Turning point That February day when we took to the streets - Protesting Whittington A&E Closure
Published: 30 April, 2010
by TOM FOOT
IT was a remarkable day when everything changed, a march so wonderfully executed that no politician with a serious claim to running Britain’s health system could ignore its purpose.
The vast train of protesters stretched back for as far as the eye could see on Saturday February 27. More than 5,000 people of all backgrounds, of all political stripes, marched shoulder to shoulder with the basic message: You will not strip the heart out of our hospital.
It was the day the public said no. Few will forget the sight of our 100-year-old double-decker bus swinging around Highbury Corner and the people’s battalion packing the forecourt of the Whittington Hospital in Magdala Avenue for the rally and to hear speeches.
Remember David Lammy’s angry wagging finger, Frank Dobson’s colourful speech and Islington Council leader Terry Stacey shouting: “No No and No.” None of it would have been possible had it not been for the Defend Whittington Hospital Coalition. The group – formed after political parties seized on the story and claimed it as their own – did it their own way. They thrashed out proposals in a series of meetings that went late into the night. The New Journal was fortunate enough to take part and contribute, leaving those sessions in awe at the commitment of volunteers.
Some will say the timing of next week’s general election may have tipped the balance in the end, but for all those involved in the campaign it was people power that won it.