Saturday, January 13, 2007

Government discipline gone to pot over NHS

Well, according to today's Guardian 11 government ministers, and two current PPS's are protesting against various hospital closures. You can read the article here. You can also read my previous article on the subject here.

Two of them are even in the Department of Health. many back benchers are complaining as well. Clearly Patricia Hewitt's policy is not popular, inside or outside of Labour.

The Guardian article quotes Patricia Hewitt's position as follows:
Ms Hewitt has not asked her ministerial colleagues to refrain from dissent before opportunities for appeal against closures and downgradings have been exhausted. "But when decisions are decisions, there will come a point when colleagues need to get behind the solution," the source said.
This is however a massive breakdown in party discipline. At least a couple of PPS's had the decency to resign. Obviously Hazel Blears and John Reid have no such decency.

There is a feeling in the public at large that we face hospital closures whilst at the same time more money is being spent on it than ever before, in real terms and in terms of percentage of GDP.

So who is to blame? Patricia Hewitt?

No. The gibbering fool who caused so much of the cost over runs, for example the new GP contract costing £300 million more than expected and consultants £500 million was none other than the seagull minister John Reid, who dropped into the health department, did some very bad deals and flew off to perches new.

Why a seagull minister? Because he flies in, cr*ps all over the place then leaves.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I would imagine most Labour MPs are against hospital closures, particularly in their constituency, they have to deal with the complaints and the difficulties it causes. They also know, of course, that they will lose votes as a result.

Benedict White said...

Ellee, I agree. but then that is the price of government. I think it is a disgrace that they are trying to manipulate things for their constituents only rather than for the country. Having said all that, the greatest part of the crisis has got to be John Reid's fault.