Thread by @SJimons

The Tories will always claim #NHSNotforSale but their politics and policies reveal the truth. A systematic fragmentation and privatisation of our service, against the will of the people. Don't #BackBoris or #VoteConservative unless you understand "privatisation by stealth" 🧵1/15

"Privatisation by stealth" is intentionally opaque because the Tories know they can't win votes while admitting the privatisation agenda. This agenda is set out in Conservative MP Oliver Letwin's paper "Britain's Biggest Enterprise ideas for radical reform of the NHS" 2/15

The document I reference is here: cps.org.uk/files/reports/…
The title itself should ring alarm bells, most British people do not see healthcare as an enterprise but as a public system, we proudly contribute to provide a safety net for sick when they need it most. 3/15

Letwin's position: "NHS patients were not meant to imagine that they (unlike those in the private sector) were entitled to receive luxury treatment" speaks volumes that he does not see that the British people are entitled to world-class healthcare free at the point of use. 4/15

In the document he writes "only at the last stage create a national health insurance system separate from the tax system". This is last because it is obvious privatisation that the British people would outwardly oppose. But most of the stages of his plan are reality today. 5/15

These are the changes he states the changes "should include, as a minimum": 6/15

Now some like to dismiss claims of Tory NHS privatisation as "leftie conspiracy nonsense". But 3/5 of the points in Letwin's plan are already reality. Considering the parallels we must ask are the changes made by the Conservatives evidence based? Or serve a political agenda?7/15

"1. Establishment of the NHS as an independent trust"
NHS England is now an executive non-departmental public body. Letwin wrote it must be "government by its own, apolitical board". The CEO is Simon Stevens, previously a senior executive for American for-profit UnitedHealth 8/15

You may think that could raise a conflict of interest? If you dig deeper in the NHS story there are many potential conflicts of interest. For example: Lord Ashcroft gave £100,000s to a lobbying group to privatise NHS cleaning services- and then profited from the cleaning 9/15

Private cleaning services isn't really privatisation of the NHS, but cleaning is the tip of the iceberg.
Objective 2. "Increased use of joint ventures between the NHS and the private sector" has been achieved through the Lansley Reforms. 10/15

Section 75 of the Lansley Reforms were particularly controversial as they legally require advertising of "contracts" worth £615,278+ to the private sector. At the time docs warned of "creeping privatisation". Now we see a huge increase in contracts awarded to for-profits. 11/15

Again we must ask questions of conflicts of interest. Even in just the first two years Conservative Politicians with ties to private health companies won £1.5bn worth of NHS contracts. Politicians profiting from tax payer contribution to the NHS. 12/15

Now there is an age old idea that "marketisation", increased competition apparently makes things cheaper and more efficient. Where is the evidence for this idea? The USA system is evidently a dysfunctional market: far more expensive than the UK, with worse outcomes. 13/15

Performance in the NHS has fallen steadily over the last decade. Partly due to underfunding but we must question Tory-led reorganisation. The BMA calls for repeal of the 2012 Act, one GP said "‘The act was passed on false pretences, brazen lies and deception" 14/15

This election is full of lies and the story of NHS privatisation is complex. It is complex intentionally, no one could ever put an obvious for sale sign on #ourNHS. So ask your Conservative politicians for the evidence for their reforms. Watch their lack of answers.15/15 #VoteNHS

PS to learn more watch @greatnhsheist a film made by GP @drbobgill . He explains the policy changes in much greater detail and the film is far more exciting than my overly long twitter thread. A fantastic film for all the maybe conservative voters of your family.