1
Accumulated anger at years of attacks on Stafford Hospital and it’s hard working staff erupted onto the streets of Stafford on Saturday 20 April.
Up to 50,000 marched to defend Stafford hospital in a town with a population of just 63,000. This was probably the biggest demonstration seen in the West Midlands for decades and they filled the long road to Stafford Hospital three times over.
This is just the overspill from Market Square where the march started
A massive cheer greeted the front line hospital staff banner as they carried it into Market Square to lead the march. These were some of the workers who have been pilloried for more than four years by the mass media and political leaders of all three parties for their ‘failures’ at Stafford hospital. This march will go down in history as a determined response to their lies and distortion and a massive show of support for the staff at Stafford hospital and the entire NHS itself.
“I don’t know if you’ve been told, Stafford hospital will not fold” sang hundreds of young people as they marched up Weston Rd to the hospital. Pensioners marched and applauded.
John from Doxey told Socialist Party, “Now it’s our turn to tell the world that we are proud of Stafford hospital and we will fight to keep it “
Jo from Stafford told us, “What else can we do? It can’t end here. I can’t wait for the next march!”
Sam who works at Stafford hospital said, “I was kind of dragged here by my mother-in-law but now I feel very proud to be here.”
Mandy, from Stoke asked her three year old grandson, Carson,
“Did you go on the march yesterday?”
“Yes I did” he replied.
Mandy “What were you marching for?”
Carson, “To save my hospital”
What a magnificent response this demonstration was to the government’s decision to put Stafford hospital into administration only five days before. These unelected butchers say they will consult local people about what services to keep. Yesterday’s 50,000 strong street ‘consultation’ told them all they needed to know – Save Stafford hospital!
But this massive protest, organised by Save Stafford Hospital, also reflected a growing anger at the government’s plans to cut, close or privatise as much of the NHS as they can get away with. Private vultures are circling overhead waiting to swoop on the rich pickings that will become available if the ConDems get away with their plans.
From 1 April, the Con-Dems Health and Social Care Act ended the government’s duty to provide comprehensive free healthcare and freed the NHS from parliamentary control.
Primary care trusts are replaced by 211 clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) to decide who to treat, who provides the treatment and what is free at the point of delivery. Private companies will bid for CCG contracts. With further NHS finance cuts ahead, we are likely to see the restriction of free care.
Already, under successive Tory, Labour and Con-Dem governments, a big business ‘culture’ has been pushed down the throats of the NHS resulting in the privatisation of most non-medical and some medical services in the NHS, with horrifying results for both patients and health workers. Hard working NHS staff are then routinely blamed for any problems their policies have created.
Yesterday’s march along with other similar recent marches in Lewisham and Whittington sends out a clear message – that a movement of mass opposition can be built and can stop their attempt to dismantle the NHS.
No comments:
Post a Comment