Hornsey and Wood Green 38 Degrees members deliver 5,301 strong petition to MP candidates

Image credit: Frazer Wilson

For the past 6 weeks, Hornsey and Wood Green 38 Degrees members have been out on the streets most Saturday’s building support for their massive local ‘Save our NHS’ petition.

Together they have collected 1,000s of signatures and spoken to 1,000s of people about the importance of voting with the NHS in mind this election.

On Saturday 25 April members  again hosted two colourful stalls, one in Crouch End and one in Muswell Hill. This was the last chance to grow the ‘Save our NHS’ petition before handing it in to all the candidates standing to be the next MP in Hornsey and Wood Green later that afternoon.

Local member Doug from Muswell Hill had his pitch down pat “Sign the petition to save our NHS! We’re not a political party. The petition will be handed in to all candidates this afternoon.”

Local shoppers, parents out with their kids and local school students all stopped to have a chat. Before agreeing to sign the petition, one young woman asked asked her dad to explain what privatisation meant, on hearing his answer she said – “I want to sign it. Everyone should access have health care in this country, not just those who can afford it.”

In Crouch End Broadway members had a stall outside of the busy Budgens supermarket. Local 38 Degrees’ member Alex was collecting signatures alongside her 11 year old granddaughter. “Our NHS has always been there for me and my family when we’ve needed it” said Alex. “I’m hear today to spread the word that the way we vote on 7th May could determine whether our NHS is still there for my granddaughter as she grows up.”

After 3 hours of building the petition members broke for lunch, count up the final tally (a whopping 5,301!!) and to plan how to run the hand-over to the MP candidates. We set up outside of the Hornsey Town Hall, holding up our colourful banners and placards to ensure our message was loud and clear – that the best way to win votes from people in Hornsey and Wood Green is to pledge to save the NHS from privatisation and funding freezes.

Image credit: Frazer Wilson

All candidates standing in Hornsey and Wood Green were invited to attend the short event to meet with 38 Degrees members and receive a certificate stating how many local people had signed the petition. Those who attended were Lynne Featherstone (Liberal Democrats),Gordon Peters, Helen Spiby-Vann (Christian Peoples Alliance) and Catherine West (Labour). The local UKIP and Conservative candidates did not respond to the invitations. One by one the candidates present were asked to respond to the asks in the petition on funding, privatisation and TTIP. 38 Degrees members also asked tough questions on repealing the Health and Social Care Act, where funding for NHS commitments would come from and on TTIP. Read the article about the petition hand-in in the Haringey Independent here.

Where you at the petition hand-in? Please share your reflections on how it went in the comments.