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Lewisham A&E under threat + campaign

Great news.
Well done 38 Degrees!
(... and thanks Lewisham A&E and all the staff on the Cedar Ward for being genuinely brilliant in looking after my Mum for the last 3 weeks!)
 
Well, the campaign has won a victory this week. How much of a victory remains to be seen, but you have to fight the bastards. I'd rather support a futile defence than just accept whatever these lunatics decide.

Forza Comrade, courage etc...;)
 
strikes me hunt could give a shit about the campaign and were it not for a judge having the authority we'd have been sunk. marches, petitions and professional opinions made no difference, a judge he cant argue against (lets hope). the petition that raised 20k for legal fees was well worth it though, and thank god the money was raised. ill sign this though anyhow :)
 
ska invita said:
strikes me hunt could give a shit about the campaign and were it not for a judge having the authority we'd have been sunk. marches, petitions and professional opinions made no difference, a judge he cant argue against (lets hope). the petition that raised 20k for legal fees was well worth it though, and thank god the money was raised. ill sign this though anyhow :)
Click to expand...

Well... Put like that, I get your point. Still better than grinding our teeth in the dark...
 
i was talking to someone today who had a slightly better understanding of the ruling - i cant represent the conversation properly, but supposedly the loop hole that was used to win the case was something along the lines of that Hunt as secretary of health was out of line in throwing his weight around on the decision. IIRC the 2006 health act (or somesuch) had a clause that tried to take away the power from one individual ) sec of health) to make that decision .

The fact that the campaign was made by the people + lewisham council against Hunt allowed for the win. If our collective logic is right then maybe even in a Tory seat if a hospital is under threat and the pressure to close it is coming directly from Hunt himself against the wishes of everyone else on the ground including the council the same law can be used to stop it.

This is very probably a poor reflection of whats really happening, but ive yet to read a good write up of what happened plus implications, so in the meantime it feels like some good news for all the other campaigns out there. If anyone has links to good analysis id love to read them
 
leafletimg-e1376400346648.jpg
 
so what is this that 38degrees are on about Hunt trying to change the law??? (not that i endorse them)
Dear ******,

I’m a doctor and part of the Save The Lewisham Hospital campaign. Along with thousands of 38 Degrees members, we stopped health minister Jeremy Hunt from closing services at Lewisham Hospital. Thousands of us chipped in to take him to court, and we won. [1]

Jeremy Hunt appealed the decision - but he lost again. So now, having been told twice that he acted illegally, he’s trying to change the law! [2] He wants to bring in a "hospital closure clause" to give him new legal powers to shut A&Es like Lewisham. If he gets this through, none of our hospitals will be safe from his meddling or closure. [3]

The hospital closure clause will soon be voted on by MPs. We need to persuade enough of them to vote against it. A huge petition will show MPs that the public don't want them to give Jeremy Hunt new powers to shut hospitals.

I've started a petition on the 38 Degrees website. Please can you sign it today, before MPs vote?
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/hospital-closure-clause

It's a pretty cynical way to respond to our campaign, isn't it? After losing in court, Jeremy Hunt's trying to sneak a change into a law to allow him “to dismantle hospital services arbitrarily.” [2] Even the very best hospitals wouldn't be safe. This sinister clause is hidden within a much bigger piece of law - presumably he's hoping that it will go through unnoticed.

A big petition can help stop this happening. When the bill is next debated, we can prove that thousands of us are coming together against these plans. Every signature helps sound the alarm. Every signature is a blow to Jeremy Hunt's reputation, an extra voice against him getting new powers to shut hospitals.

Jeremy Hunt saw the public outcry the last time the government changed the law to damage the NHS. He saw his predecessor, Andrew Lansley, lose his job. The last thing Jeremy Hunt will want to see is 38 Degrees members coming together again to stand up for NHS.

So let's get signing this petition now!
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/hospital-closure-clause

Thank you for your support.

Louise Irvine,
38 Degrees member and chair of the Save Lewisham Hospital campaign
Click to expand...
 
OK - didn't realise that.
Any examples?
I've only really had any dealings with them because of their Lewisham Hospital petition which I signed up to (along with about 4 or 5 others).
Here's the "victory" mail they sent out - didn't strike me that they're claiming it to be their own victory:
Dear Xxxx,

This is HUGE news. Today, we got the verdict in the court case against health secretary Jeremy Hunt, which 38 Degrees members helped to pay for.

It's the result we had all hoped for: the judge ruled that Jeremy Hunt acted illegally. He's been ordered to scrap his plan to cut A&E and maternity services at Lewisham Hospital, south London. [1]

This is fantastic news for the people of Lewisham. But it's also great news for the rest of us. If Jeremy Hunt had got away with this in Lewisham, no hospital would have been safe.

When the Save Lewisham Hospital campaign decided to take Jeremy Hunt to court, thousands of us from all across the UK stepped in to help. Together, chipping in whatever we could afford, we raised the £20,000 they needed to launch their legal challenge. [2]

It's not often that ordinary people come together to take the government to court. That was an impressive achievement in itself. But to win – and to prove that Jeremy Hunt is breaking the law – is simply amazing.

There will be so much more to do if we're going to stop and reverse this government's damaging attacks on our health service. In Lewisham, there's a chance the government may appeal the court's decision. Everywhere else, there are cuts, privatisation, and low care standards for us to battle against.

Today is a great win - but the Save our NHS campaign will need to go on tomorrow!

But let's take a little bit of time to celebrate first. Here are two ways to toast this success:

1. Raise a glass this evening to all the people who made this breakthrough possible. The 38 Degrees members who donated. All the other 38 Degrees members who are involved in the Save Our NHS campaign. The brilliant local campaigners in the Save Lewisham Hospital campaign who have worked tirelessly for months. The crack legal team at Leigh Day solicitors. And the wonderful local NHS staff who've just kept going despite their hospital being under threat.

2. Forward this e-mail to any friends or contacts who could do with a little bit of inspiration. Sometimes it can feel like it's impossible for us to make a difference. Today's success proves that when enough of us work together, we really can. People power works!

Here's what Dr Louise Irvine, chair of the Save Lewisham Hospital campaign, has to say:

"We're delighted by the judgement and the support we've got from Lewisham and beyond, especially from 38 Degrees members who donated to make today's victory possible and helped give us the confidence to stand up to Jeremy Hunt in court".


Thank you for everything you do,

David, Susannah, Ian, Travis, Blanche and the 38 Degrees team
Click to expand...
 
cesare said:
Yay!

Let's hope the cunt doesn't do an IDS and change the law to suit him instead.
Click to expand...

Well, the ********* has ......................

I've just had the info below sent to me......................

///////////////////

I’m a doctor and part of the Save The Lewisham Hospital campaign. Along with thousands of 38 Degrees members, we stopped health minister Jeremy Hunt from closing services at Lewisham Hospital. Thousands of us chipped in to take him to court, and we won. [1]

Jeremy Hunt appealed the decision - but he lost again. So now, having been told twice that he acted illegally, he’s trying to change the law! [2] He wants to bring in a "hospital closure clause" to give him new legal powers to shut A&Es like Lewisham. If he gets this through, none of our hospitals will be safe from his meddling or closure. [3]

The hospital closure clause will soon be voted on by MPs. We need to persuade enough of them to vote against it. A huge petition will show MPs that the public don't want them to give Jeremy Hunt new powers to shut hospitals.

I've started a petition on the 38 Degrees website. Please can you sign it today, before MPs vote?
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/hospital-closure-clause

It's a pretty cynical way to respond to our campaign, isn't it? After losing in court, Jeremy Hunt's trying to sneak a change into a law to allow him “to dismantle hospital services arbitrarily.” [2] Even the very best hospitals wouldn't be safe. This sinister clause is hidden within a much bigger piece of law - presumably he's hoping that it will go through unnoticed.

A big petition can help stop this happening. When the bill is next debated, we can prove that thousands of us are coming together against these plans. Every signature helps sound the alarm. Every signature is a blow to Jeremy Hunt's reputation, an extra voice against him getting new powers to shut hospitals.

Jeremy Hunt saw the public outcry the last time the government changed the law to damage the NHS. He saw his predecessor, Andrew Lansley, lose his job. The last thing Jeremy Hunt will want to see is 38 Degrees members coming together again to stand up for NHS.

So let's get signing this petition now!
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/hospital-closure-clause

Thank you for your support.

Louise Irvine,

////////////////////
(I can't do anything with the text to highlight it, sorry)
 
ska invita said:
but that cash raising is a bit of a one off ;) and doesnt take away from the fact that its impossible to know what kind of effect they usually ever have, if any.
Click to expand...
They have a very well organised communication channel. Although unmeasurable, I think its at least admirable. Keeping up the pressure on cunts like hunt needs good organisation. For that, I don't care if a bit of self back patting is included in the propaganda.
 
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