5-7,000 march in Hastings against NHS cuts
Between five and seven thousand people marched along Hastings seafront on Wednesday 20 September to protest against the threat of cuts to services at the Conquest Hospital. As the Labour MP put it, this was the biggest protest seen in the town since the poll tax (which he apparently did not attend at the time!). As with virtually all NHS trusts in Kent, Sussex and Surrey, the local trust is heavily in deficit and has already cut 250 jobs at the Conquest to try to balance the accounts. Further cuts are now proposed at both Eastbourne and Hastings on the basis that there is overprovision of services in the area, and several departments at the Conquest, including Maternity, are facing closure.
The protest was angry and lively, with the mention of Patricia Hewitt’s name in particular leading to the loudest booing and hissing. However, none of the speakers addressed the key issues: the Hastings Observer, which called the rally, ensured that no trade unionist or socialist spoke from the platform, even though a large number of trade unionists were on the march. Issues such as the Government’s programme of privatisation and forcing hospitals to compete with one another were not addressed as a result. There was also a degree of political opportunism, the Observer having clear pro-Tory sympathies, and with a significant contingent on the march being also clearly Conservative supporters. As Hastings Council has reverted to Tory control, and with the seat likely to go the same way at the next general election, no questions or criticism were raised as to how that party would improve the NHS. However, some of those on the march were more interested in genuine solutions and a good number of copies of the Socialist were sold.