Dusty Wentworth

Imagine waking up tomorrow and discovering your essential support—your lifeline—is suddenly worth less than someone else’s. Not because your needs have changed, but because of an arbitrary date on a calendar. This is the stark reality now facing disabled people across the UK after last night’s parliamentary vote. Parliament voted 335 to 260 in favour of the government’s amended welfare reform bill. On paper, it passed with “concessions.” In reality, it passed with a chilling message: disabled lives are not equal—they are politically expendable. With that vote, the UK has solidified a disturbing new phase of social policy: one that brazenly creates a two-tier disability support system. A system where the date you became disabled now determines the level of help you receive. Not your condition. Not your needs. Not your humanity. Just your timing. This is more than policy—it’s precedent. What the Bill Really Does Under the new legislation, the split is clear: Existing claimant...

There are moments in life that mark a significant turning point—not because of what you gain, but because of what you finally accept. For me, designing my own wheelchair with Paul from the Mobility Centre was one of those profound moments. Let me explain. After a sudden brain aneurysm, months of grueling rehab, and grappling with memory loss and a diagnosis of Functional Neurological Disorder, one question haunted me: “Who am I now?” It wasn’t just about what I could or couldn’t do, but about my very essence. Looking in the mirror, I saw a stranger. I’d lost my past—and with it, the continuity of my identity. Becoming disabled didn’t just take away my movement; it stripped away everything I thought defined me. So, when I found myself designing a new wheelchair, it wasn’t merely a practical appointment. It was a declaration. When I was first discharged into a Centre for Neurological Rehabilitation, I faced a daunting 30-week wait for NHS wheelchair services. I simply couldn’...

Introduction: The Forgotten Narrative In the decades following World War II, society began rewriting the role of women with energy, clarity, and purpose. Women were encouraged to express emotion, pursue education, enter the workforce, and challenge tradition. And rightly so. But while we updated the story of womanhood, we failed to rewrite the story of man. To understand why that matters, we must first recognise that masculinity itself is not a biological law—but a cultural narrative. It’s a socially constructed script—shaped by folklore, religion, policy, media, and need. Masculinity has always been moulded by what a society demands of its men at a given moment: protectors in war, providers in peace, stoics in crisis. In essence, masculinity is a kind of cultural folk tale—handed down from generation to generation—not just to define men, but to produce the kind of men society believes it needs. This concept is well supported in academic literature. Sociologist R. W. Connel...

In a dramatic turn of events that sent ripples through Westminster and brought a sigh of relief to millions, the UK government on Friday, 27th June 2025, executed a significant U-turn on its controversial welfare reforms. This eleventh-hour reversal scraps several proposed changes that threatened to severely impact disabled people, pensioners, and low-income households. This ambitious original plan, embedded within Chancellor Rachel Reeves' March 2025 Spring Budget, sought to slash a staggering £5 billion annually from the welfare budget. However, it was met with an unprecedented wave of resistance: intense public backlash, relentless advocacy from disability rights groups, and crucially, a threatened rebellion from over 100 Labour MPs. Trapped between political survival and public outcry, the government found itself cornered, leading to a partial U-turn that, while protecting existing claimants, leaves a vast landscape of welfare policy ripe for continued scrutiny. The...

The Quiet Discipline Behind True Strength I’ve worn the uniform. I’ve stood in that peculiar space where you're expected to be both unyielding and understanding, aggressive and empathetic — sometimes within the same hour. As a former infantry soldier, I learned quickly that emotional control isn’t about suppression. It’s about timing and precision. In a war-fighting phase, the mission demands aggression, obedience, and absolute clarity under fire. Fear must be acknowledged but overruled. Focus must be total. But the battlefield isn’t always about bullets and barricades. Sometimes, it’s about broken buildings and broken trust. In the stabilisation phase, you shift from warrior to mediator. You listen. You calm tensions. You build bridges with people who, days before, may have seen you as the enemy. It requires empathy, restraint, and patience that most civilians never associate with a soldier. Nowhere is this duality clearer than in peacekeeping operations — Bosnia being...

What does it truly mean to be a man today?  In an age of confusion, reaction, and distorted ideals, this long-form piece presents a grounded vision—rooted in timeless virtue, practical pedagogy, and real-world impact. From courage to service, from classroom to community, this is a blueprint for cultivating stronger, wiser, more grounded men. Read it, share it, and reflect on the legacy we leave behind. Reimagining Masculinity in Contemporary Society The discourse surrounding masculinity in modern society is complex and often polarised. Traditional notions, while historically valorised, have increasingly been linked to detrimental outcomes for men and society at large. This report addresses the imperative to effectively teach and promote a 'Code of Masculinity' rooted in principles such as courage, restraint, responsibility, integrity, respect, initiative, legacy, and service. It aims to provide a comprehensive framework for cultivating these virtues, understanding t...

This is not just about policy. It’s about principle. I served this country. I came home injured. But this isn’t a story about a failed veteran. It’s a story about a system that’s failing all of us. Across the UK, over 14.6 million disabled people are living in a state of manufactured scarcity — not because their needs are unclear, but because the systems around them are deliberately designed to delay, deny, and degrade. I know this because I live it. I live with complex, overlapping conditions: combat-related PTSD, a brain injury following a subarachnoid haemorrhage, Functional Neurological Disorder (FND), severe fibromyalgia, partial blindness, significant hearing loss, and neurological seizures and tremors. These aren’t static labels. They interact, compound, and affect every part of my life. Yet, the people assessing me often have no experience of any of them. The Flawed Assessment System Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessments are outsourced to private contracto...

Introduction: A Quiet Collapse Last week, I watched young lads at the BMX track—pushing hard, racing not just to win, but to belong and prove something. It struck me: this race wasn’t just about bicycles—it was about identity. Boys strain for purpose wherever they find it, and if men aren’t there to show them another way, they’ll latch onto anything. This blog calls men back to duty, not shame. It’s time to call out the root cause: male apathy. The Apathy of Modern Men Modern life offers distractions by the thousand. We see men retreating into: Screen time & social media: UK adults now spend an average of 1 hour 37 minutes daily on social platforms—and over 4 hours online in total. Gaming: Recent studies show up to 4.2 hours daily spent gaming in some demographics. Pornography and vanity-driven influences: Though harder to quantify, the impact is undeniable—these are dopamine loops that pull men inward, not upward. The result? Men in “man caves” chasing validation over ...

In a world that seeks to distort, diminish, or erase the true meaning of masculinity, it’s time for men to wake up. It’s time to stand tall, to be counted, and to reclaim what it truly means to be a man—not as society’s caricature, but as a noble, responsible, and compassionate force for good. The Crisis: Society’s Confusion Over Masculinity For far too long, society has misunderstood what it truly means to be a man. Traditional values—strength, responsibility, honour, and courage—have been dismissed, diluted, or twisted into toxic stereotypes. Meanwhile, the forces seeking to redefine or erase masculinity are gaining ground—spreading confusion, fear, and silence among men. Too many are hiding in plain sight, afraid to speak out or act. That silence is not harmless—it’s a societal tragedy. When men remain silent out of fear of judgement or cancellation, they become complicit in the harm being done: to themselves, to young boys, and to generations yet to come. The Truth: Mas...