English Labour's NHS privatisation plans

Published in the Edinburgh Evening News, March 30th, 2024.

English Labour keep telling us what they are planning for the collapsing NHS, and it’s not more investment. Rather, Shadow Health secretary Wes Streeting wants to “lean on” the private sector in the short-term to get the NHS “back on track.” Never mind this is completely incoherent if the goal is to “make the NHS so good that no one feels forced to go private.” Then why further entrench the private sector in a public service?

But Streeting is getting advice from old Blair hands like Alan Millburn and Paul Corrigan, the same guys who pushed the disastrous and costly PFI scheme onto the NHS, saddling it with crippling debt repayments. 

As usual, follow the money. Streeting and his front bench colleagues have been showered with nearly £800k from private health companies who are expecting a return on their investment. 

Today’s English Labour party bears no resemblance to the Labour Party of 1945 that had the vision to create the NHS and the modern welfare state. This achievement, which ushered in unprecedented economic growth and prosperity, has been steadily chipped away at ever since by both Tory and Labour governments and Starmer’s English Labour in Name Only (ELINO) party will continue this process of destruction.

When will Scotland have finally had enough abuse from its English coloniser and end this failing union?