“So when people are too scared to say what they really mean, when they’re too careful to speak from their hearts, when integrity is too much of a risk, it’s no surprise that people feel disengaged with politics.
There is never an excuse to not speak up for what you think is right. You must stand up for what you believe. But first of all, by God, believe in something. Because there are plenty out there who believe in grabbing as much as they can for themselves. Constantly sniffing around for markets to exploit, for weakness to expose. They won’t say it, of course – they’re too smart for that. […]
This is about who we want to be as a nation, and what we believe is worth fighting for. Too many people have given too much, and fought too hard, for us to give away what they achieved and to be left with so very little. To those across the whole party political spectrum, and to anyone in any position of power or authority, I ask you to search your heart, and look at who and what you serve…
I say to you, as Aneurin Bevan said in Trafalgar Square in 1956: you have besmirched the name of Britain; you have made us ashamed of the things of which formerly we were proud; you have offended against every principle of decency. And there is only way in which you can even begin to restore your tarnished reputation: get out! Get out! Get… out!”
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Michael Sheen’s impassioned speech in defense of the NHS, given at the People’s March in South Wales earlier this month.
This is one of those you need to watch and hear, not just read. For a lighter take, you can see Sheen in a more relaxed role in the most charming movie of the last decade.
More for your rhetoric class:
