The Mayor's Question Time at City Hall, London, was disrupted several times and once briefly adjourned by a group of homelessness activists. During the jeering by the protesters, Boris Johnson was heard to be called a "wanker".

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Jeremy Hunt is trying to sneak through a law which will give him the power to quickly close any local hospitalwithout listening to local people. No hospital is safe. He’s changing the rules after losing twice in court trying to close Lewisham Hospital against the wishes of local people, doctors and nurses. The sweeping new law - the 'hospital closure clause' of the Care Bill - will give the government the power to shut down any hospital, in as little as 40 days, regardless of how well the hospital is performing. [1] Jeremy Hunt is hell-bent on pushing this through. And time’s not on our side. It could be as little as one week before MPs vote this sinister threat into a reality. If we’re going to have a chance of stopping Jeremy Hunt we need to throw the kitchen sink at this. And we need to move fast. Vote now to decide whether or not we should launch a big campaign. Yes or No? Our NHS is precious. And it’s important that we know hospitals, accident and emergency and maternity services are there for us in moments of crisis and joy. It’s terrifying to imagine the government having the power to close any hospital without hearing the wishes of the local community. It’s going to be tough to stop Jeremy Hunt. But we’ve done it before - twice in Lewisham alone. And if enough of us are keen, there are exciting possibilities for next steps. And new tactics we could try which would take even Jeremy Hunt by surprise! The 38 Degrees staff team sit down on Monday morning to plan out the week ahead and decide on how we split up staff resources. The most important factor when making those decisions is what 38 Degrees members think. Should trying to stop the hospital closure clause be 38 Degrees' top priority over the next few weeks? Please vote now to help decide whether to launch a big campaign by clicking on the buttons below. Thanks for being involved, Becky, Ian, Rebecca, David and the rest of the 38 Degrees team PS: A study of NHS foundation trusts in England has found the number of those in financial trouble has nearly doubled in a year from 21 to 39. Jeremy Hunt has shown before he’s willing to close good hospitals to bail out ones which are struggling - this law would allow him to do this, even if local patients and doctors were strongly against it. [3] NOTES [1] What is the Hospital Closure Clause. Read more on our blog here: http://blog.38degrees.org.uk/ [2] BBC News: Rise in NHS Foundation Trusts with deficit, says Monitor hospitals http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/ |
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I am a mother of two young children who has attended various protests in the past (the anti Iraq war demo for example). The demonstrations I've attended have always been peaceful. I have even taken my young children to protest. So I was shocked to hear on the radio that the Mayor of London is prepared to fund the purchase of water cannons from Germany to be used by our police force "to respond to public disorder".
The right to protest is a fundamental right of any citizen in a democratic country. The use of water cannons is highly dangerous and can result in serious injury. As with the practice of kettling, water cannons are rarely used against dangerous rioters but as a way of deterring the peaceful protesters from future direct action. When I did some research it didn't take me long to find evidence that water cannons are dangerous. In Germany, where they are used by the police, a 66-year-old man was left blind after being hit by a jet from a water cannon. The time is now to make sure this doesn't happen. For the police force to be able to use water cannons they must be approved both in England and Wales. There is a consultation to help decide whether London police will adopt water cannons, it's open until 28th Feb. I seriously question how their use is going to be properly monitored and how innocent people will be spared from getting hurt. I am sending this petition in as a consultation response but need as many people as possible to sign before I do. It is our right to take to the streets in a peaceful demonstration of our frustration or dissatisfaction about political events, without fear of being harmed. Please support this petition to make sure we don't end up with peaceful demonstrations being turned into life ruining situations for decent ordinary people.
Thanks for your support - together we can make a change for the better.
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