Author Archives: Charles West

Opinion: Why the Leader’s letter hardened our Health Bill motion

For a year a group of Liberal Democrats who know something about the NHS and the delivery of healthcare have been working to modify Lansley’s Health Bill with the aim of preventing irreversible damage to the NHS.

Until last week our draft motion still offered the hope of amending the Bill. When we saw Nick’s letter we realised that there was no point.

On preventing competition by price the letter is doubly misleading. David Nicholson warned about this in January 2011 and the Government conceded the point in February. However, even now competition on price has not been completely prevented. Government Peers …

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged and | 48 Comments
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Recent Comments

  • Alex Macfie
    "those on the left don’t tend to see individuals but see people as members of identity groups," so do many on the Right, using "identity groups" to divide peo...
  • Jason Connor
    Well done for putting in the effort in an inner London constituency, and showing how it can be done. There have been similar issues in Greenwich where the rulin...
  • Jason Connor
    I so agree with David Raw. Middle England is not the only constituency worth targeting likewise for Scotland and Wales. Left behind areas and those with und...
  • Jason Connor
    "Treating people as individuals" - these traits can and are seen by people on the left. Social liberalism is not a classic centre right liberal philosophy. It i...
  • Tim
    So glad you are a councillor again. Still miss you here....