Yesterday, Westminster Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn came to Wales to address a meeting in Tredegar commemorating the 70th anniversary of the NHS. He also addressed a meeting in Barry, and later issued the following tweet: There are, of course, two problems with this. First, the Tories don’t run the NHS in Wales. It’s run by […]
Tag Archives: NHS
After the by-elections, the comment on the state of Labour. For the Labour Party – which won Stoke and lost Copeland – the very fact that its, rather than the Tories’, performance was the focus of attention ought to be bad enough, given that the Government is in clear disarray over Brexit. But there is, […]
On this morning’s Today programme on Radio 4, Mishal Husein interviewed Employment Minister and Leave campaigner Priti Patel, following Leave’s pledge to match all the EU funding lost as a result of Brexit for every region of the UK. In a masterclass in political interviewing, Mishal Husein effectively destroyed the Leave campaign’s case, by asking […]
A recent Green Party leaflet seeks to draw a distinction between the Green Party and Labour on the future of the NHS, by quoting a line attributed to Andy Burnham’s office to the effect that there would always be a role from the private sector in delivering world-class healthcare in the NHS. The implication, presumably, is […]
The Government has sold a majority holding in Plasma Resources UK, the state-owned enterprise that forms the basis of Britain’s blood plasma supplies, to an American venture capitalist, Bain, for £230m. While it is not clear whether this will affect the blood that is given by millions of donors across the UK, it has certainly […]
You would need a heart of stone – or to be Liam Byrne – not to shed a tear during The Spirit of ’45. My moment came when the retired doctor – one of a number of individuals whose reflections and reminiscences punctuated the narrative, and whose demeanour might have been made for a white […]
There has been a certain amount of excitement over a poll of marginal constituencies by Tory donor Lord Ashcroft, suggesting that Labour is on course for a thumping win at the 2015 General Election. While it is no doubt encouraging for Labour and indeed for anyone who wants to see the end of the Coalition, […]
Recent announcements that rail fares will rise by up to 11% have produced a significant political reaction. Formerly supine Tory MPs for commuting constituencies have been making subversive noises; on the left, the call for renationalisation has been strong. It’s difficult to argue with renationalisation in principle. Privatisation has resulted in a hugely inefficient structure […]
Following the Liberal Democrat conference last weekend was fascinating for what I guess many Liberal Democrats would regard as the wrong reasons. Votes on the Coalition’s Health Bill have revealed not only a deeply divided party, but one whose members and leaders are working from completely different assumptions about leadership, policy and democracy. On the […]
As the House of Lords prepares to debate the Health Care Bill, there’s an important piece in the Guardian today by John Middleton arguing powerfully that the concept of choice will make the NHS more bureaucratic, more expensive and less able to offer a comprehensive service: Choice is an illusion created by people to sell […]
Notes from a Broken Society 