The Socialist 26 October 2016

Protest and strike to save our NHS

Protest and strike to save our NHS

Health campaigners announce national NHS demo

Hundreds march and rally to defend Tyneside hospital

'Jungle' camp destruction is no solution

Welsh budget: Labour government makes Tory cuts

Academies mired in debt and corruption

Homeless sleeping rough: councils must build housing

Four in five self-employed workers living in poverty

Readmit expelled socialists

Wallasey whitewash must be condemned

Battle in Leeds council over care home closure

Jarrow March: an inspiring show of solidarity between workers and youth

Teaching assistant pledges ongoing fight against pay cuts

A day in the life of a midwife

Striking Sheffield bin workers picket scabs

Crossrail sparks get organised

Unison higher education seminar points no way forward over pay

Housing campaigners meet to plan resistance to the Housing Act

Why I joined the Socialist Party: "I really can't wait for Socialism 2016"

"We are all Daniel Blake!"

US presidential election: The disastrous failure of 'lesser evilism'

Ireland: Jobstown protester found guilty

Book review: Fighting racism in football

TV: No Place to Call Home

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Health campaigners announce date for national demo in defence of the NHS

NHS campaigners protesting outside Tory conference in 2014, photo by Paul Mattsson (Click to enlarge)

Mike Forster, Hands Off HRI chair (personal capacity)

The date is set! The national steering committee of Health Campaigns Together has called a national demo under the banner 'It's our NHS' for 18 March 2017 [Since changed to 4th March 2017 - website editor]. In response to the growing crisis in the health service and shrinking budgets, campaigners have decided to put out the call.

The government's agenda to force hospital trusts to balance the books next year, which will usher in massive cuts, has sprung the campaign into determined action.

Under the misnamed title of 'Sustainability and Transformation Plans (STPs)', the Tories will let hospital trusts make the decisions about how to implement cuts of £22 billion.

These are eye watering cuts and in the words of health campaigner and academic John Lister: "will spell the end of the NHS as we know it".

As word get outs of hospital closures, bed reductions, staff redundancies and of course an anticipated winter of crisis, opposition to government cuts will mushroom. Campaign groups will spring up everywhere.

Now they have a focus and this anger can coalesce around this important demo in London.

The time to act is now! The NHS is fast becoming an issue of huge national concern for working class people everywhere. This demo can unite trade unions, campaign groups and activists in a coordinated protest. This can act as a catalyst to build huge local and national resistance. It must be a priority to get momentum behind this bold call to arms.

Get your union branches to back the demo. Start to publicise the date. Let's call on the Labour Party to get behind the demo.

The Tories have never been so vulnerable. Their dirty and secretive attempt to privatise the NHS is out. We can win this vital battle.