NHS news review

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David Cameron is to make a speech on the NHS today. The speech has been widely reported before the event and we know that he raise the fake-accountability of the ballot box and make five pledges attempting to persuade that the NHS is safe.

The fake-accountability of the ballot box echoes Nick Clegg’s recent speech of 26 May. We know that the accountability of the ballot box is fake from our recent history. Although we finally got rid of Tony Blair, we are unable to undo many of his actions like the untold suffering and death in the Middle-East. He lied and lied and lied to pursue a perverted agenda against the wishes of the majority of the British people. So far he has not been held to account for his lies and deceptions. Cameron’s recent speech in Brussels [edit: Munich] illustrate that the Con-Dem coalition government is fully signed-up to that very same Neo-Con bullshit.

Image of David 'Pinoccio' Cameron and Nick Clegg. Image is originally from the UK's Mirror newspaper. Looks like Bliar doesn't he? Cameron seems to be apingning/copying Bliar's public image ~ speeches aligning himslf with Bliar ... and of course ... who Bliar aligned with ... Cameron’s pledges look fairly worthless since many have already been proved to be untrue.

  • The NHS will remain a universal service

This probably means available to all. The NHS may still be available to all but with a greatly reduced range of services.

  • Changes will improve “efficient and integrated care” not hinder it

This appears to be a matter of opinion and not open to assessment.

  • Hospital waiting times will be “kept low”

This is total nonsense. Andrew Lansley abandoned the waiting time limit and waiting times are already longer.

  • NHS spending will be increased, not reduced

This is a repeated claim by the Con-Dem coalition. Cuts are already being made. Services are already being restricted. Waiting lists are already increasing.

  • The NHS will not be sold off and competition will benefit patients

This is the same ‘Straw man’ argument that Nick Clegg proposed recently. It’s not about the NHS being sold off. It’s about providing a restricted health service where you will have to pay – or go without – services that are not provided. It’s also the first stage in the process of privatisation and transition to a private insurance-based health service on the US model.

The second part of this statement “competition will benefit patients” is simply a matter of ideology. Cameron continues to adhere to the discredited Capitalist “the market will provide” ideology. How will competition – actually hugely increased involvement of private interests – benefit patients?

NHS waiting-time targets scrapped by Andrew Lansley | Politics | The Guardian

A&E waiting times increase sharply | Society | guardian.co.uk

New Statesman – The coalition’s NHS headache gets bigger

Longer NHS waits ‘are down to snow’ claims Andrew Lansley | Metro.co.uk

Conservative election poster 2010

A few recent news articles concerning the UK’s Conservative and Liberal-Democrat coalition government – the ConDem’s – brutal attack on the National Health Service.

Back me or sack me over NHS reforms, Cameron tells voters – UK Politics, UK – The Independent

David Cameron will today invite the public to vote against him at the next general election if he fails to keep his promises to protect the National Health Service.

The Prime Minister will put his reputation on the line as he tries to allay fears that the Government’s reforms could lead to the back-door privatisation of the NHS.

In a “trust me” speech in London, he will argue that no change is not an option and would threaten “the precious principle of free healthcare for all who need it, when they need it”. He will say: “We have to change the NHS to avoid a crisis tomorrow too. This is what will happen if we don’t. More overstretch, more over-crowding, the NHS buckling under the pressure of an ageing population and the rising cost of treatments.”

BBC News – Don’t mention the reforms

Few voters ever understood the government’s planned NHS reforms.

Few understand how it’s run now.

So, very few will understand the reform to the reforms which the ministers plan to unveil soon.

(If you think I’m wrong, turn to the person next to you and ask them to explain the difference between PCTs and GP-led commissioning. Better still ask them what a PCT is.)

Thus today David Cameron’s speech on the NHS looks set to say almost nothing about any of that. Instead, it will focus on what voters do know and care about.

You don’t need market research to tell you – although Team Cameron has done a great deal of it – that people want the NHS to remain a national, integrated service with it’s funding increasing, waiting lists kept low and no privatisation.

Miliband: Cameron is protecting the NHS against himself – politics.co.uk

Ed Miliband will say the NHS has descended into chaos today as he tries to make political capital out of the government’s healthcare reforms.

The Labour leader will seize on David Cameron’s five ‘guarantees’ for the NHS to mock the prime minister, suggesting he is creating a safety net against his own policy.

BBC News – Cornwall Council tells of ‘widespread concern’ over NHS

Cornwall Council has warned the government of “widespread concern” about controversial reforms proposed for the NHS.

The authority’s leader, Alec Robertson, has written an open letter to Health Secretary Andrew Lansley.

Mr Robertson said the Conservative-led council was concerned a drive towards competition could be “deeply damaging”.

It comes as the prime minister prepares to make a key speech about the plans.

In the letter, Mr Robertson said: “The view that unites councillors is that our NHS is treasured, it is seen as the envy of the world, and we want to make sure that this remains so.”

 

27/11/13 Having received a takedown notice from the Independent newspaper for a different posting, I have reviewed this article which links to an article at the Independent’s website in order to attempt to ensure conformance with copyright laws.

I consider this posting to comply with copyright laws since
a. Only a small portion of the original article has been quoted satisfying the fair use criteria, and / or
b. This posting satisfies the requirements of a derivative work.

Please be assured that this blog is a non-commercial blog (weblog) which does not feature advertising and has not ever produced any income.

dizzy

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