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Do the conservatives want to privatise the NHS ?

Poll

Do you believe the conservatives want to privatise the NHS?

So people say the conservatives want to privatise the NHS. for 41 of the 68 years since it was founded the conservatives have been in power if they wanted to privatise it they would have done it

Reply 1

shadowdweller

Volunteer Section Leader

Original post by niteninja1

So people say the conservatives want to privatise the NHS. for 41 of the 68 years since it was founded the conservatives have been in power if they wanted to privatise it they would have done it

I've moved this to Politics for you, you should get more replies here! :smile:

Reply 2

Davij038

Some of them do, most of them don't- probably more out if pragmatism than anything.

Reply 3

ckfeister

They are trying to hide the western decline, we can't afford NHS big bill due to our high debt, so they privatise some of it to make sure more affordable.

Reply 4

midnightice

Perhaps the worst thing about UK politics is how 'privatisation' has negative connotations. No one would dare make the genuine and positive case for it.

Reply 5

AperfectBalance

Original post by midnightice

Perhaps the worst thing about UK politics is how 'privatisation' has negative connotations. No one would dare make the genuine and positive case for it.

B.. Bu.. Buut privatizing means more money for those evil fat cats and uhh poor people will die and the rich need to pay more taxes.

Reply 6

mojojojo101

Original post by midnightice

Perhaps the worst thing about UK politics is how 'privatisation' has negative connotations. No one would dare make the genuine and positive case for it.

That just is not true, at least in general.

While privatisation is generally opposed in the health service, privatisation of Royal Mail was met with next to no real opposition in principal and many people still vehemently oppose any alterations to the privitised status of the railways.

Reply 7

midnightice

Original post by mojojojo101

Obviously I'm referring to healthcare here. There aren't any significant areas under state ownership currently being argued for privatisation other than the NHS. Previous privatisation has already happened, hence there's limited debate surrounding it and it wasn't what I was referring to.

Reply 8

RF_PineMarten

If the Conservatives privatised the NHS in one fell swoop then they'd face electoral oblivion which is why they don't do it. What we have seen from the Conservatives is increased private involvement in the NHS, and some of those who voted for it in parliament have links to private healthcare companies and stand to financially benefit, so there's a conflict of interest issue there too.

Some within the party certainly do want to privatise the NHS, but I'm not sure how far the party itself actually wants to go.

Reply 9

L i b

Original post by RF_PineMarten

If the Conservatives privatised the NHS in one fell swoop then they'd face electoral oblivion which is why they don't do it. What we have seen from the Conservatives is increased private involvement in the NHS

Yet private involvement in the NHS actually increased more under Labour than it did under the Conservatives. That's quite a strange circle to square.

Not to mention that they have done nothing to undermine the universalism of the NHS and private sector provision is entirely consistent with its founding principles: as I hope we all know, GPs are and have always been private contractors, so too have numerous other parts of the NHS.

Is delivery of public services through outside organisations really "privatisation" anyway? If that's the case, I've got a privatised bin collection - but the local authority is still responsible for contracting and is democratically accountable for those services.

some of those who voted for it in parliament have links to private healthcare companies and stand to financially benefit, so there's a conflict of interest issue there too.

If you count having an interest in one sector of the economy as having a conflict of interest, you might as well condemn virtually every single adult in Britain who has investments, a pension or any number of interests as being unable to make any sort of decision.

Healthcare delivery isn't really all that big business in the UK anyway. Our largely "privatised" healthcare organisation is BUPA, which is a non-profit-making provident association. There's far more money in medicines - which, again, the NHS has always bought in.