Where do Streatham MP candidates stand on privatisation of the NHS?

The Lambeth Keep Our NHS Public (KONP) campaign, will be outside the Streatham Odeon this Saturday (28th March) between 11am  and 1pm  - to hold candidates to account for their pledges for the NHS in the General Election.

At the hustings last week, they distributed these "score cards" (see left) marking candidates in Streatham over NHS privatisation.

Their three "asks" are:

- Repeal of the Health and Social Care Act
- The NHS (Reinstatement) Bill
- Keeping Health out of TTIP

I have been very happy to support all three, as the Green Party Parliamentary candidate for Streatham. Green MP Caroline Lucas tabled the NHS Reinstatement Bill in Parliament, and I am completely opposed to TTIP.  All these are crucial in order not just to stop the ongoing marketisation and privatisation of the NHS under successive (Labour and Conservative) Governments, but also to reverse it.

I also believe that it is wrong as a MP to take money from companies like PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), who are involved in the privatisation of the NHS.

The current MP, Labour's Chuka Umunna, supports only the first one.  He is in favour of TTIP and opposed to a NHS Reinstatement Bill as the campaigners point out on their scorecard.  He also takes donations from PwC.

Lambeth KONP have promised a very colourful banner and leaflets displaying their views, and postcards people can send to candidates standing in Streatham about their voting intentions.

A 100m scarf and the Day after Peace

Streatham's Little Big Peace week is underway, and everyone is invited for a photocall at 6.00pm tonight outside the Streatham Odeon.

In typical eclectic Streatham style, this will involve a 100m long Peace Scarf, knitted by volunteers from the local community.

But the main event is a screening at 7.00pm in the Odeon cinema itself, of Peace One Day's film "The Day After Peace". This award winning film featuring Jude Law and Angelina Jolie, encompasses the adoption of the United Nations global day of Peace and the impact it had around the world up until 2007. It charts the remarkable 10-year journey of award-winning filmmaker Jeremy Gilley to establish the annual Peace Day on 21 September.

The camera follows Gilley as he galvanises the countries of the world to recognise an official day of ceasefire and non-violence. But even after the member states of the UN unanimously adopt Peace Day, the struggle isn’t over. As the years pass, there’s not a single ceasefire. The voices of the cynics are growing louder – and now Gilley’s non-profit organisation, Peace One Day, is in dire financial straits. But he can’t let it fail.

The film’s breathtaking conclusion finds Gilley joined by Jude Law in Afghanistan, attempting to spearhead a massive vaccination against polio on Peace Day. The Day After Peace is a moving testament to the power of an individual and the perseverance of the human spirit.

There will also be a video introduction by South London local and actor, Art Malik (well known for his roles in A Passage to India, The Bond Film The Living Daylights, Upstairs Downstairs, and Holby City!) and then a live Skype chat with its founder, Jeremy Gilley.