Goodbye to Britain’s National Health Service, Hello Tory Dystopia
Here’s an article from US website Global Comment on what America clearly understood to be the privatisation of the National Health Service in England. It was published in March 2012, about a month after the Health and Social Care Act was passed – and seems much more perceptive in its evaluation than – for example – the BBC!
The article states: “The level of health care privatization being implemented by the British government via the Health and Social Care Bill (and experts agree it amounts to privatization and will lead to more, even as ministers known to love the private sector deny it) is seen by many as essentially the end of the National Health Service (NHS). The editor of the respected medical journal The Lancet has described the impact of this “coming disaster” very bluntly: ‘People will die thanks to the government’s decision to focus on competition rather than quality in healthcare.'”
It continues: “A hatchet is being taken to the NHS without a mandate, which explains the lack of transparency and authoritarianism of the process. The government doesn’t want a risk assessment for their “reforms” published, and meanwhile protests that have been held with the aim of quite literally conserving a beloved British institution, a pillar of the welfare state, have been policed as if they were radical demonstrations aiming to smash the state.
“The Conservatives very explicitly lied about their intentions: a famous and frequently parodied campaign poster featured Tory leader and now Prime Minister David Cameron promising that he wouldn’t cut the NHS.”
Moving on to other policies, it states: “In place of free healthcare for UK citizens, the government is providing free labor for corporations: “Jobseekers have been made to do compulsory unpaid work for up to four weeks after refusing to take part in the voluntary work experience scheme,” reports The Guardian.
“And there are all kinds of other nasty Tory plans in motion to make Britain a more grim, awful place. They plan to kick out immigrants from outside the European Union who earn less than £35,000, which is to say almost half the country’s nurses. Cameron’s cuts to disability benefits are so severe as to have even prompted the departure of long-term members of his party – appalled by the “endless attacks on disabled people and their right to independence and full equality” – and fierce opposition from columnists for The Daily Mail, usually a bastion of right-wing meanness.
“How did things get so bad, so fast?”
Show your support for Vox Political!
The site needs YOUR help to continue.
You can make a one-off donation here:
Alternatively, you can buy the first Vox Political book,
Strong Words and Hard Times
in either print or eBook format here:
I can’t get any of the global comment links to work….
Scary stuff but obvious to those of us looking at reality. Shame there aren’t more people who are.
It seems Global Comment is not as good at making links as Yr Obdt Srvt!
I agree completely with your second paragraph.
it iswith out doubt the worst government ive lived under many have died with their caring ways when they said they look after they lied nhs post office you name it they lied but were are those 99percent who are poor were are you its getting late for me but then the younger generation only seem to worry about themselves then theyl awaketo a very rude awakening they been in a dream and now its time to pay once again yesyoul have no nhs but companys like Unum who will sell you a policy but wont pay out on it yes not very far off
Reblogged this on glynismillward189.
I thought it was interesting that they mentioned:
” “A hatchet is being taken to the NHS without a mandate…”
They Comedy Prime Minister and his cronies did NOT achieve a majority in 2010 so do not have a Mandate full stop!
Mike can you please post link to long term tories leaving due to disability policy. Thanks.
The link was out of date and should have gone to: http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/jan/18/conservative-party-attacks-disabled-people
Reblogged this on Beastrabban’s Weblog.
The Lib Dems deserve banishment to a political backwater for life, forever left unvoteable. What did they think they would gain from joining with the Tories? That’s like expecting a hungry crocodile not to bite a hand placed in it’s mouth. The Labour Party are partly to blame for this by becoming right wing, which in turn has pushed the Tories into fascism. As for the Tories, damaging the NHS is unforgiveable, and I’ll laugh if they get booted out in 2015.
The Lib-Dems obviously saw coalition as their only realistic chance of gaining power – more fools them; it was obvious that there was no way that there would be any semblance of an equal partnership. I’m reminded of ‘Spitting Image’ where David Steel was depicted as a puppet in the pocket of David Owen. They are in office but not in power – to make up the numbers and carry the can for the Tories.
As far as I can see, they will be all but wiped out at the election
[…] Here's an article from US website Global Comment on what America clearly understood to be the privatisation of the National Health Service in England. It was published in March 2012, about a month … […]
[…] Here’s an article from US website Global Comment on what America clearly understood to be the privatisation of the National Health Service in England. […]