Wake up the Peers to the dangers posed by the NHS bill

[glasnost]

www.goingtowork.org.uk/peers/

I don't think they need waking up do they? From the reports I was listening to this morning there are plenty of robust questions and concerns being raised. Lords Owen, Hennessy and others are very active in calling for it to be referred to an extraordinary committee. It's the job of the Upper House to test legislation... that's why they're there.

The 2 you mentioned are the only 2 so far hence this wake up call to the other slumbering peers.

Well the sleepy little 'protest' on Sunday on an already closed bridge won't have disturbed any slumbering peers much. Thought you said this Wall Street thing was the start of some big revolution?

If you don't wanto sponsor a peer and get active why bother hijacking this thread with sneery swipes that are petty and pretty pathetic.

You really should cogito a bit more.

Good to see MNters give a stuff about the future of the NHS.

Maybe if you were a little less rude to anyone that joined your thread, you'd have more success in starting a conversation.....

Were you just WAITING to jump in with that? Quite unbelievable.

Rude isn't making snidey comments about bridge demos and occupations then?

If the UK has plumbed to the depths of the mindsets on display on MN Politix there really is no hope. You may haveto resort to telling me to f off in your bid to be less rude.

Conversations aren't what's needed anyway. It's action.

This is a Politics Board... a place to come and discuss political matters of the day in as robust as fashion as everyone sees fit. I disagreed with your description of 'slumbering peers'... but, obviously as you're an American, you can only work with lame stereotypes. If you want to grandstand your revolutionary ambitions among friends, start a blog perhaps?

American? What ARE you on about? Who's American?

If you disagree with slumbering peers give reasons why they are NOT slumbering seeing as the average age is 65 and there are 17 0ver 90! Lordy lordy. Are you going to write to a peer? If not why not? Do you support the NHS bill? THAT'S starting a conversation.

Government wins keyvote in Lords. Perhaps peers had a strong brew.

Charming of you to rejoice in this. What will YOU get out of it?

Nye Bevan will be turning in his grave.

This is a good idea, Glasnost - to adopt a peer!

Can't wait to see who they peer (see what I did there?) me up with.

But didn't they vote on it yesterday?

What I will get out of it is better care. Any change to the NHS must be a good thing. I can honestly no see how it can get any worse.

Glad to see this glasnost

Actually been feeling pretty depressed about all this after the poor turnout on Sunday (it was a good event, but really, only 2000 people can be arsed to protest on something as important as the NHS?) and then today's lack of resistance in the lords.

But we've got to fight on.

Depressed is how they want us to feel Prolesworth. Bear in mind Sunday's bridge block was organised by UKUNCUT which - while doing alot of good imo - can put off yer Jo/anna public due to media propaganda. The unions have got to step in and step up the pressure but alot of those same unions are politically compromised considering they fund New Labour who paved the way for these cuts and "reforms" by perpetuating Thatcherism. They can't bleat now about this tragic state of affairs. The unions really must get their act together. The RED ones, that is, and not the YELLOW ones.

I thought the Block the Bridge demo was co-organised by Unite? I guess that's why I expected it to be a lot bigger than it was. Maybe I'm mistaken though?

It was UKUNCUT that organised it and that's precisely what's wrong with these unions delegating their job to other, more ad hoc movements. RMT could teach the others a thing or two.

You're right - I read that Unite had publicly supported the protest and somehow misinterpreted that to mean they were co-organising it when they weren't.