In observing that those of us who had first voted in 1997 had become a lost generation in British politics, how could I have forgotten my university contemporary, Jonathan Ashworth?
He comes from the Right originally, so it is difficult to see how he could ever now lead the Labour Party. But he would make a fine Deputy Leader when the position eventually became vacant, not something that I for one would want or expect to happen anytime soon, and potential candidates from the Left need to bear in mind that no Deputy Leader has ever been elected to the Leadership.
He comes from the Right originally, so it is difficult to see how he could ever now lead the Labour Party. But he would make a fine Deputy Leader when the position eventually became vacant, not something that I for one would want or expect to happen anytime soon, and potential candidates from the Left need to bear in mind that no Deputy Leader has ever been elected to the Leadership.
There is a lot of truth in today's line from Labour that the Government had spent nine years trashing the NHS and now wanted 10 more years in order to clean up its own mess. But the rot started a lot longer ago than 2010.
From its creation in 1948, and including throughout the Premiership of Margaret Thatcher, there was no attempt to subvert the principle of the NHS until 1997, when control of it passed to Tony Blair, to the erstwhile Trotskyist bookseller Alan Milburn, and to the sometime Communist Party parliamentary candidate Paul Corrigan.
Although massively unpopular in itself, that subversion remained unchallenged until the emergence of Jeremy Corbyn. But his very presence has now shifted the debate dramatically back in line with public opinion. Yet the position of the Parliamentary Labour Party remains as pro-privatisation as it ever was.
Another hung Parliament is coming, however, and we need our people to hold the balance of power in it. It has become a local commonplace that I am on 30-30-30 with Labour and the Conservatives here at North West Durham, so that any one of us could be the First Past the Post. I will stand for this seat, if I can raise the £10,000 necessary to mount a serious campaign. Please email davidaslindsay@hotmail.com. Very many thanks.
From its creation in 1948, and including throughout the Premiership of Margaret Thatcher, there was no attempt to subvert the principle of the NHS until 1997, when control of it passed to Tony Blair, to the erstwhile Trotskyist bookseller Alan Milburn, and to the sometime Communist Party parliamentary candidate Paul Corrigan.
Although massively unpopular in itself, that subversion remained unchallenged until the emergence of Jeremy Corbyn. But his very presence has now shifted the debate dramatically back in line with public opinion. Yet the position of the Parliamentary Labour Party remains as pro-privatisation as it ever was.
Another hung Parliament is coming, however, and we need our people to hold the balance of power in it. It has become a local commonplace that I am on 30-30-30 with Labour and the Conservatives here at North West Durham, so that any one of us could be the First Past the Post. I will stand for this seat, if I can raise the £10,000 necessary to mount a serious campaign. Please email davidaslindsay@hotmail.com. Very many thanks.
«From its creation in 1948, and including throughout the Premiership of Margaret Thatcher, there was no attempt to subvert the principle of the NHS until 1997»
ReplyDeleteNot officially... this is from K Clarke's memoirs:
www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/jul/19/kenneth-clarke-views-no-10
«His first challenge at health was heading off Thatcher, who "wanted to go to the American system", he reveals. "I had ferocious rows with her about it. She wanted compulsory insurance, with the state paying the premiums for the less well-off. I thought that was a disaster. The American system is hopeless … dreadful." He prevailed on her to take a different route by introducing more competition into the NHS. It became known – in a phrase he didn't like – as "the internal market". Ever since then, successive governments have pushed in broadly the same direction.»
Well, we only have his word for that. And even then, he saw her off. No Government attempted to do this until 1997.
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