A speech by a 91-year-old Second World War veteran about the value of the NHS at the Labour Party conference left the audience in tears.
Harry Leslie Smith described the hardships of life in the UK before the NHS and without the money to pay for medical care and made a passionate plea to keep the NHS away from privatisation from the stage in Manchester, saying:
“We must demand that the NHS will always remain an institution for the people and by the people”
He ended his speech to a standing ovation when he warned the Prime Minister:
“Mr Cameron, keep your mitts off my NHS”
The veteran’s speech was widely praised across social media, with users describing it as “remarkable”, “heart wrenching”, and “absolutely amazing”.
Listening to 91yr old Harry Smith his speech on NHS was heart wrenching ,Iets not go backwards .. HEALTH CARE FOR ALL RICH AND POOR EQUALITY
— julie Clarkson (@juejuebabyxxx) September 24, 2014
“My childhood was not an episode from Downton Abbey”. Harry Leslie Smith's remarkable speech: http://t.co/0SJ3AShaL6
— Jeanne Bartram (@JeanneBartram) September 24, 2014
Harry Smith's speech was absolutely amazing. At 91 he pleaded for us to value & protect the NHS & for Cameron to keep his mitts off our NHS!
— Debbie Abrahams (@Debbie_abrahams) September 24, 2014
Smith’s speech galvanised the party and he upstaged Labour leader Ed Miliband, who seemed to avoid mentioning either the deficit or immigration during his 66-minute keynote address. Miliband said that he did not use autocue for his speech and simply forgot those sections, but he has been widely condemned for his inability to address the difficult issues by pundits.
