Email from "Pat's Petition"

As you will be aware the government showed no respect for disabled people in the recent Welfare reform debates – overturning the hard won Lords amendments and stating they will use financial privilege rule to force through welfare reform - an unprecedented move that is possibly being challenged.
 
They were shocked because they thought we wouldn’t speak up, but they were wrong: activists across the board have united in challenging them on this disastrous attack on disability benefits.
 
For far too long, the government thought they could do what they liked to us. Now we are speaking up as one, the government is closing the debate down by extraordinary measures, so that we still feel unheard. If the government closes debate down, we believe we could all use Pat’s Petition to make sure we open it up again. It is a petition that will hopefully lead to a Peoples Debate.
 
So far, the petition has reached over 28,000 signatures to be number 15 out of over 11,000 petitions on the government e-petition site. It did that in its first three months. We know it can get to 100,000 if we continue working together. That gives us the opportunity for debate.
 
Being an electronic petition this means every one putting the link to Pat’s Petition  in newsletters, on websites, in mail outs, social media sites – every where you can. Ask people to sign themselves, and also to ask friends and family and people on their networks to sign. Please encourage everyone to be proactive in this – if each of the current signatories got just 4 other people to sign, the target would be reached.
 
In the age of social media – we can do this.
 
Pat’s Petition is for all of us. For every one who is angry about the way the government is treating disabled people and their families.
 
Support Pat’s Petition and take the debate right back to Westminster where they have to hear us.
 
If you can help raise awareness further please do contact me at  - patspetition@gmail.com 
 
Can you be an organiser? Turn your signature into hundreds more by asking your friends to sign. Then they’ll ask their friends. That’s how we win.
 
The list of supporters is growing and includes –
 
Disabled People Against the Cuts
Greater Manchester Coalition of Disabled People
Disability Equality (NW) Ltd
SWAN – Social Work Action Network 
NAVCA
 
Thank you
Pat x