On 7th July, The Labour Party and Trade Unionists from the South West community joined together to celebrate the NHS’ 70th Birthday. Events took place in most parts of Somerset. Labour members even held a tea party in Frome town centre supporting the NHS and celebrating the Labour achievement in creating the most positive contribution to the health and well-being of this country that any government has ever made.
Glenn Cane (Trade Union Liaison Officer for Bridgwater Labour Party) warned “Our National Health Service is being destroyed through a nursing/doctor shortage due to underfunding, waiting lists rising, wages cut in real terms causing Nurses to use food banks and some choosing suicide due to the pressure put upon them. Jeremy Hunt, then Health Secretary, wrote a book called Democracy: An Agenda For A New Model Party calling for the denationalisation of the NHS. His family are related to the late Oswald Mosley. We call on all Trade Unions to join us in celebration of our beloved NHS service and those who work tirelessly to keep it running.The Labour Party will fully fund the NHS when we are elected to Government. Now is the time to stand up for our NHS. Always remember – the NHS is not only about those who work for the NHS. We are all future patients, an accident away from this crucial lifeline.”
Tory Cheek
On a lighter note, Local Labour members in Bridgwater were astonished to see a small group of barely identifiable Tories staffing a ‘NHS’ stall in the town centre (briefly). Labour’s Constituency Chairman Gary Tucker commented “The Tories were out yesterday in force (all four of them) with their stall misleading the voters in Bridgwater asking them if they supported the NHS. They even got people to sign their petition. What people didn’t stop to check was that it was about whether the person signing supports their plans for the NHS. I asked a couple of people who signed this and they said they didn’t actually realise it was the Tories (no signage and the logo was very small at the bottom of the leaflets). They were horrified and felt duped by them. However, we were out there straight away setting the record straight- TORIES = Underfunded NHS which will collapse and be privatised . LABOUR = Properly funded NHS able to cope with the challenges ahead”