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MICHAEL SHEEN, THE QUEEN and Frost/Nixon actor and last week’s Comic Relief Great British Bake Off winner, has everyone talking for a different reason.

He’s delivered a passionate speech in defence of Britain’s National Health Service, which he called

A truly monumental vision. The result of true representation. Of real advocacy. A symbol of equality, of fairness, and of compassion.

Sheen gave the speech at a St David’s Day march in Tredegar in South Wales on Sunday, remembering Aneurin Bevan, the architect of the NHS.

He praised Bevan’s integrity, noted his “deep, burning hatred for the Tory Party” and attacked what he called a “hidden agenda” in Britain’s political leaders’ bid to privatise the NHS.

He called today’s political leaders:

… careful, tentative, scared of saying what they feel for fear of alienating a part of the electorate; where under the excuse of trying to appear electable, all parties drift into a morass of bland neutrality; and the real deals, the real values we suspect, are kept behind closed doors.

And he asked:

…is it any wonder that people feel there is very little to choose between?

Sheen’s speech has been shared widely and praised on social media.

One particular call to action has everyone talking:

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.

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Sheen describes the current situation with the NHS as being “beyond party politics”, that “the Labour government arguably did as much damage to the NHS as any Tory or coalition-led one”.

He called on those who have “turned their backs on the very idea of a truly democratic society”, who have “besmirched the name of Britain” to

Get out! Get… out!

Some are even calling for Sheen to consider turning his fictional role as British PM into real life:

The actor has responded to those praising his words, saying:

He also, in the interest of fairness, pointed out his own shortcomings:

@__Kazza__ @__Kazza__

Sheen did indeed try to peel an onion with a potato peeler on last week’s charity version of GBBO. Hey, he’s only human.

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