Angry campaigners protest against closure of A&E

2,000 demonstrate against Huddersfield's A&E closure, photo by Iain Dalton (Click to enlarge)

Mike Forster, Huddersfield Socialist Party

Anger is palpable wherever you go in Huddersfield. Ordinary people are organising events everywhere against the closure of the town's A&E. An online petition has already topped 100,000!

On 20 January, the Calderdale/Huddersfield Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) met to reach its final decision on a very secret consultation about the future of accident and emergency provision in the area.

The decision was picked up by the media and a huge groundswell of opposition sprung up all over the town: a Facebook group has already attracted over 40,000 members. A protest of around 2,000 on 23 January in the town square heard speaker after speaker condemn the move.

Huddersfield has never seen anything like it! The CCG will live to rue the day they took us all on.

There's no doubt that if this proposal goes ahead, people will die. The nearest A&E is at least 30 minutes away, but much longer in rush hour or if you live in far flung communities.

And this is in Halifax, a PFI hospital which is being drained of money to pay off a colossal debt.

The strength of the campaign is that it's lead from below. Although local MP's formed a 'united front' to fight the closure, people completely new to the struggle have been thrown into the leadership which has invigorated the campaign.

The Socialist Party have collected nearly 15,000 signatures on this issue in the last year and our campaign stalls have now been transformed as we engage in the campaign, mobilising young people in particular.

On the first public rally we raised almost Ł250 in paper sales, badges and fighting fund. There will be no going back from this.

The campaign can be found on Facebook, Twitter and online by searching for #handsoffhri

Donate to the Socialist Party

Finance appeal

The coronavirus crisis has laid bare the class character of society in numerous ways. It is making clear to many that it is the working class that keeps society running, not the CEOs of major corporations.

The results of austerity have been graphically demonstrated as public services strain to cope with the crisis.

The government has now ripped up its 'austerity' mantra and turned to policies that not long ago were denounced as socialist. But after the corona crisis, it will try to make the working class pay for it, by trying to claw back what has been given.

The Socialist Party's material is more vital than ever, so we can continue to report from workers who are fighting for better health and safety measures, against layoffs, for adequate staffing levels, etc.
When the health crisis subsides, we must be ready for the stormy events ahead and the need to arm workers' movements with a socialist programme - one which puts the health and needs of humanity before the profits of a few.

Inevitably, during the crisis we have not been able to sell the Socialist and raise funds in the ways we normally would.

We therefore urgently appeal to all our viewers to click here to donate to our Fighting Fund.