LibDems threaten suicide @ No 10

"Beveridge would be horrified if he knew what the old Liberal Party had become!" Arturo said. "He drafted the guidelines for the NHS and now his successors are tearing it apart!" He waved a copy of The Independent on Sunday at me.

There was a Leading Article on the topic of the Health and Social Care Bill. The headline was:

Doctors to the rescue

In this, the writer highlights the disastrous way in which this particular Bill has been drafted and presented.

The Bill is now in injury time in the House of Lords. Tomorrow, peers have their last chance to stop it when they vote on a delaying amendment tabled by Lord Owen ...

The Article continues:

As we report today, a group of hundreds of doctors, representing thousands more, is launching a last attempt to persuade peers to drop the Bill. They intend to stand as candidates at the next election against Liberal Democrat and Conservative MPs on a Save the NHS platform. This is no mere revenge against the Liberal Democrats for betraying another policy for which the party purported to stand, but a serious attempt to persuade the party's peers to do the right thing tomorrow.

Have the LibDems under the suicidal leadership of 'Ridiculous Nicholas' Clegg seen the light, at last? Can the LibDem peers salvage some dignity for their Party from the fiasco in which they find themselves as a result of their present leadership? It is doubtful! After all the spectre of a near-tearful Baroness Williams, who hated the criticism hurled at her after the LibDem Conference, was not an example of staunch defiance in the face of wipe-out!

The Independent on Sunday Article concluded:

We suspect that tomorrow's vote in the House of Lords has already been decided, but The Independent on Sunday wishes the campaign well. If the Bill passes, we hope that the doctors can, by targeting Liberal Democrats – and Conservatives too – in marginal seats, hold the NHS reforms to democratic account over the next three years. If the Government's botched changes damage the NHS, the MPs who supported it must pay the price.

At the end of the Article, several people posted their comments. 'affront' stated:

It's astonishing that management consultants role in all this hasn't attracted more attention. KPMG and McKinsey have had most influence on Lansley, Cameron and Clegg's thinking. Mark Britnell, KPMG's head of health, joyfully announced that Lansley would 'shred the NHS' http://goo.gl/I7RuN.

McKinsey consultants, including former Department of Health staff, are not only advising on strategy but are also being paid to provide training for GPs. Worse, they also act for many of the healthcare corporates lining up to take over NHS services.

On top of that, the body set up to oversee privatisation of NHS services, Monitor, has a former McKinsey private equity man as its chief exec (on secondment from a private sector provider) and two of its directors are also McKinsey men.

http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/leading-articles/leading-article-doctors-to-the-rescue-7576246.html

The reference to which 'affront' alludes is an article in The Guardian of May 14 2011. This was written by Daniel Boffey and Toby Helm. It quotes from a speech made by Mark Britnell one of 'Boy David' Cameron's so-called 'kitchen cabinet' who were advising on the future of the NHS.

Britnell told his audience: "GPs will have to aggregate purchasing power and there will be a big opportunity for those companies that can facilitate this process … In future, the NHS will be a state insurance provider, not a state deliverer." He added: "The NHS will be shown no mercy and the best time to take advantage of this will be in the next couple of years."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2011/may/14/david-cameron-adviser-health-reform

Wow! With friends like that advising on the future of the NHS - who needs enemies? Surely. 'Ridiculous Nicholas' Clegg must have heard some of that! Or was he so busy navel-gazing and smiling at his own reflection in the mirror that he was deaf to the 'shown no mercy' clause?

Well - 'Ridiculous Nicholas' Clegg neither you nor your LibDem Party will be 'shown mercy' either. Countdown to demise is on ...

Amongst those who are already starting the countdown are the 250 doctors who signed a Letter to the Independent on Sunday under the top signature of Dr Clive Peedell, Consultant Clinical Oncologist, Co-chair NHS Consultants’ Association. The letter begins:

We believe that the Parliamentary passage of the Health and Social Care Bill has been an embarrassment to our democracy.

It continues by showing the major flaws in the way the Bill was drafted and the impact that it will have on the NHS.

These drastic changes fundamentally undermine the founding principles of the NHS and have no democratic mandate from the electorate and were not part of the coalition agreement.

As healthcare professionals, we are appalled that the coalition Government has imposed many of the changes before the bill has even been enacted and then tried to use this as “evidence” that the professions support their reform. Nothing could be further from the truth...
It is our view that coalition MPs and Peers have placed the political survival of the coalition Government above professional opinion, patient safety, and the will of the citizens of this country.

They don't mince their words, do they? Pity Baroness Williams did not listen to Dr Clive Peedell before and after his 'Bevan's Run'.

The Letter ends:

We are shocked by the failure of the democratic process and the facilitating role played by the Liberal Democrats in the passage of this bill. We have therefore decided to form a coalition of healthcare professionals to take on coalition MPs at the next General election, on the non-party, independent ticket of defending the NHS and acting in the wider public interest.

http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/letters/ios-letters-medics-launch-national-campaign-7576235.html

Amongst the seats they intend to target are:

LIB DEMS:

Nick Clegg Lib Dem, Sheffield Hallam. 2010 majority 15,284 (29.9%)

Simon Hughes Lib Dem, Bermondsey and Old Southwark. Majority 8,530 (19.1%)

Lynne Featherstone Lib Dem, Hornsey and Wood Green. Majority 6,875 (12.5%)

Jo Swinson Lib Dem, Dunbartonshire East. Majority 2,184 (4.6%)

John Leech Lib Dem, Manchester Withington. Majority 1,894 (4.2%)

Sarah Teather Lib Dem, Brent Central. Majority 1,345 (3%)

TORIES:

Jacob Rees-MoggCon, Somerset North East. Majority 4,914 (9.6%)

Chloe Smith Conservative, Norwich North. Majority 3,901 (9.2%)

Louise Mensch Con, Corby. Majority 1,895 (3.5%)

Anna Soubry Con, Broxtowe. Majority 389 (0.7%)

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/doctors-bid-to-unseat-50-mps-in-revenge-over-nhs-bill-7576423.html

Who would miss any of the above mentioned? No one in our acquaintanship, that's for sure. There'd be no caterwauling round the drains of 10 Downing Street from Arturo or from me!

Talking of caterwauling - we're off for a tasty snack of left-over caviar, left-over from the Interns' 'Welcome Home, David' party!

'Bye'