December 2007

No Hain, no gain

Disabled people don’t exactly seem a top priority for our current secretary of state for work and pensions.

Peter Hain MP didn’t endear himself to Backchat with a half-hearted handshake and a borderline snub at a ministerial summer drinks party for the press.

He followed it up with a twisty-turny performance over the proposed Remploy factory closures, leaving both sides confused as to whether government policy really had changed.

If that wasn’t enough, he has now wriggled out of an interview with Disability Now over the government’s welfare reform plans.

An interview was promised during the Labour conference in September. Nearly two months on, we’re still waiting. Is he scared?

Woolly hats still the order of the day

For a few sweet minutes last month, care services minister Ivan Lewis seemed to be fulfilling his early ministerial promise.

Mr Lewis was quoted in a Department of Health press release advising older people to prepare for the cold weather.

He talked about the “millions of pounds of grants available to help with insulation and heating systems”, and went on to say how winter fuel payments were available to “help older people, those on low incomes and disabled people”.

This roused Backchat from a post-launch party slumber. Were our years of campaigning for winter fuel payments to be extended to severely disabled people finally about to bear fruit?

However, a government press officer promptly chopped down that particular apple tree. “It’s a mistake on our part,” he confessed.

But let’s look on the bright side. It’s great news for manufacturers of blankets, scarves, woolly hats and hot-water bottles. 

Mills, but no boon

Backchat can only commiserate with Phil Hall, the former agent of Heather Mills.

Just days after Mrs Macca managed to paint a positive picture of herself with an exclusive interview in Disability Now, she decided to undo all the good work by imploding live on national television.

After her outburst, Hall quit (as her agent), closely followed by her divorce lawyers, Mishcon de Reya. Backchat, meanwhile, just buried his head in his hands.