by Tom Pride

What the f*** is going on?

Is everyone half-asleep?

There’s less than 3 months left to save the NHS and it’s hardly even news.

Once the government’s Health & Social Care Bill receives royal assent, it will be the end of the NHS.

What does that mean?

The Bill will create an independent NHS Board, promote patient choice by increasing competition, and reduce NHS administration costs.

IT MEANS THE NHS WILL BE PRIVATISED – RUN BY PRIVATE COMPANIES ENTIRELY FOR PROFIT.

IT MEANS YOU WILL HAVE TO PAY PRIVATE COMPANIES FOR YOUR HEALTH CARE.

IT MEANS THE NHS WILL NO LONGER EXIST.

The bill is nearly completed – it’s already been through the House of Commons and is nearly through the House of Lords – who have little power to stop it becoming law anyway.

Once it receives royal assent it will be law. This is where we are now:

That means we’re in the final days of universal healthcare free at the point of need in the UK.

How did we get to this point? This government has no mandate to privatise the NHS. It was in neither the Conservative Party or the Liberal Democrat’s election manifestos.

In fact, the Tories said the NHS was safe in their hands and there would be no top down reorganisation of the National Health Service.

Both parties lied.

And now, after just over 60 years in existence the NHS is about to be killed off. And that will be that.

Is there anything we can do?

Not much. Except this. Find out your MP’s next surgery. It doesn’t matter what party he or she is from, make an appointment as soon as possible and ask them one question.

Do you believe in democracy?

Presuming they say yes, then ask them what they are doing to oppose this bill when no-one in Britain voted for it.

Don’t let them dodge the question by getting into a discussion about private vs public / Labour vs Conservative or whatever. Stick to the question – nobody voted for these reforms, they were not in any party manifesto so what are you doing to oppose this undemocratic bill being passed?

Remember, there is only one thing MPs really care about. Winning their own seat at the next election. This is even more important to them than their own party winning the next election.

If they think they will be losing constituency votes, they will do whatever it takes to save their precious little asses.

In fact that’s a good definition of democracy.

Elected officials being forced to do the right thing in order to save their precious little asses.

Let’s hope it helps save our precious NHS.

.

This article was originally posted on the Pride’s Purge blog.