NHS minister's bombshell: I get emails from dead people
'Zombies' raise merry hell in my inbox, says MP
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UK health minister Simon Burns has provoked fury from anti-cuts campaigners by comparing the people who email him to zombies.
Burns blurted the jibe in the House of Commons yesterday while responding to a fellow MP who had taunted him regarding his policies. Burns accused his opponent of "simply joining the ranks of organisations like 38 Degrees by frightening people and getting them almost zombie-like to send in emails".
38 Degrees is a web-based lobbying group that encourages people to email MPs and provides template emails for campaigns - which range from protecting the NHS to rules on carbon emissions.
Burns has been on the receiving end of many emails - some from the 38 Degrees Save Our NHS campaign - because of the controversial changes he is pushing through the health system.
Burns' remarks seem to have rebounded on him though, because it has only made him the focus of another email campaign organised through 38 Degrees.
The site has also gathered 41,911 signatures on an open letter that reads: "Yesterday Health Minister Simon Burns compared 38 Degrees members with zombies - for emailing our own MPs about risks to the NHS! Let's stand together to show Mr Burns that we’re citizens, not zombies."
Burns' zombie quip went down like a lead balloon on YouTube where the clip above was posted.
"Those 'zombies' are the British public, and they put you where you are now you piece of shit" writes punter, unfortunately named "FormerHuman".
Someone just needs to show Burns how to use Gmail filters. ®
COMMENTS
deocracy?
38 degrees are The Peoples Democratic Lobbyists - and it's the only many voters are able to get effective representation.
He should ask himself why his voters need to resort to a lobby group on order to be heard.
Why people like me have to pay so that 38 Degrees can get independent legal advice on the implications (intended or unintended) of the NHS reforms are. (While the government is sitting on their secret report into the same thing).
I strongly disagree with some things that 38 Degrees campaign for (like "don't build on the countryside" which as a consequence has every householder paying through the nose for scarce housing).
I am grateful that SOME group will explain in a relevant way what our elected representatives are getting up to, and help keep them in check.
I don't have a budget for secretaries like the MP's do, I depend on 38 Degrees to keep me informed; while I'm spending my time at community groups, school governors meetings and church and family responsibilities.
Zombies? Dead?
"Differently alive", shurely?
Mine's the one with the Fresh Start Club membership card.
Template emails...
You mean like the form letters that my MP almost always sends in reply?
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