As most of you know, there is currently a fluctuating group of people marching 300 miles from Jarrow in the north to London in the south of the UK. They are recreating a march from 1936 in support of stopping the privatisation of the National Health Service. They were in Leeds the evening of the 22nd and left the next morning from the Art Gallery. I went down and asked if I could speak to the crowd. I said I had just spent a night in the hospital due to a sudden medical problem. I was so well taken care of by all in the A&E department and there will be follow up. But I could not come there on the 22nd because I had no sleep the night before ... but I was there today to urge them forward. In the 3 or 4 minutes I spoke, I said I had a unique perspective on health care as I spent my first 37 years in the USA and the last 33 years in the UK. I have witnessed and experienced the wonderful health care here for myself, my children and my grandchildren. In the UK we can get medical care when we need it without ever having to worry about any costs. That alone reduces stress. I have friends in the US who have been bankrupted by health costs. I told them that when Obama got health care for US citizens, it is based on insurance companies, not our single-payer universal health care free at the point of use. People in the US have to pay for their insurance (we pay National Insurance but it covers a LOT more than health care!) and have to co-pay most medical care. I told them that it is the US insurance companies and our own greedy politicians who want to buy off the NHS and privatise it at the expense of our health to make money for themselves. I said I would continue to fight for the NHS and that we cannot give up. If we can remove this government so that we can stop the cruel austerity policies, it will improve our lives tremendously. Some people are asleep and need to be awakened to these facts. I thanked them all for walking and cheered them on. After that I went down into the crowd and we agreed we must keep going. Then I went to the front where they were preparing to set out on the march. I am not able to walk far without difficulties so I had no plans to walk with them. However, I spoke with and hugged all of those in the very front who held the banner to save the NHS. I was being totally my wonderful politically active self, and realised after that I had completely acted as I wish to be. I feel so very happy that I was able to do that, and I hope that my words will remain with them. #999NHS
Posted on: Sun, 24 Aug 2014 06:46:54 +0000
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