Across
the country, the NHS is facing cuts and closures on an obscene scale
– government attacks on our health services have meant over 22,300
jobs lost so far, with more to go if they get their way. Gordon
Brown has made this clear with his promise to “continue accelerating
the pace of reform in the health service.”
Brown and health secretary Alan Johnson are
following the same path laid down by Blair and Patricia Hewitt
before them; our health services are to be slashed over the next few
years. In London for instance, the new framework document for the
health service, if implemented, will mean half of all general
hospitals will close.
All the unpopular measures leading towards
privatisation are continuing unopposed by any of the establishment
parties.
But across the country these attacks are being
opposed tooth and nail by health workers, service users and
community activists. Over the past year hundreds of thousands of
people have taken part in local demonstrations against NHS cuts. The
3 November demonstration represents the first national expression of
this anger.
Supporters of the Campaign for a New Workers’
Party (CNWP) have been amongst the voices calling for a national
demonstration against NHS cuts for over a year now. Finally the demo
is taking place but why is it that a trade union that organises in
the health sector would drag its feet rather than spearhead a
national campaign to defend the health service? Unfortunately, the
answer is simple: Unison, like many trade unions, is still tied to
the Labour Party.
Not only do unions like Unison hand over
millions of pounds of their members’ money to a party that has
repeatedly kicked them in the teeth, but that tie to New Labour
means Dave Prentis and his ilk will do anything they can not to rock
the boat.
That’s why we say the trade unions affiliated
to New Labour need to break the link – not one more penny to the
party that has been riding roughshod over our public service. But we
don’t want non-political trade unionism – working class people need
a political voice, currently there is no party on a mass scale that
can offer that voice. The big three – New Labour, Liberal and Tory –
all support the same privatisation
policies for our health service.
All the millions of pounds that currently lines
New Labour’s coffers should be used to support candidates that
actually have our interests at heart – anti-cuts,
anti-privatisation, pro-public services candidates and the like.
This could be an important step towards the creation of a new party
of a totally different character to the bosses’ parties – a mass
party that stands on the side of workers and patients, not bosses
and share holders.
|
Fighting
candidates win
Last year, when Dr
Jackie Grunsell stood as a Huddersfield Save Our NHS candidate
she was elected onto Kirklees council with a majority of 807
votes, one of the highest majorities in the country. This was
an excellent victory for the Huddersfield NHS campaign and
also shows the potential that exists for a new party that
fights in our interests. A campaigning mass party could
enthuse whole new layers of working class people and the
Huddersfield campaigns victory shows on a small scale what
could be possible nationally. |
