On Wednesday 22 May, Rishi Sunak made his moist announcement about the upcoming general election on 4 July. However, there was no British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter anywhere to be seen. The Tories are starting as they mean to go on – somewhat delulu – and by making it very clear they don’t give a crap about disabled people.
A general election already NOT for disabled people
As the Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID) pointed out:
Where’s the British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter @10DowningStreet?
Calling a #GeneralElection is one of the biggest moves our country can make – deaf people deserve to have that information at the same time as everyone else. This is not good enough! (1/2)
— RNID (@RNID) May 22, 2024
Unfortunately for anyone who has been paying even the slightest bit of attention, this comes as no surprise. The Tories have made their stance on disabled people very obvious over the last 14 years – that wasn’t going to change because they want re-electing:
That is not a surprise. @RishiSunak has already shown his contempt for disabled people by the barbaric welfare reforms.
— Sarah Boyle (@SarahBoyle75396) May 23, 2024
Obviously, the Tories weren’t thinking about anyone other than themselves and bankrolling their corrupt pals:
They don’t care about the disabled community. The Deaf community wouldn’t have crossed their minds.
Get them out! https://t.co/r8k0Ff44vI— PB (@PhilippaB) May 22, 2024
The conservatives are well known for their hatred of disabled people, from slashing disabled people’s benefits and completely screwing them over – to literally causing deaths. The lack of shits they give could not be clearer:
Of course he has, he’s a tory. They hate disabled people.
— Matty ♿ (@rodsof5wizards) May 23, 2024
Complete ineptitude
Some people presumed the Tories might have learnt lessons from the pandemic – unfortunately for them, it seems their complete ineptitude has no bounds.
Throughout the COVID lockdowns there were requests for a #BSL Interpreter. No lessons have been learnt. 😞 #Accessible information is needed for everyone. @10DowningStreet this needs to be addressed. #WheresTheInterpreter https://t.co/hKhaiNKYc3
— Sharon 🎗️ 🌻 🧡 (@SharonBishopSLT) May 22, 2024
We have already established that Keir Starmer is a Tory in a red tie. So of course, X users were quick to point out that whilst he launched his campaign on dry ground, he also didn’t have enough brain cells to include a BSL interpreter:
Disappointed to see that @Keir_Starmer also launched his campaign without a British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter.
If he becomes Prime Minster on 5 July, he should make sure that his first speech to the nation is accessible to deaf people. We hope @vickyfoxcroft supports this. https://t.co/IzhIlmmbGO
— RNID (@RNID) May 22, 2024
Only last week, the Canary’s Rachel Charlton-Dailey covered Starmer’s 10/10 effort in leaving disabled people out of pre-election pledges. As she pointed out, Sunak and his ‘wet wipe army’ see disabled people as their biggest public enemy. Whereas for Labour – clearly ignorance is bliss:
Disappointing but not surprising
— Jo (@cfs_jo) May 23, 2024
Moreover, the Tory government introduced the BSL Act in 2022 for precisely these situations. Although, a fish might have a better chance of remembering that:
Where was the BSL interpreter for this announcement? The BSL Act was passed to ensure that Government departments provided BSL access. Surely announcing something as important as a general election should be accessible to all? Why should voters trust you if they aren’t included?
— Ann Jillings 💙 (@AnnJillings) May 23, 2024
We effectively have two power hungry shitbags battling it out in a general election to lead a country even further into disaster. Whilst not giving a shit how many disabled people they leave behind, or kill:
The Tories have never cared about disabled people.
The red Tories won’t either.
— Chris #TransRights ♿️🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️🇵🇸🏴 (@CWTWheels) May 22, 2024
This! Here’s hoping the next government considers inclusively be an essential rather than a mockery. https://t.co/0LTJa6lTqu
— Heather Longbottom (@HebLongbottom) May 22, 2024
Clearly, neither party can be arsed to do the bare minimum for disabled people. So, why should anyone bother to turn out for them on election day? Hopefully one day, we will have a government we can expect more from.
Feature image via NBC News and Guardian News/YouTube
