The Government "response" to the petition "Protect the NHS, Press Pause on the White Paper for Health and Social care".
Those of you who signed this petition - if you did not, please do now - will have received an email in response this morning. To dignify it with a full-on critique would, in my view, be a mistake.
The nature of the response can be gauged by the documents they provide in support. We can, perhaps, spend some time on the ridiculous and insulting market speak - I hesitate to call it language - a little later.
Nicholas Wilson (Mr Ethical) first told HSBC subsidiary HFC Bank in 2003 that charges they were adding to debts were illegal. They ignored him. He has campaigned ever since. change.org/p/hsbc-hsbc-to…
2006 - NW reported his employers, Weightmans Solicitors, to the Solicitors Regulation Authority. They sacked him and referred to him as 'Mr Ethical'.
Well, now, back to back, belly to belly, well, I don't give a damn 'cause I done dead already, back to back
Belly to belly at the zombie jamboree
Belly to belly at the zombie jamboree
One female zombie wouldn't behave
She say she want me for a slave
In the one hand she's holding a quart of wine, in the other she's pointing that she'll be mine
Well, believe me folks, I had to run. (Why?)
A husband of a zombie ain't no fun! (Don't knock it!)
I says, "Oh, no, my turtle dove, that old bag of bones I cannot love." Oh, what you doin'?
When I am an old woman I shall wear purple
With a red hat which doesn’t go, and doesn’t suit me.
And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves
And satin sandals, and say we’ve no money for butter.
I shall sit down on the pavement when I’m tired
And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells
And run my stick along the public railings
And make up for the sobriety of my youth.
I shall go out in my slippers in the rain
And pick flowers in other people’s gardens
And learn to spit.
A very long thread on aspects of the recent history of the NHS. 😊😊😊
The first attempt at removing democratic control of the #NHS was by Kenneth Clarke, when he was health secretary, 1988 - 1990. But that failed completely.
So we move on to Virginia Bottomley, who succeeded in removing the last vestiges of democratic control during the reorganisation of the NHS, prefigured here: "Health of the Nation" api.parliament.uk/historic-hansa….
Are you sitting comfortably? Area Health Authorities, 1973 - 1982 were replaced by District Health Authorities, 1982 - 1996. Thereafter no more input from those elected, the Health Authorities were entirely managed by "professionals", & are listed here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_au….
We are living through an era, analogous to 1868 - 1924, when the Labour Party was formed.
The Whigs fell apart from internal corruption(sounds familiar?), and while the Liberals were formed, many of the same people were involved.
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Subsequently, Lloyd George was also hugely corrupt, and the Liberals themselves fell.
The Labour Party entered Parliament in 1924, nearly one hundred years ago.
Ramsey McDonald was merely another carpetbagger, and it took another World War to see real change under Atlee.
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Many "great" men, and some women entered the Labour Party, and for a while, Harold Wilson held them together, rather in the manner of a circus ringmaster.
But Roy Jenkin's ego got the better of both him and the situation.
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