Our NHS

In this crazy lock down world we show our appreciation to our NHS by clapping on Thursday nights.  It is very moving to hear the clapping and a great way to show these key workers our gratitude.

Now we find our NHS struggling to find enough PPE and critical care beds I wonder why we are in this situation.  We know the Tory Government of the last 10yrs has been using austerity as a way to limit spending on essential services, in line with conservative ideology and the economics of small government, and I ask my dear friend Ollie a question that just popped into my head just now:-

Do you think that the tories starved the NHS for last ten years because they planned all along to sell it off?

Ollie gave me permission to post his response:-

Yes and no.
No, in the sense I don’t think the tories would sell off the NHS wholesale. They know that it’s political suicide. However, I think starving the NHS so it looks inefficient and like it can’t cope means you can bring private business in to parts of the NHS. You privatise, bit by bit and by the back door. But the underfunding is part of an ideological push to more private sector involvement in public service. They did it with trains and Royal Mail. You cut, cut, cut, to near breaking point then say “look, it doesn’t work under public control” and then sell it.

The trouble is though, trains being late and post not always being delivered is trivial compared to what happens when the health service breaks.

It’s why I support clapping the NHS workers and supporting the NHS in time of crisis but I hope everyone remembers this when the next pay freeze is announced to pay back the money we have to borrow, or when Junior Drs strike to warn against the cuts because they see the damage first hand. It’s brilliant the daily mail wants to support the NHS, I hope that lasts, I fear it won’t.