Manchester for the NHS
The Tories are in town again for this week's party conference, so naturally the marchers were in town again too. Two years ago, we got about 35,000 demonstrators; this time, the police figures put us at 55,000 ("So add on 20,000," as one speaker said). The weather was a hell of a lot better, too.
Having been on many marches in my long life, I timed my arrival carefully. They never set off until an hour after the time originally mentioned. So I turned up after 75 minutes, and found our banner was just beginning to move.
On the way, I passed a choir singing for the NHS in close harmony (with a bit of dancing on the side).
The other advantage of my strategically delayed arrival was that for once I got to see the front of the march. First come the police horses...
The men in black hats are undertakers carrying the body of the NHS as a warning of the future.
A young campaigner argues the case.
We had a fine view of the underside of a helicopter.
Most of the way round the course, we were followed by a brass band, playing popular marches like the one used by Monty Python (at which point I puzzled comrades who had not had ballet classes by demonstrating the pas de cheval).
NHS umbrellas, not needed against the rain this time.
We stream past the Town Hall.
The conference is practically on the site of the Peterloo Massacre, an irony not lost on many of the marchers.
A four-legged friend helps to deliver the message.
In 2011 we wound up in a park not far past the conference centre, but this time we headed on south down Oxford Road...
...to Whitworth Park, where a proud demonstrator celebrates completing the course.
Still no rain, so the umbrellas in Whitworth Park are purely for art.
And this time, thanks to the sunny weather, I managed to fit in a bit of mowing when I got home.
Also posted on Dreamwidth, with
comments.
Having been on many marches in my long life, I timed my arrival carefully. They never set off until an hour after the time originally mentioned. So I turned up after 75 minutes, and found our banner was just beginning to move.
On the way, I passed a choir singing for the NHS in close harmony (with a bit of dancing on the side).
The other advantage of my strategically delayed arrival was that for once I got to see the front of the march. First come the police horses...
The men in black hats are undertakers carrying the body of the NHS as a warning of the future.
A young campaigner argues the case.
We had a fine view of the underside of a helicopter.
Most of the way round the course, we were followed by a brass band, playing popular marches like the one used by Monty Python (at which point I puzzled comrades who had not had ballet classes by demonstrating the pas de cheval).
NHS umbrellas, not needed against the rain this time.
We stream past the Town Hall.
The conference is practically on the site of the Peterloo Massacre, an irony not lost on many of the marchers.
A four-legged friend helps to deliver the message.
In 2011 we wound up in a park not far past the conference centre, but this time we headed on south down Oxford Road...
...to Whitworth Park, where a proud demonstrator celebrates completing the course.
Still no rain, so the umbrellas in Whitworth Park are purely for art.
And this time, thanks to the sunny weather, I managed to fit in a bit of mowing when I got home.
Also posted on Dreamwidth, with
comments.