Hundreds protest in Hull city centre against NHS cuts

“This is what you get if you vote Conservative although that doesn't apply to many people in Hull

Privatised healthcare will make billions for certain companies and millions for certain politicians”

“It's weird that wendy1966 has so many red arrows, as every word she's written is true. Within 5 years you will not have free healthcare on the NHS - you will have to have medical insurance like in the US. If you don't have the insurance, you won't get treated.

If you don't believe me, then find out for yourselves - you're sat at a computer - use it. The private healthcare companies themselves are crowing about how much money they'll make out of us - they're not even trying to hide it!

I'm not claiming the NHS is perfect, it's a vast inefficient monster (though strangely, also the most efficient health service in the world) and certainly needs looking at, but selling off all of it's core services to the highest bidder is a disaster for our childrens future.

The days of free healthcare are numbered for all for us. I can't see how that's a good thing - perhaps a few red arrowers could enlighten me ?”

“Here's a few ideas to cut costs in the NHS...
Why advertise free prescriptions of Methadone for drug users, they feed of it!
Why take in the drunken alcoholics? surely they do what they do for a reason... the amount of drunken disorderly people that end up in Hull Royal after a boozed up weekend is unbelievable, they know the consequences! So why help them? I could argue all day about this.
The people that need the help are people suffering with serious illnesses, such as Cancer etc...
The NHS took 4 weeks to get results for one of my family members, she had to wait 72 hours to be transferred to Castle Hill all because she got sent in on a busy night such as Saturday, where all the drunken disorderly people are there, of course getting their stomach pumped etc.
This is not on at all, they need to take on the highly skilled doctors/nurses who know what their doing and not ones who pounce around in their uniform. No offence to the ones who do their best.

Also If the government pull their finger out their backside and come up with a decent idea to pay the "doleys" in a better manner they could also save money, for example come up with an idea to give them a coupon with a certain amount of money on to pay for gas, electric etc.

And as well why do they need to pay so many billions on some Olympic Rings to hang of the bridge in London? Surely the NHS is far important? The money could pay for the right treatment people need to survive their life!

What I don't understand is why do they send our army over to other countries to help them if we can't even save our own country?

This is just my opinion, The economy has dropped so much and if they don't sort it out soon then I guess thats it!”

“Here's a few ideas to cut costs in the NHS...
Why advertise free prescriptions of Methadone for drug users, they feed of it!
Why take in the drunken alcoholics? surely they do what they do for a reason... the amount of drunken disorderly people that end up in Hull Royal after a boozed up weekend is unbelievable, they know the consequences! So why help them? I could argue all day about this.
The people that need the help are people suffering with serious illnesses, such as Cancer etc...
The NHS took 4 weeks to get results for one of my family members, she had to wait 72 hours to be transferred to Castle Hill all because she got sent in on a busy night such as Saturday, where all the drunken disorderly people are there, of course getting their stomach pumped etc.
This is not on at all, they need to take on the highly skilled doctors/nurses who know what their doing and not ones who pounce around in their uniform. No offence to the ones who do their best.

Also If the government pull their finger out their backside and come up with a decent idea to pay the "doleys" in a better manner they could also save money, for example come up with an idea to give them a coupon with a certain amount of money on to pay for gas, electric etc.

And as well why do they need to pay so many billions on some Olympic Rings to hang of the bridge in London? Surely the NHS is far important? The money could pay for the right treatment people need to survive their life!

What I don't understand is why do they send our army over to other countries to help them if we can't even save our own country?

This is just my opinion, The economy has dropped so much and if they don't sort it out soon then I guess thats it!”

“In response to the comments of HoratioNelson, I would like to dismiss them as spurious, divisive nonsense that offers nothing positive for the anti-cuts struggle, nor the defence of our NHS mounted by ordinary working class people in Hull last saturday. The idea that a fully peaceful, entirely democratic demonstration was "hijacked" by "extremists" is not only laughable, it is entirely divorced from reality. Representatives from the Communist Party of Britain and the Socialist Workers Party were indeed represented on the march and rally. So were the Labour Party, and a whole other range of political organisations. Are they extremists too?! Funny how certain names are just at the forefront of your mind, isn't it, eh?

The comments made are the comments of a neoliberal, careerist armchair politician; who rather than take an active role in organising and co-ordinating this campaign, has decided to sit with a computer and take a crude, anonomous pop at hardworking political activists who did.

As for being "accosted", Horatio; i don't believe that "Excuse me Sir, would you care for a copy of the Morning Star?" said to you by a smiling young person really counts as being accosted. If it does, it is likely the politest harrassment you are ever likely to get. Political activism requires a thicker skin than that, comrade. As a final word, the comments made above do absolutely nothing for the debate, nor the struggle to defend the NHS and the welfare state. We need, as the working class of East Yorkshire, to stand in unity and to speak with a single, deafening, unwavering voice as part of the mass movement. Divisive, sectarian, drama queens will do nothing more than to play straight into the hands of the ruling class, and those who have launched the most dangerous assault on public services in history.

Sincerely yours,
Daoud Hamdani

Branch Secretary,
Communist Party of Britain, East Yorkshire and Humberside Branch”

“The idea that we have an effective health care for "plebs" is one that the Tory government has waited to for years to give to private enterprise.
While it seems a British pass time to moan about any large state run service, people will see when the time comes for help, that treatment will be rationed, or waiting lists that are longer than life expectancy . I have no objection to private health care, but they would not succeed while we have such a fabulous free service . It's our N.H.S.”

“The idea that we have an effective health care for "plebs" is one that the Tory government has waited to for years to give to private enterprise.
While it seems a British pass time to moan about any large state run service, people will see when the time comes for help, that treatment will be rationed, or waiting lists that are longer than life expectancy . I have no objection to private health care, but they would not succeed while we have such a fabulous free service . It's our N.H.S.”

“The idea that we have an effective health care for "plebs" is one that the Tory government has waited to for years to give to private enterprise.
While it seems a British pass time to moan about any large state run service, people will see when the time comes for help, that treatment will be rationed, or waiting lists that are longer than life expectancy . I have no objection to private health care, but they would not succeed while we have such a fabulous free service . It's our N.H.S.”

“I Only wish the government would look at things properly the N.H.S. is OURS not there's we pay taxes national ins stamp[ vat and a lot more to keep it going why dont they stop sending OUR money to other countries better still come the next election they must like been in opposition”

“The NHS, despite reports of savings to be made, remains the UKs biggest golden turkey and for purely electoral reasons has remained pretty much untouchable by govt. It is hugely wasteful, in admin terms massively overstaffed/medically understaffed-as an employee of 14 years I for one know it to be a fact that excess admin staff are kept on the books so that budgets are kept for the following year. Thousands are spent on ludicrous diversity/health safety training, the yacht scheme is a disgrace, so its a dis-service to tax payers, and wasteful of scarce cash that could go into primary patient care, for the NHS to not be reformed. It has a budget greater than the income of many nations but remains badly managed and massively wasteful. If its going to remain affordable and viable, either the tax payer is going to have to put their money where their mouths are and pay for it, or it'll have to become efficent. Unpopular but realistic assessment.”