Thread (1/22)

This thread explores the crisis the NHS is facing, how the crisis came about, why it has not been fixed and what we should do to fix it.
(2/22)
There is no question that the NHS is in crisis – the record waiting lists alone are enough to show that.

Now almost 8 million of us are waiting to see a consultant.
(3/22)
Even Sunak admits it is an issue, which is why he pledged in January 2023 to reduce them… Image
(4/22)
… though it is noteworthy that he has since increased them.

(And that most of his other pledges have fared similarly) Image
(5/22)
How did this come about?

First note that it was not always this way…
(6/22)
… and the problem started well before COVID.
(7/22)
The problem is sustained underfunding.

Whether you look at funding as a % of GDP, in comparison with other countries, or … Image
(8/22)
… in terms of the workload the NHS is expected to bear, it is underfunded. Image
(9/22)
The government tries to deny this by pointing out that, in cash terms, the NHS now receives a “record amount of money”.

A comment which ignores inflation, the growth in the economy, the ageing of the population and the increasing rates of ill-health in the population.
(10/22)
If my salary rose at £50 per year from the age of 20, then by now:

a) I would be receiving a “record amount of money”
b) I would be living in poverty.
(11/22)
They also deny that they have been privatising the NHS claiming that “the NHS is not and never will be for sale.”

But that ignores the three ways they HAVE been busily privatising it – and the damage that has done.
99-percent.org/four-ways-to-p…
(12/22)
Rather than fix the NHS, the far-right are calling for it to be replaced with a private system and even suggesting some form of insurance-based funding. That would generate far more profit …
westcountryvoices.co.uk/saving-the-uks…
(13/22)
… but would be ruinous for many UK citizens.

And many would die.

“This is the list of what Laura Marston has sacrificed to keep herself alive: Her car, her furniture, her apartment, her retirement fund, her dog….”
99-percent.org/the-reality-of…
(14/22)
So what SHOULD we do?
Fix it.
(15/22)
In July, we launched the Rational Policy-maker’s Guide to the NHS in Parliament …
99-percent.org/parliamentary-…
(16/22)
The report pointed out that the Conservatives inherited the best healthcare system in the world… Image
(17/22)
… and that NHS performance rose steadily from 2001-2010.

The problems came after 2010. Image
(18/22)
It debunked the notion that the most cost-effective system in the developed world had mysteriously become unaffordable…
(19/22)
… and it showed that without a healthy workforce, the UK economy is doomed to fail.
(20/22)
This sparked a debate in Parliament
22.com/GerryMitchell2…
(21/22)
And there will soon be an Early Day Motion to encourage policy-makers to act rationally to safeguard the NHS for the generations to come.
edm.parliament.uk/early-day-moti…
(22/22)
Please write to your MP asking him/her to support the Early Day Motion. All you need to know is your own post-code!

writetothem.com
PS. If you think this is important, please share the thread widely, and take a look at The 99% Organisation and join us.

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More from @MrMarkEThomas

Oct 12, 2024
Thread (1/12)

In opposition, Rachel Reeves and Sir Keir Starmer spoke of the need for a decade of national renewal; and since they have taken office, the evidence of the need for that renewal has grown even stronger. Image
(2/12)

And they have also spoken about a “financial black hole, the £22bn of unfunded spending commitments, concealed from our country by the Tories” and the Chancellor has talked about the need for “iron discipline.”
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Rachel Reeves also said,
“Yes, we must deal with the Tory legacy – and that means tough decisions. But I won’t let that dim our ambition for Britain. So, it will be a budget with real ambition. A budget to fix the foundations. A budget to deliver the change that we promised. A budget to rebuild Britain.”

It is critical for the country (and for Labour) that this second viewpoint predominates as the Budget is prepared.
Read 12 tweets
Sep 13, 2024
Thread (1/15)

The House of Lords Inquiry into Debt sustainability has just reported.

This thread explains our serious concerns about the methodology and findings of that report.
(2/15)
The Chair of the HoL Economic Affairs Committee launched his Inquiry with the words,

“Our national debt stands at an incredible £2.6 trillion. A recent OBR report stated that the 2020s were turning out to be ‘a very risky era’ for the public finances. Our inquiry will explore if and how the UK can manage this level of indebtedness.”

Words which suggest that he had already decided the answer he was expecting.
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The Inquiry invited submissions from concerned individuals and organisations. It also took oral evidence from selected individuals.
Read 15 tweets
Jul 5, 2024
Thread (1/21)
The media are making comparisons with 1997.
But 1945 may be a more apt comparison.
When we compare…
(2/21)

… the state of the country now with 1997:
“In 1997, the incoming New Labour government … enjoyed the luxury of rapid economic growth…
Reeves, if she becomes chancellor, will not. Her task would be far harder. It would also be correspondingly more important. New Labour had to avoid messing things up. Today, a new government would have to effect a transformation.”

ft.com/content/887331…
(3/21)
So perhaps a comparison with 1945 is illuminating.
Materially, things were far worse then than today, but in terms of the national mood and democratically, they were far better…
Read 21 tweets
Jul 3, 2024
Thread (1/14)
We will not know the final outcome of the election until the morning of 5 July.
On that morning, I do not want to wake up to more of this… Image
(2/14)

I do not want to see more of a government which treats environmental issues as a barrier to profit and climate change as a myth peddled by “eco-zealots.”
ft.com/content/02ecb9…
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I do not want to wake up and see that the government which has brought 4 million children into poverty, will be funding tax cuts for the wealthy by “tackling welfare.”
itv.com/news/2024-07-0…
Read 14 tweets
Jun 25, 2024
Thread (1/19)
Yes, this election is about our future. And our children's future.

Based on the evidence of the last 14 years, we know what to expect from the Conservatives … and it is nothing like what Sunak says it is.
19.com/RishiSunak/sta…
(2/19)
Based on our personal experience we know that, if the Conservatives retain power, we should expect to be poorer… Image
(3/19)
In a weaker economy… Image
Read 19 tweets
Jun 5, 2024
Thread (1/21)
This thread looks at why the Conservatives are so keen to focus the debate on the future, not the past.

Despite saying that they wanted to be judged on their record.

So, let’s take a look at that…Image
(2/21)
After the Global Financial Crisis, the Tories told us that because of what they claimed were unprecedented levels of debt, there was no choice but to implement austerity…
99-percent.org/debt-hysteria/
(3/21)
But we should not worry about that because, once the state was rolled-back, growth would be even stronger. Image
Read 20 tweets

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