The threat to Lewisham A&E - Tories waging class war

I'm pleased to be on the way to the Lewisham hospital demonstration - an excellent summary of the necessity for which is set out on the False Economy blog (http://falseeconomy.org.uk/blog/lewisham-hospital-consultation-ignored-protest-26-january).



Of course, I'd be still more pleased not to have to demonstrate because the closure proposals had been withdrawn.



With 96% opposition from Lewisham residents to the proposed closure of the recently refurbished A&E, it's obvious that the Tories haven't won the argument for closure - and equally obvious that they don't give a damn. Closing a well run hospital in an area where no one votes Tory is a fine example of the brutal cynicism of the Millionaires' Government.



It's a further expression of the raw class hatred shown by the targetting of local government funding cuts to poorer - and predominantly Labour-voting areas (http://www.newcastle.gov.uk/news-story/poorest-areas-are-hardest-hit-cuts-heat-maps).



The question which is posed to our movement is - what shall we do?



Labour needs a final breach with the toxic politics of New Labour (the failed Private Finance Initiative is part of the background to today's demonstration) - the Party needs to defend our people now, not just sit and wait "prudently" to be elected in 2015 to govern a country which will no longer have a National Health Service.



The trade unions also need to coordinate national opposition both to the Government's attacks and to those in Labour's ranks who fail to oppose them.



UNISON's support for today's demonstration is welcome and important (http://www.unison.org.uk/news/news_view.asp?did=8317). If the Secretary of State is not swayed by popular opinion campaigners, and local trade unionists, will have to decide what to do next.

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