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Showing posts from February, 2016

Cameron treating doctors and NHS with contempt

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David Cameron has been the Prime Minister since 2010. Every policy has his authority stamped on it.  He is ultimately responsible for the policies of government. In 2010 his government introduced one of the most controversial pieces of legislation in the history of the NHS. It was so unpopular it saw every type of NHS worker oppose that piece of government NHS policy - which is unheard of. Called the Health and Social Care Act the government eventually got their way because of the voting support of the Liberal Democrats. Back then the Secretary of State for Health Andrew Lansley (eased into the House of Lords now as Lord Lansley) knew his legislation was in trouble so he wrote a letter to all GPs on 16th Feb 2012 to try and smooth the way to the looming vote in the House of Commons. An extract can be seen here on a vital point of allowing GPs control over who they wish services to be run by - something the profession was very concerned about with many private companies seeking to

Cameron is doing what Thatcher never dared

History tells us many things. When it comes to the Tory Party their action in the 1980s should present a clear warning to us now in 2015. Back in the 1980s the Tories spent most of the decade selling off public services. Tory belief is that the 'state should be kept small' which actually means selling off the assets we owned as a country to the private sector. In the 1980s we saw British Gas, British Steel, Water, Electricity, British Rail (1990s), British Airways, Rolls Royce and British Airways sold off very cheaply to the City investors, large pension funds and a small percentage of shares sold to the public (who owned all the assets beforehand!). We got the crumbs from the table where the corporate beasts were feasting. In the past 6 years the Tories have sold off RAF Search and Rescue to an American firm, the Royal Mail has gone to the City investors, East Coast Rail (profitable and giving millions back to the Treasury) handed over to Richard Branson and banks that w