Jacky Davis (2)

This book should be of general interest to anyone living in the UK. It shows how the British 'system' has bypassed democracy to enact the break up and privatisation of the National Health Service (NHS). It covers the passage of an act of parliament in 2012 that removes responsibility for the health of the nation from the government, devolving it to a complicated network quangos and private healthcare companies.

The Act passed through parliament, despite not being part of the election manifestos of either the LibDems or the Conservatives, and despite the pre-election promise of David Cameron not to carry out a top-down reorganization of the NHS.

The UK media, led by the BBC, failed to hold politicians to account and largely failed even to report protests and demonstrations by the general public.

Despite the clear objections by the majority of professional organizations of doctors and others working in the service, the government persisted with claims that the Act would free doctors to provide the best care to patients.

The book is a compilation of chapters written by experts, all with great knowledge of the NHS. There are full bibliographic references. One problem with the book is that it can be a bit repetative, as different authors cover the same material.

In my opinion the best chapter is written by Charles West, who gives an insiders view of how the leadership of the LibDem party fought their own activists to get through the Act.

The book ends with some practical suggestions for resisting the Act and possibly even amending it.… (meer)