MIKE Pompeo, Secretary of State in Donald Trump’s government, arrived on Tuesday morning. Rumour has it he is trying to drum up more support for the US anti-China campaign. I have another reason for him being in the UK.
Pompeo is here to thank the 388 UK politicians who voted down the amendment to take the NHS off the negotiation table on future trade deals.
All six Tory Scottish Members of the Westminster Parliament voted with the other 382 against the amendment.
Why did they do this? How can they justify this action? Are the voters who voted for them aware what this is likely to mean?
READ MORE: Trade Bill: Tories reject effort to keep NHS off negotiating table
A health system that is foreign to us in the UK. An insurance-based health system like the USA system. Sure, having healthcare insurance is fine until you hit a major illness, when your next year’s premiums rise because your personal risk has changed. Just like your car insurance, until you can’t afford the premiums and house and asset sales are inevitable to continue. Medicaid is bottom-rung care. Destitution is a possible result.
Our NHS is not perfect – it is costly to run, we have seen this during this current pandemic – but it is not a profit centre, at least not by the majority of the population.
It is only a small few individuals in prominent positions who see the opportunity to milk a few percentage points from the National Insurance contributions, but it requires the NHS to be opened up gradually to private companies to supply services.
It was tried previously in cleaning, which failed and had to be pulled back in house due to serious infections.
So look forward to more slicing and dicing of the NHS in the future, supported by your Scottish Tory MPs.
Alistair Ballantyne
Birkhill, Angus
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