People power is an awesome thing to behold. When you’re on the wrong end of a wave of strongly held public opinion, it is utterly terrifying. And when you’re on the same side as it, the impossible starts to seem more achievable.
Over the last two weeks, people power has come to the fore in Shepton Mallet. Thousands upon thousands of people have signed the petition to stop the temporary closure of the Shepton Mallet Community Hospital. Hundreds more turned up to lobby representatives of the Somerset Partnership NHS Trust during the day last Friday or for the public meeting that evening.
They waited patiently to make their anger known but when their turn came, each and every person spoke knowledgeably and passionately about the hospital, the staff and the support they give to our community.
In the vanguard were town, district and county councillors alongside dedicated volunteers who have spent years campaigning to keep Shepton’s hospital. Politics mattered not a jot; Labour, Conservative, Lib Dem and unaligned, stood up to represent our community.
In a world where politics is ever more polarised, it has been a great reminder that mostly, we all want the same thing. It’s too early say whether we’ll have changed the minds of those making the decisions at the Somerset Partnership Trust but with Brexit and a fracturing of the political consensus, it’s been a great reminder of what a community and its politicians can do when we speak with one voice.
Politics requires disagreement. That discourse is the lifeblood of our democracy and our country would be all the worse if everyone thought the same thing. But I must admit, I’ve really enjoyed being a part of something where everyone is pulling in the same direction. I hope we get the result we all want.