Letter from the front line

The violent protests of earlier this year have been superseded by a quieter form of action. From her tent at the St Paul’s camp, Lesley Swann tells us why, as a disabled person, she has chosen to occupy

My life is often governed by the decisions taken at a higher level than my voice can reach.

Individually, each of those decisions can be coped with, overlooked, seen past and ultimately forgotten as is a small defeat in a greater daily battle.

But there comes a point when critical mass is achieved – that tipping point…the corner around which everything looks different…the point of no return.

This is the point in time from which we can never retreat and from where action of some sort becomes inevitable.

For me, those increments were the probability of my reassessment for DLA and other disability benefits, the tightening of austerity measures which took away services that I rely on and finally, the cuts within local government that brought the issue of redundancy into my tiny family.

I reached that “tipping point” where sitting and doing what I had been doing was no longer sufficient. I itched to do something meaningful. I needed to demonstrate my frustration and growing dissatisfaction in a real and physical way.

Transport that I rely on to reach hospital, or simply to shop, from my small rural village has been cut back or cancelled completely.

Services such as physiotherapy are now harder to access than ever…as is the specialist dental treatment I need.

I have watched the devastating effect of local government redundancies, and the resulting depression, in my own house and seen what it does to our support structures and our relationships.

And still I have no answer to the question: Why are all of the consequences ours to bear?

I watch the bonuses handed to managers and staff of the financial institutions that began this mess and wonder whose money they are being paid with.

It would not be stating an untruth to say that I am frustrated, indignant, but above all I am angry. I am burning with anger at the inequality and injustices that I am seeing perpetrated almost daily by people in power and control whose attitude is very much “I’m alright Jack!”.

Well it is very much not alright Jack!!! Not by me and not by the public at large.

The camps are small working models where we try to look after each other. Where everyone has a voice through General Assemblies – which is how we’ve chosen to govern ourselves.

Most camps are sheltering homeless people and people with mental health issues…and they are, mostly, valued and functioning members. Where issues can’t be dealt with on site we have built links with local groups where we can refer our friends for more help if needed.

Disabled people are still not as visible as we could be and this is being addressed, though I have to say that many of the barriers to taking part in this economic protest were not entirely physical ones for me. The barriers were those I had built in my mind and for myself.

I expected living under canvas in London to be hard and for my physical disabilities to be a problem. There are problems, but they are generally no worse than your average camping trip with the added advantage of good level ground, coffee shops and good toilets! There are plenty of people able and willing to help and good hospitals within easy reach. My worst problem was getting into and out of a small tent, solved by judicious placement of chairs and plenty of room left by my “door” (plus the occasional friendly elbow).

So why do I occupy?

I occupy because, at this moment in time, for now, for the future, it is the least I can do.