The appearance of Daniel Hannan, a British Conservative MEP (Member of the European Parliament) slagging off our National Health Service on Fox News (where else?) has certainly caused a stir here. So he 'wouldn't wish (our NHS) on anyone', would he? Well, he can afford to buy his own private health care. The vast majority of us can't and (you know what?) I wouldn't change the present system for the world, just the same as, I believe, over 90% of the British population! Knowing that one has the safety blanket of pretty good or very good care should one need it, no matter what one's income and resources are, even if they're nil, is a great comforting thought ever-present in the background. Of course there are particular areas of the health service which can be improved. There always will be. But I've got no complaints at all about the services I've received throughout my life - and I don't think anyone I know, including those who've been in hospital, somewhere I've never been myself (touch wood), would hold a different view. I heard it said by American commentators that here one has a doctor assigned to one and one has to make do with whomever one is given. That's news to me. I can apply to be registered with any doctor I wish and, when granted one, I can change to another without giving any reason.
I always feel reluctant to pontificate and criticise on the political systems of other democratic countries when, heaven knows, we have so many faults of our own, though I was at first bemused at seeing the nature of the campaigning against Obama on this issue but it really has turned distasteful and nasty now - even distressing. Portraying the man as Hitler is just so ridiculously OTT. But then the word 'socialist' is uttered by these same people with the same repugnance as they say 'paedophile' . It strikes me sometimes that even being 'liberal' is akin to being a rapist. Oh, and by the way, the said Mr Hannan has been rapidly slapped down and (alas, too tamely) dismissed as an 'eccentric' not only by our Conservative Party leader who re-asserts that the National Health Service here is his 'number one priority' but by an array of seniors from that very same party - as well, of course, by any number of government ministers and prominent spokesmen from our own socialist (at least in name. I wish it was more so) Labour government. Okay, now that I've got that off my chest let's move on!
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Don't be fooled. We are all not crazy here on this side of the pond, although I know it must appear otherwise. I'm quite embarrassed at the behavior of so many weak-minded Americans these days, so easily brainwashed by the greedy insurance and pharmaceutical industries. We need folks like you to get on TV and tell Americans the truth about how things work in the UK.
ReplyDeleteThat's reassuring, Larry. Maybe I shouldn't take to heart so much of what I see on Jon Stewart's excellent 'Daily Show' (shown here at 8.30 p.m. on the following day.) A point made here is that 60 years ago there were precisely the same arguments made here in the U.K. as you are now hearing put forward by the pharmaceutical companies and their paid lobbyists. Now we just never hear one single voice demanding our National Health Service be dismantled. Of course ALL countries have their share of bigots. It just seems from this side of the pond that in America they are disproportionately influential. But I do hope that's only an unfair impression.
ReplyDeleteMr Hannann must have been offered something pretty by someone in the US to feed into the anti-national health care propoganda by someone in the US, since we idiot moron sheep Americans can't prove your systems are worse than what we have so we must lie about them or get someone to do it for us.
ReplyDeleteYes, it's that so many people are so gullible that particularly worries me. Whipping up hatred to a frenzy on such a personal level makes me marvel that so far that the fate all reasonable people dread hasn't happened to Obama (yet?). If I was a believer I'd be praying like anything that it doesn't.
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