • 3. From asylums to independent living: disabled people on the edge of society  
  • Part II Targeting Disabled People: retrogressive legislation and policy since 2010  
    • 4. Welfare ‘reform’  
    • 5. Independent living cuts  
  • Part III Human Catastrophe: the impact of austerity and welfare reform  
    • 6. The human cost  
    • 7. Re-segregating society  
    • 8. Political fallout  
  • Part IV Understanding the Welfare War: why disabled people are under attack
    • 9. A story of ideology and incompetence  
    • 10. Collaborators  
  • Part V Fighting Back: the rise of resistance  
    • 11. Forefront of the fightback  
    • 12. Concluding thoughts: where do we go from here?  

Reviews

‘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 

‘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

‘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

‘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

‘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

'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

Details

Publication Date: 18 June 2020
264 pages

Product ISBNs: Paperback: 9781786996640
Hardback: 9781786998903
eBook ePub: 9781786996664
eBook Kindle: 9781786996671

Related Books

Revolting Subjects

Social Abjection and Resistance in Neoliberal Britain

Imogen Tyler Imaginative and original, Revolting Subjects introduces a range of new insights into neoliberal societies, and will be essential reading for those concerned about widening inequalities, growing social unrest and social justice in the wider global context.

Romaphobia

The Last Acceptable Form of Racism

Aidan McGarry Identifies the origins of Romaphobia, and points to meaningful ways to promote the inclusion of Roma in society.

1997

The Future that Never Happened

Richard Power Sayeed An immersive account of Britain in 1997, a year which laid the foundation of our current political crisis.

Related Content

Pervious Next

    Account

    • Login

    Social Media

    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • Instagram

    ZED

    • About Zed
    • Zed Scholar
    • Contact
    • Vacancies
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Cookie Policy
    • FAQs
    • Newsletter

    For Authors

    • Publishing with Zed
    • For contracted authors

    For the trade

    • Rights and permissions
    • Sales representation and distribution

    Catalogues

    • S/S 2020
    • A/W 2019
    • S/S 2019
    • A/W 2018
    • S/S 2018
    • A/W 2017
    • S/S 2017
    • A/W 2016

    Subjects

    • Africa
    • Americas
    • Asia
    • Europe
    • Middle East
    • Anthropology
    • Biography and Memoir
    • Business
    • Cities and Architecture
    • Culture and Media
    • Current Affairs
    • Development
    • Economics
    • Education
    • Environment
    • Fiction
    • Gender, Sexualities and Queer Identities
    • Health and Medicine
    • History
    • Human Rights
    • Politics and International Relations
    • Philosophy
    • Race and Indigenous Politics
    • Sociology

    Books

      Other

        View all results
        Close

        • Forgot password?
        Close
        • Remove promo codePromo code: applied
        Subtotal
        Free Shipping:
        UK > £20 | EU > £50 | US & CA > US$25
        Continue Shopping
        Checkout Checkout
        Facebook Twitter Email
        Connect with Zed: Find us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Visit our YouTube page Follow us on Instagram Close