If you could say just one thing to Mark Hoban.....

Finally, after months of petitioning by Michael Meacher and myself, after a debate in parliament specifically on meeting "Spartacus", next week (10th September) myself and two other "Spartacii" who have been heavily involved in all ESA research will be meeting with the DWP Minister Mark Hoban.

We have 45 minutes - a generous time slot in parliamentary terms, but the merest blink of an eye with so much to put right.

Before I go any further, and indeed before I discuss anything with Mr Hoban, I want to make it perfectly clear that I believe WCAs and indeed the entire ESA system is flawed and should be scrapped. This has always been my position and it remains my position today.

For all of this week, DPAC are running a week of direct action, "Reclaiming our Futures" t.co/6OzxELYePK I would strongly urge you all to take part if at all possible. This is the way we will ultimately achieve real change.

However, I have a chance to explain to the minister how some of the worst elements of ESA and WCAs affect us and to petition for them to be changed. I will make my position on abolishing WCAs clear, but it would be naive to believe that we will come away from a 45 minute meeting having achieved that ultimate goal.

I DO believe however, that some elements of WCAs are intolerable and I already have an idea from previous consultations with you all what those things might be. However, before next week, I wanted to give you all one last chance to feed into this important opportunity.

If you were there with us and could say just one thing to Mr Hoban, change just one thing that might make the WCA process less harmful, what would it be? While DPAC, Black Triangle and other groups continue their excellent work to scrap the tests, what might make the process safer and less destructive in the meantime?

I'm a pragmatist. If we can achieve any change for the better, I believe it is worthwhile. If we can save just one person from taking their own life, or falling into starvation or despair, I believe it is worth trying. If we achieve nothing at all, we will be able to say that we tried. And tried. And tried. That we engaged with democracy whenever the chance arose and did all we could to make ESA safer.

I really hope that as many of you as possible leave comments below and share this post on Twitter, Facebook or other networks you use. If I go alone, I am one voice. If it is just the three of us attending, we whisper. If you all come with us, we shout and have the credibility to demand real change.