By Neil Harrison
With the General Election only 17 days away, Ed Miliband today appeared at Manchester Metropolitan University to outline Labour’s plans for the NHS. Flanked by students and NHS workers, the opposition leader spoke to a packed hall at the university about his party’s desire to implement a more integrated health system and to roll back what he described as “creeping privatisation.” He began by saying,
“You know the general election is getting closer and closer, there’s just over two weeks to go now and I think that’s just over two weeks to decide what the future of our country looks like. There is nowhere that the choice matters more than in our NHS service.”
“The Conservatives say they are comitted to spending more on the NHS but they’re going to double the spending cuts next year. That’s bigger spending cuts in the next three years than we’ve seen in the last parliament. They want you to believe that they are going to spend more, with money they can’t identify from a place they cannot name. These are false promises with an expiry date of May 8th stamped on them. We have a fortnight to rescue the National Health Service, that’s why the country needs Labour’s emergency rescue plan.”
The leader then went on to outline immediate measures a Labour government would bring in should they emerge victorious at the election. These included deriving funds from a ‘mansion tax’ on houses worth over £2 Million and targeting tax avoiders in order to generate investment into public services. Miliband also pledged an increase in NHS staff, including 20,000 new nurses and 5000 more doctors. He said,
“It is not just a principled values issue, it’s a pragmatic issue about how th NHS succeeds. You need integrated services that enable care, compassion and co-operation, not competition, fragmentation and privatisation. That’s why we’ll repeal the Health and Social Care Act.”
Following his speech, Miliband took questions from the audience, which included members of the public, the press and MMU students and staff, many of them studying or with a background in the areas of health and social care. Responding to the great deal of personal testimonies regarding the NHS shared by the audience, Miliband concluded by saying,
“Thank you to Manchester Metropolitan University for having us here. This election is a really important election. I think the future of the NHS is on the ballot paper. I’m going to say something that politicians don’t usually say: politics is too important to be left to politicians. You’ve got to hold me to account for the promises I’ve made but you can really make the difference in the next election.”
* * *
To ensure you are registered to vote on May 8th please visit gov.uk/register-to-vote
Neil Harrison is Editor-in-Chief at Humanity Hallows. He is in his third year studying History at MMU. Follow Neil on Twitter @looseriver
Following the passing of iconic Stone Roses and Primal Scream Bassist Gary ‘Mani’ Mountfield, there have been growing calls for him to be immortalised in a way that reflects both his cultural impact and the deep affection shared between the musician and his home city. GRIT Studios has answered the calls from fans, announcing plans…
Featured image: Evie Peattie Often overshadowed in popular narratives by the heritage houses of Paris or Milan, London’s fashion ecosystem has long traded on creative freedom. As London Fashion Week prepares for its 42nd year, running from the 19 to 23 February, the British capital is poised to reaffirm its reputation not simply as a…
Featured image: Sebastian Garraway Beats vibrate through a polished floor. Bodies move with a swinging grace, surrendering to the rhythm without hesitation. An instinctual sliding jig sways wide-legged jeans cut just above the ankle. Sweat drips from sharp scissor-cut hairstyles onto porous Fred Perry polos. You’ve guessed it: Northern Soul. The late 1960s phenomenon is…
Featured image: Evangeline Causton Local lad Harry Styles will take to the stage at Manchester’s Co-op Live for the city’s first-ever Brit Awards, before returning for his one-night-only show on March 6 to celebrate the arrival of his fourth album, Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally. When cryptic billboards bearing the words “WE BELONG TOGETHER” appeared across Manchester city…
Leave a reply