The Establishment continues to pay lip-service to the idea of the NHS, even while undertaking a massive, americanising stealth-reorganisation that health experts and campaigners view as hugely damaging and ultimately intended to end it as a meaningful institution.
A key part of the Establishment narrative for the damaging changes is the idea that the NHS is ‘unsustainable’ in its current form – as evidenced in the so-called ‘Sustainability and Transformation Plans’ (STPs) being imposed on it under the Tories’ ‘Five Year Forward View‘.
But that narrative is failing to stick, according to a new Ipsos Mori poll that asked respondents to choose between an option describing the unsustainability of the NHS and one that stated it is essential and must be maintained no matter what.
The results will bring hope to all who value the NHS – but are bad news for those trying to persuade us that we shouldn’t:
The percentage of people answering that the NHS is essential to our society and must be maintained at all costs has barely changed in seventeen years – and has fallen over recent months.
It seems most UK people still have too much sense to fall for the lie – but they need to realise the damage being done to it and fight it.
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Dear god, do you know how many American citizens would be alive today if we had anything like the NHS?
This is America. This happens all the time. https://www.snopes.com/shane-patrick-boyle-died-after-starting-a-gofundme-campaign-for-insulin/
Thanks for that. Last year, a very dear American friend of mine died unnecessarily from colon cancer because, even though he had private medical insurance, his treatment used up all his insurance money. Had he lived in the UK, he would still be alive.
I can’t get it through to people that private insurance cover is not infinite. You choose the amount of cover and when that is used up you die.
Thanks for the link thesseli. The corporate/political elite don’t give a damn about ordinary people, only about enriching themselves and their minions. Slightly different topic, but the same forces at work:
http://blacktrianglecampaign.org/2012/10/31/government-use-might-of-american-insurance-giant-to-destroy-uk-safety-net-by-mo-stewart-update/
As for the 23% of people who believe the NHS can’t be maintained in it’s present form, no doubt the majority of them read the Sun and the Mail and Express etc – ie the corporate press! – and a significant minority of them are the Tory minions who live very comfortably thankyou off of the privatisation of everything.
Ask your MP to support Jeremy Corbyn’s Early Day Motion 660 on Accountable Care Organisations. JC is demanding a debate in parliament on this next axe blow to the NHS from Jeremy Hunt.
https://www.parliament.uk/edm/2017-19/660