The National Health Service remains the greatest achievement in the ongoing struggle for social justice in Britain and the best way to mark its 70th birthday is to move forward into a new era of democratic control and accountability. Inspired by the collective efforts of pre-war miners in South Wales who collected a subscription to […]
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Tag: nhs
After Carillion, what is the private sec...
The collapse of Carillion, which made its money by sucking resources out of the public sector, begs the question: What use to society is the private sector of capitalism, when all is said and done? Hospital building, road and rail construction sites have halted. Emotions are stirring as the inevitable results of opening public services […]
Union leaders must turn words into deeds
The pay claim of 3.9% + £800, made by an alliance of unions for the 1 million NHS staff, adds another intractable problem to the chaotic government of Theresa May, but it also puts the leaders of the trade unions on the spot. They might have to lead a fight for the first time in […]
A cooperative model, not hedge-funding f...
Debt from hedge funds to ease the squeeze in the NHS? This madly dangerous proposal comes from Jim Mackey, chief executive of NHS Improvement. His big new idea is for the NHS to take advantage of historically low interest rates and bypass the Tory stranglehold. The NHS already pays £2bn a year in charges on Private […]
Budget squeezes the middle leaving the c...
Unable to find ways of getting the global corporations like Google, Apple and Facebook to pay taxes in the UK, chancellor Philip Hammond’s stop-gap budget instead turns the screw on ‘ordinary working people’ and small businesses. Hours before the budget announcement came news that inflation is rising to 2.4% and real incomes falling with consumer […]