Want, Disease, Squalor, Ignorance And Idleness

The founding of a truly National Heath Service in 1948, where care was entirely free at the point of use.





It used to be said that those who use a service should pay for it, however society changed and changed dramatically, particularly after the last war, when Labour swept in to power after Winston Churchill lead the country through a very dark period.
Clem Attlee's Government brought in the NHS, improved benefits and 1947 education act, as well as nationalising what was then thought to be the mainstay of the economy, coal mining, railways, public transport and numerous others including Pickfords Transport.
Over the coming decades, things changed, however universal benefits and OUR beloved NHS went from strength to strength, that is until Mrs Thatcher and her entourage gained power in 1979, when everything was either sold off, closed down or as with the NHS had funding cut and cut again and again and again.
Tony Blair's New Labour reversed much of those plans, building new hospitals, schools and medical centres, most of it through a partnership with the private sector.
How things have changed in just six months. No one will disagree that there needed to be a reduction in Government spending after the last General Election, yet it is the speed being adopted by George Osbourne which is putting at risk jobs not only in the public sector but those within the private sector, its simple Keynesian Economics, but that was thrown out of the window in mid May, when the "Coalition Government" took over the running of the country.
In more recent months, once again there is that old Tory cry, if they use it, they should pay, on Wednesday this week David Cameron at Question Time said that students wishing to go to university should pay the price for the privilege of doing so and not the tax payers, which is one of the reasons why students have protested.
The Coalition Government has already pulled the plug on "Building Schools for the Future" (BSF), yet will provide sufficient funding for "Free Schools", those are schools to be managed either by communities or businesses.
However the numerous promises made to protect OUR National Health Service funding like many a promise from the two Government Parties have fallen by the wayside. Yesterday I blogged about GP's office staff work, all of the computerised elements being shipped out to India, making a saving of £250 million, all towards the £20 billion saving needed by 2014. This morning I read in the Birmingham Mail that a high number of Nurses, here in the west midlands are to lose their jobs This is appalling. Where are you Claire Reyner, your NHS staff need you, PLEASE keep your promise.