Three little words
October 12th, 2006
Who couldn’t be unconvinced by David Cameron’s focus on three letters (that’s NHS in case you missed it), but if you’ve been let down by Labour, especially on the health front – and let’s face it who hasn’t? – now’s your chance to enter into a meaningful debate on the future policy of the Labour Party, and you don’t have to a member of the Labour Party to participate either. Anyone who is prepared to be constructive is welcome, they say.
We got the news from the Socialist Health Association, who are holding the event on Saturday 28th October between 11am - 3pm at The Matford Centre, Exeter.
And this is what they said: ‘The Labour Party National Policy Forum consultation document on health has been released, and this will be part of the basis for the discussions.
‘Submissions are to be sent in by March 2007 to pip3.health@new.labour.org.uk. Anyone can send their comments, but the association hopes that a clear well argued submission from the Socialist Health Association will carry some weight.
‘Cost (This includes lunch): £20 for non members, £10 for members (including members of affiliated organisations such as Amicus and Unison). Please use the association’s booking form.
Now, three more little words. . .
Over and out!
Posted by Cptn
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4 Comments Add your own
1. a cynic | October 13th, 2006 at 4:47 pm
Charging to attend a conference on Labour policies which will have little or no effect on policy is amusing in the extreme!! I also laughed at the discount for members of public sector unions; it is about time that these people realised that being employed doesn’t give them a right to say how an organisation should be run; if they don’t like it they can work for someone else.
The NHS has outlived the orginal purpose and should be privatised with providers being allowed to charge what they like. If people do not wish to pay then the funeral directors can benefit from increased business!!
2. admin | October 13th, 2006 at 5:03 pm
Shucks senor Cynic!
We all know that formulating policy doesn’t seem to have much effect. What did Labour say about charging for further eduction, for example? And this week’s policy statement is quickly superseded by next week’s new policy statement.
But surely all employees yearn to have a say in how their company’s run. Would you ban employees from holding shares in their company?
And of course nobody should be charged for their healthcare (within certain parameters of course). Wellbeing shouldn’t be decided by wallet, and shouldn’t be set at birth by postcode. Has the middle class become so complacently embittered it’s forgotten where it came from?
Laters
Cptn
3. a cynic | October 15th, 2006 at 1:00 pm
I rather think the intent to charge for education was dropped because of parliamentary opposition not pressure groups with a vested interest.
The pubic sector is probably the last bastion of union influence and it is only a matter of time before they go the way of miltant unions such as the mineworkers who closed most pits, the car workers who got rid of volume car making by any UK owned companies.
Your point about share ownership is quite interesting; of course this is only possible in privately owned companies.
People are always sensitive about the NHS; lord knows why, if you have worked in the NHS then you soon come to realise how little time is spent treating patients; the average GP sees patients for around 4 hours a day! The ‘active’ patient list of a GP consists of around 10% of their registered patients.
My point is therefore, given the amount of money wasted by the NHS there must be a better way, it is one of the largest organisations in Europe, costs the tax payer a great deal of money (of course the last round of extra funding was used in pay rises, or about 50% of it was).
4. admin | October 20th, 2006 at 11:06 pm
Oh Mr Cynic, you don’t live up to your name. Beneath that thin veneer there’s someone that cares quite a lot, I’m sure.
I don’t think anyone would dispute the waste in the NHS (look at the changeover to the Devon-wide PCT, or whatever name it’s taken. Despite much hoopla the other week, has anyone taken up their new roles, have there been any changes?.
Of course I like to blame the managers and the excess of them, and the excess of money spent that doesn’t go on care.
The idea of providing a universal health service has been lost. Let’s put it back on track.
And as Tony Blair implied with talk of job losses in the health service the other day, if you don’t count them they don’t exist.
And it’s a little rough blaming the unions for their narrowminded protection of their members’ jobs when they were/are fighting organisations which seem hell-bent on efficiency soley through cutting jobs.
Care is paramount and market forces don’t provide for that.
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