In a mood of sadness and grief I went to see my MP John Penrose (Con, Tourism Minister) yesterday, about the NHS Bill.
I just told him about my life spent in service of the NHS , which for all its faults, is infinitely better and more efficient than the US system. Lansley's reforms are taking us rapidly towards that system. I told him how sad it made me feel that people are going to lose it.
The last regular option for us is to get 100k signatures on this e-petition which calls of the Government to drop the NHS Bill.
It has 14k signatures at the moment.
It could be done, with massive viral circulation, but it doesn't look hopeful.
There's a Drop the Bill website here with some good info.
But John Penrose told me it is all done and dusted, will come back from the Lords, and then get Royal Assent.
I'm going to try to find out what Royal Assent means in terms of procedure. Clearly the Queen has to sign it. Do they post it to her, or is the Bill taken to Buckingham Palace in a sedan chair or something?
If so, we could blockade Buckingham Palace with our bodies.
We could also write to the Queen and ask her to refuse to sign, or at least insist that Andrew Lansley personally holds her right forearm and moves it about to make a part-Royal squiggle that could be challenged in the courts.
Dreams of course. It is impossible that the British people, misinformed as they are by a corporate media, would bestir themselves to defend the NHS, turning out in numbers to block the loss of the best thing that the UK has ever done.
It is all very sad. I feel sad and angry - and the anger primarily has to be directed to the journalistic profession, who did not convey true information about the NHS Bill to their readers and listeners.
When people find out what has happened, in 2 or 3 years, they are going to be really angry. Really Angry. Which will probably mean that lots of people get hurt, and will have to wait for days in a dirty crowded A&E department waiting to be treated.
Richard
ReplyDeleteI can sense your anger. You're a good man - and one of the reasons the NHS has served us well and is held in very high regard by virtually all decent people.
It's not over by any means - the collapse of the Euro and the growing austerity coupled with public sector revolt against the way we are doing business could yet mobilise people to achieve things we would presently be very surprised at.
Have a good weekend.
The most famous case of a queen withholding her consent to a bill, or part there of was that of Queen Victoria who objected to anti gay measures.
ReplyDelete"we could blockade Buckingham Palace with our bodies"
ReplyDeleteBut will this work in the age of email?
Get real Richard, you threw in the Green Party towel in favour of the 'savage cuts' Lib Dems.
And because I was deprived of the opportunity to vote G.P. I feel angry.
For crying out loud, you may not like Caroline but we only got an M.P. because of the credibility that arises from a significant national presence.
As for the Conservative led government - what did you think the Orange-Book-heavy Lid Dems would do?
North Som Boy
ReplyDeleteI like Caroline fine. I seconded the motion that introduced a leader for exactly the reason you mention - higher profile.
Carolines office have told me that Royal Assent is just normal, there is no Sedan Chair ride to take a scroll to the Palace that we could interrupt.
I will write to the Queen anyway just so she knows.