Varied ramblings on Disability issues, football, movies, music, geek stuff and probably more. Feel free to ask questions - although I don't promise to answer them all!
Note: Joe Cooney is a Conservative Party Councillor and Leader of Pendle Borough Council.
Dear Mr Cooney,
On May 21st, 2015 you tweeted the following to your 1,547 followers on Twitter:
At first glance, some might say that it was a reasonably innocuous tweet, although obviously politically motivated. I find it something more. In fact, I find it distasteful and insulting.
Allow me to explain why.
Your tweet doesn’t name anyone, but the accusation you have made is quite serious. You have accused this person of being dishonest about their health condition, despite the fact that you have no knowledge of their condition or the effects that anything they do has on them. You also mention that this person is “able to actively campaign for a political party” but say nothing about how they were politically active. When I challenged you on Twitter, you replied the following:
So we’ve narrowed this person’s actions to “knocking on doors”, and this is why I believe that you are actually referring to myself. On Monday, Pendle Labour Party were joined by Graham Jones, MP for Haslingden and Hyndburn, and Jonathan Ashworth, MP for Leicester South, as campaigning for the Local and European elections on Thursday continued. As part of their visit, it was asked that Labour supporters join the team for canvassing and a picture being taken, which was this one (I’m second on the left, in between Graham Jones and Pendle Labour Parliamentary Candidate Azhar Ali - you may be able to see me using my walking stick):
So how much canvassing was I able to do? None is the answer. Not a single door was knocked on by me, nor did I accompany anyone to a door. I walked a very short distance from my car, stopping several times as I did so, then was promptly sent home by the team after this picture was taken because they were concerned for my health. I was with them, perhaps, 10 minutes in total, and spent the rest of the day at home resting and recovering.
What annoys me most about your tweet, and why I’ve been so keen to point it out, is that you have absolutely no idea what a person dealing with a condition goes through in order to do something like this. Even if it isn’t a tweet about me, what gives you the right to judge that “knocking on doors” equates to being able to work? Are you medically qualified to be able to make that judgement?
As you are very well aware from discussions we’ve personally had previously, I would dearly love to be in a position to work. It’s something I’m working towards, despite the barriers my condition is currently putting in my way. In fact, you were not so concerned about me campaigning about disability issues when I was discussing them with you in the past, were you?
Ill and disabled people have a right to be involved in all aspects of the political process, from simply supporting their chosen Party to campaigning for them and, of course, being able to stand as a candidate. That’s something I aspire to, and for someone in your position to tweet something like this is extremely disappointing. It is insulting not just to myself but to other disabled people who wish to be a part of politics, as have been shown by the subsequent replies you’ve had.
At a time when political engagement is at such a low ebb, shown by the turnout from yesterday’s elections, I would have thought that any engagement in political matters should be encouraged, not demeaned in this way. It is for that reason that I will submitting this open letter as part of a complaint to Pendle Borough Council as well as passing on my concerns to the Elections Ombudsman for their consideration.
There is absolutely no place for tweets like this in politics, and I am extremely disappointed that you, as someone in a position of leadership, as well as someone I’ve considered genuine in previous discussions personally, would tweet this. I hope that by me publishing this letter publicly you will consider your actions carefully and understand the hurt and anger it has caused.