While I am still not sure about whether I can call myself a proper DAN (disabled People’s Direct Action Network) activist now, I think yesterday was a good day. Well, let’s put it this way: it wasn’t a total failure. You may have heard on the news that some disabled people were protesting against the cuts in oxford street. That was the protest we intended to attend, only we got there after the protest was over. Getting in to central London from Charlton is not as easy as you might think, especially on a Saturday. We got there as quickly as possible, but the protest had been broken up by the police by the time we arrived: as we were going down oxford street to the scene, we saw two or three cop cars whizzing past.

I was quite pissed off about that. I waned to add my voice, and feel guilty about not being able to. Writing about things is a very good way to get your view across, which is why keep my blog, but there comes a time when words become insufficient: a time when you have to take to the streets and show others that you object to something. That’s why DAN was on oxford street yesterday, and why I, at least tried, to join them. Many, like my friends Dennis and Becca, had come from as far as Manchester to join in*; you must ask yourself what would make these people, for many of whom getting around the country is not straightforward, come and protest?

The answer to that is that we are deeply concerned about what the government is doing. Their reforms will hit people with disabilities the hardest, so much so that many will be barely able to survive. It is a deep concern for themselves and their fellow disabled people that forced DANners onto Oxford Street yesterday. They, like me, are very worried about what the government is doing, so much so that they are prepared to risk arrest to show it. These are well informed, politically astute people; that in itself must force you to ask questions about what the government is proposing.

After finding oxford circus deserted, I was eventually able to track Becca and the guys down to a pub not too far away. It was great to see them, and I was especially thrilled to be able to introduce Lyn to Becca. I managed to do a bit of networking, so the day wasn’t a complete loss for me personally. For DAN and disability rights activism, on the other hand, the day was a complete triumph, with ITN, sky and the Guardian, among others, covering the protest. I think that they/we now need to keep it up, and I really hope there will be many more such protests – maybe I will actually be able to get to some.

*Another reason why I felt like such a shambles: if they came from Manchester but still got there on time, how committed does that make me seem?