Protesters against NHS reforms occupy Westminster Bridge

Anti-cuts campaigners and health workers have joined forces in central London in protest against the planned shakeup of the NHS.

More than 2,000 people staged a sit-down protest on Westminster Bridge from 1pm on Sunday to highlight the health and social care bill, which is due to go before the House of Lords this week.

The bridge, normally one of London's busiest, links St Thomas's hospital on the southern bank with the Houses of Parliament.

As Big Ben struck 1pm protesters unfurled banners and sat down, blocking the bridge in both directions as hundreds of police looked on.

UK Uncut, the anti-cuts group which organised the Block the Bridge, Block the Bill demonstration, said: "Today has brought together doctors, nurses, parents, students, unions, pensioners and children together in an unprecedented act of mass civil disobedience.

"We are occupying the bridge because the bill would be bad for the NHS, bad for patients and bad for society."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/oct/09/anti-nhs-reforms-protest-block-bridge

It is a bit much when we're relying on the Lords to represent the real will of the people. There is no mandate for this and it must be stopped.

:sarcasm:

The Skin

But I am glad that so many could.

http://www.38degrees.org.uk/page/s/Protect_our_NHS_Petition

http://www.nhscampaign.org/current-issues-2/e-petition.html

http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/5911


You can also join the 38 Degrees campaign to write to members of the House of Lords.

http://action.38degrees.org.uk/assign/contact-a-lord

I was assigned Baroness Billingham. She is a longstanding Labour politician; former councillor and MEP, and her daughter is married to Dennis Skinner's son. So I assume she'd be against the NHS sell-off anyway; but the more letters and e-mails they get, the more likely they are to turn up, and the more ammo they have.

She has apparently got huge concerns about this. She's not the only one. :mad:

When interviewed by Michael Moore in Sicko, Tony Benn predicted that if anyone tried to abolish the NHS there would be a revolution. Let's hope it doesn't come to that, but it gives me an excuse to post this.

http://youtu.be/qUO8ScYVeDo

Labour has changed tack on health policy, saying it would be willing to co-operate with the government on giving GPs greater commissioning powers, but only if ministers drop the health and social care bill, due to be debated in the Lords this week.

Constitutional historian Lord Hennessy and the former leader of the social democrats Lord Owen are to propose that parts of the bill are referred to a special select committee for long-term scrutiny.

They claim the bill was not given proper scrutiny in the Commons after ministers were forced to delay it, hold a consultation and then reintroduce it.

Their move came as protesters from the anti-cuts campaign UK Uncut closed Westminster Bridge for two hours.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2011/oct/09/labour-tories-nhs-bill