Paul Nuttall did used to want to privatise the NHS. In his heart of hearts, he probably still does.
Yet today, he called for massively increased spending on it and on the intimately connected social care system.
In Britain, you can lead a major political party and want to abolish the monarchy.
That is probably or certainly the position of the Leaders of two of the three largest parties in the House of Commons.
But you cannot lead even a minor political party and question the State's direct ownership of hospitals staffed by its direct employees.
Those employees provide their services free of charge at the point of need, and they have been trained entirely by the State.
This entire arrangement is altogether beyond question.
Most people would tell you that that simply was Britain; that it was not very far from being the whole point of this country.
Most people would tell you that that simply was Britain; that it was not very far from being the whole point of this country.
If you doubt that, then consider that the Leader of the most right-wing party in Great Britain has had to pay extravagant homage to it today in order to salvage so much as a respectable second place at a forthcoming by-election.
And consider that no party in Northern Ireland would ever dream of questioning it in the slightest.
The DUP might like to pretend that fundamentalist Protestantism was the glue of the Union, and the United Kingdom's defining difference from the Irish Republic.
But it knows perfectly well what really is. And so does everyone else.
Most people would tell you that it simply was Britain, that it was not very far from being the whole point of this country.
ReplyDeleteWouldn't you feel sorry for anyone suffering from such a poverty of patriotism and knowledge of their country that they really think this country is represented by a bureaucratic system of administering healthcare and don't even know anything about Britain before 1945.
Those millions of men from better generations who gave their lives or this country-long before we ever had an "NHS"-would be ashamed of such people.
There's nothing sacredly wonderful about the NHS. All developed countries give free treatment to the poor.
Many other countries have far better infant mortality rates and disease survival rates, and far lower health inequality than we do.
And a system that treats sickness without addressing the causes of sickness-by incentivising people to lead healthier lifestyles for example-is not a health service but a national sickness service.
Try that on the voters. Except that even Paul Nuttall won't dare. Consider that Jeremy Corbyn has recanted no aspect of his past, to the extent that no one even bothers to mention it anymore. Whereas Nuttall has "changed his mind" completely and utterly on the NHS. Just let that sink in.
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