NATIONAL HEALTH ACTION PARTY
6 April 2015
Two members of rock legend Queen have independently given their backing to candidates from the National Health Action Party standing at the general election.
Queen guitarist Brian May has endorsed the National Health Action Party’s Dr Louise Irvine as part of his Common Decency campaign – as she attempts to oust the Health Secretary from South West Surrey. And Queen drummer Roger Taylor is supporting Rik Evans, the NHA Party’s candidate in Truro & Falmouth who is building up considerable support in the constituency. Their pledges of support came totally independently, and neither member of Queen knew before about the other’s backing for the NHA Party.
Brian May said: “Louise Irvine comes from a passionate position of objecting to what this government has done to hospitals and to the NHS. She’s had first-hand experience of it as a GP in Lewisham. She is not only a committed defender of the NHS but she will also be the kind of MP we need more of in parliament – independent of the party whip or outside conflicts of interest, someone who will really listen to and represent her constituents.”
Dr Irvine, who as chair of the Save Lewisham Hospital Campaign, has twice beaten the Health Secretary in the courts over his attempt to downgrade the hospital said:
“I feel very honoured to be among a group of people being endorsed by Brian May as espousing his principles of decency, transparency and accountability. The idea behind Common Decency that we need independent-minded MPs to “serve their constituents and moral conscience first” fits exactly with my own ethos and that of the NHA Party. We reject the whole notion of the party whips system which puts parties above people. We also need an end to the conflicts of interest that see MPs profiting from outside interests while in Parliament and profiting from their political connections when they leave Parliament.
“I’m also delighted that Brian feels as strongly as we do in the National Health Action Party about the need to restore and protect the NHS as a publicly-funded and publicly-delivered system, and strongly oppose its privatisation. The way this government is under funding and privatising our NHS makes it the vital the Tories are ousted at the general election. The people of South West Surrey have a unique opportunity to vote out the Health Secretary who bears ultimate responsibility for the drive to run down and sell off our NHS.”
Queen drummer Roger Taylor has given his backing to the NHA Party’s Rik Evans standing in Truro & Falmouth. Taylor said:
“Rik and I have been friends for nearly fifty years and I know that his campaigning against privatisation of our NHS is passionate and heartfelt. I fully support Rik’s endeavour to keep the NHS as a publicly funded service for us all, free at the point of use, with the profit motive removed. I wish Rik well.”
Rik Evans, a local businessman who resigned as vice chair of the Royal Cornwall Hospital Trust over privatisation, said:
“Roger has been a good and loyal friend for most of my life and his endorsement of my campaign against privatisation of health means a lot. Our friendship started about 47 years ago when I hired Roger’s band “The Reaction” to play in a wedding marquee I had erected in Feock near Truro. I have watched Roger’s huge success in the rock music business with pride and admiration and it is always a joy when we get together over a bottle of wine.”
ENDS
Dr Louise Irvine and Rik Evans are among 13 candidates being fielded at the general election by the National Health Action Party.
Details here:
http://nhap.org/nha-party-election-campaign-launch-leader-urges-public-vote-not-just-nhs-sort-society-want-live/
Brian May endorsing Dr Louise Irvine on BBC Surrey:
http://nhap.org/brian-may-voices-his-support-for-nha-candidate-dr-louise-irvine/
For more information on Common Decency go to: www.commondecency.org.uk
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