3 Comments
Apr 10Liked by Leah Gunn Barrett

Yep, I heard a BBC (yes them) radio programme many years ago about the NHS and how Thatcher desperately wanted it sold off, then after her, there were neoCONS who were taking the NHS sell off to the US, they were desperate to get the job finished. It's just been stalled for a few years and looks like England is in the final stages of the sell off of their publicly paid for NHS. I knew someone whose father in law in the US was very ill with terminal cancer some years back, by all accounts, he was being kept alive with masses of drugs and treatment that just was not going to save him. The private healthcare system, like some, (I have known friends and a family member to have terrible experience at their vets, resulting in chronic illness not being treated and in one case a cat who was in agony having been poisoned, when it shoudl have been euthanised, it was VERY expensive for the pet carers!) can actually prolong an illness or not treat the person (or animal) as appropriate to their needs, whether that be pain relief or end of life care. It's profitable to have people who are ill and/or not quite be cured, it's very cruel.

I found this article I'd saved a while back, tip of the iceberg I'm sure. Scotland must not allow their NHS to be sold off, used for private profit, the people paid for it, for all of it, buildings, infrastructure etc, as with other services and utilities, and the English 'government' are selling off public assets, it's abhorrent, how dare they!

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-12-private-equity-acquisition-hospitals-adverse.html

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Apr 10Liked by Leah Gunn Barrett

I cannot express how angry this betrayal of the people and of their founding principles makes me. :-(

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Apr 10Liked by Leah Gunn Barrett

We have a habit and the media encourage it, that we look, focus on the immediate. We need to be looking a generation or two to the past, then the trend, the plan can be seen.

Thatcher's baton has been passed on to the present Westminster incumbents. Thatcher was saying, oh her voice, "Great Britain PLC" I thought it a strange thing, but maybe it means the UK to become like a well run business. Until the selling off and closing down of the utilities and public industries.

Light touch government, deregulation. Sub text, corporations can do what they can get away with.

She sold off the ports in Scotland, which I think is against the Scottish constitution. Why? For freeports. The freeports fell foul of EU law, if they were to be deregulated and have any form of state subsidy/tax break.

The US health system sucks in just over 18% of GDP. The UK is around 12%. Could be a reason they are reluctant to negotiate a pay deal, that would eat into the 6% that is up for grabs.

I knew that the private health system was cherry picking surgery, didn't know that 6k patients of the 10% cherry picked were having to be nursed back in the NHS.

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