How can the NHS save money?

I wasn't the one that was argued in to a corner and then didn't respond. So therefore my views have not been changed because they have not been challenged.

Meh, I am not laissez-faire, more One Nation Conservatism.

And yes, heroin is pretty safe if it's of good quality and is dosed sensibly. It is prescribed in hospitals regularly as diamorphine.

Well, I have enjoyed our tete a tete. Most of my remarks have grown from speaking to an Uncle in the US who is struggling to pay the most basic hypertension medicine (he drives to Mexico to get it!) and from spending time on the wards with seriously ill people, the VAST majority elderly. I just think that if there wasn't some form of socialised medicine in the world, a lot of these people would end up dying young. And I don't fancy that happening to my grandparents, who both would surely be dead had it not been for the NHS (congestive heart failure + atrial fibrilliation, end stage renal failure (predialysis)).

hmm when im arguing i tend to take things to extremes, which could explain why some things i say wouldnt really work. im not totally opposed to all taxation or all social medicine. admittedly i am opposed to most taxation, such as inheritance or progressive tax - i think its unfair to penalise the most productive of us with higher taxes

Atlas Shrugged, much? I believe the fortunate must support the less fortunate to an extent, the difficulty is in not making this safety net a comfort blanket or the money given to be wasted on absolute rubbish (PFI anyone?). I also disagree with IHT, predominantly because I hope as we move towards a stable population that 2 parents will leave two paid for houses to their offspring, thus avoiding paying shylock for a mortgate.

- but again i argue at extremes, obviously nothing would work greatly at either absolute, though i feel the absolute right is preferable to the absolute left. i believe you gave the examples of armed services, roads etc, and they are good points, society would function far worse without these things.

what iv mostly been arguing against here is the treatment or state caring for those who damage themselves. e.g., mister 40 a day gets lung cancer, i dont feel we the taxpayer should fund that operation, its about responsibility for ones actions. also i believe i mentioned social welfare, i dont think if i cba working i should expect you to provide me food and shelter - i realise these people will become a burden on society etc, but i would sooner spend the money saved from lack of a dole on a stronger police force to prevent this than give these people a free ride - purely because of the principal. also, in this case, i believe far less people would want to do nothing and rely on society to pay their way.

You seem to fail to grasp that those who self-harm are often victims themselves, victims of poor socio-economical circumstance, broken families etc.

i realise im just rambling out random ideals of mine... its because its 1:45 and i cant remember what was said posts ago. il have another look at your previous post and reply to stuff in the morning

CLEARLY i was argued into a corner by your socialist hippy nonsense, which by the way is an ideal/belief and so cant really be used to argue me into a corner.