Dr. Frances Ryan reminds us what real investigative journalism looks like--except that this is a book, compelling in the case it makes. Vulnerable, disabled people are treated with conscious cruelty by politicians who have closed their eyes to the despair they have caused. We know that the welfare state has been almost wrecked, but Frances Ryan's impeccable research shows, in detail, what this means in the daily lives of those with disabilities. Keep this book on your shelves, refer it often, and use the ammunition in its pages to bring back compassion and dignity for all our citizens."
--Ken Loach, director of I, Daniel Blake

Dr. Frances Ryan is a journalist, broadcaster and campaigner. Named one of the U.K.'s most influential disabled people by the Shaw Trust in 2018, her work has taken her to lecture halls, the Women of the World Festival, BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour and The World Tonight, BBC Sunday Politics and more. Her weekly Guardian column, Hardworking Britain, has been at the forefront of coverage of austerity. She has a doctorate in politics from The University of Nottingham. Ryan was highly commended Specialist Journalist of the Year at the 2019 National Press Awards for her work on disability. This is her first book.