After just four programmes the Totally Biased show has finally started to prove itself a potent political force capable of changing government policy. Listeners to this week’s radio show on Resonance Fm or Podcast will know that we tried and failed to manage to speak to campaigners from the Defend the Whittington campaign, (our call went straight to answer machine for no reason. Conspiracy theorists feel free to theorise away).
As it was, it seems that the simple act of us mentioning the campaign was enough to force Health Secretary Andy Burnham to scrap his plans for the closure of the Whittington A&E. Yes there was an huge local campaign, yes there was a massive demonstration through the streets of Islington and yes there is an election on and Labour are shitting it. But had this campaign not been given the oxygen, no make that mustard gas of publicity on Totally Biased then would Burnham have buckled? I’ll let you decide that for yourselves.
AMBULANCE CHASERS
As it was the day of action on Thursday 29th April outside the Whittington became more of a victory rally. Of course, with it being election time all of the various political parties were out in force, all of them trying to take credit for the victory, when the real credit goes to a core group of socialists, trade unionists, greens and local activists who have led the whole thing, and bought me a lovely pint of beer and a sandwich afterwards.
“SAY CLEGG”
It was really quite a tawdry sight, watching the Lib Dems who instead of engaging with the rally itself, treated the whole thing as the set for a good photo opportunity. They cheered their speakers mealy mouth Clegglite bilge before buggering off to have their grinning opportunist faces captured for posterity, the rally firmly in the background. They were all holding little Lib Dem branded signs saying “Success”. Bless.
My real contempt is reserved for the Tories, for whom I suspect the experience was a double whammy. Not only the first time on a demonstration, but also the first time within 50 yards of an NHS hospital. Cheeky bastards. They did look pretty uncomfortable I’m glad to say, and they basically just skulked in the shadows until, in the most brazen act of electioneering I have ever seen, Shadow Health Secretary Andrew Lansley turned up, took to the mega phone and proceeded claim to be some great savoir of health care – think of a cross between Aneurin Bevan and Florence Nightingale, only with a lacquered on Longkesh brown fake tan and an ivory toothed smile that looks like a private dentists playground.
Despite a bit of furious heckling off both me and local labour MP Emily Thornberry (Don’t know much about her, but fair play for shouting Lansley down), Lansely would not guarantee that he would actually save the hospital, instead he promised a ‘review’.
A one point my anger almost turned to joy when a campaign balloon popped behind me and for a split second I though someone was taking pot shots at the cacodemonic prick head. But no, it wasn’t an assassination attempt. I guess if you were serious about assassinating Andrew Lansely you wouldn’t what to do it right outside an accident and emergency department.
Good article on it all here by Tom Foot
Good article on it all here by Tom Foot
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