Mike Phipps offers some elementary facts about the epidemic and what it tells us about western priorities. 1. Ebola is fuelled by poverty. It broke out in west African countries that had been devastated by long civil wars. Given the resultant collapse of the public health system, if it hadn’t been Ebola, it would have […]
Posts under ‘Health’
It’s time to use evidence not knee-jerks in deciding Britain’s drugs policy
Nov 1st, 2014 by Diane Abbott.Last week the House of Commons had an important debate on UK drugs policy. The speeches suggested that, slowly, politicians are inching towards a reform of legislation which more closely resembles the views of the general public and informed scientific opinion. For instance a recent YouGov poll for the Sun Newspaper revealed (to the papers […]
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Labour must outflank the SNP from the Left
Oct 25th, 2014 by Neil Findlay.This article was written prior to the resignation of Johann Lamont and is reposted here because it is a clear political statement by someone who many on the Left in Scotland would like to see as the next leader of Scottish Labour, and covers the same ground as Neil’s speech to the Campaign for Socialism conference […]
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NHS must be exempted from TTIP
Oct 14th, 2014 by Michael Meacher.The only way to stop the US-EU trade deal (euphemistically called the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, TTIP) from interfering with the freedom of an incoming Labour government to reverse NHS privatisation is by demanding that the UK government vetoes TTIP unless health services are clearly and fully exempted. At present they are not, and […]
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Ebola a much-needed wake up call for the West
Oct 10th, 2014 by Michael Meacher.The President of the World Bank, Jim Kim, got it right when he said last night of the international community: It’s late, really late… We were tested by Ebola and we failed. We failed miserably in our response… Every developed country should be prepared to send trained medical staff to West Africa… We don’t need […]
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Tories now wide open to attack: when is Labour going to exocet them?
Oct 5th, 2014 by Michael Meacher.Even on their own terms the Tories are now exposed to assault on several grounds. Cameron threw down the gauntlet by asking: Who do you trust? Labour should pick it up. Large majorities in the electorate think the Tories are the party of the rich, not for them; witness the tax cuts for millionaires and […]
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Cameron isn’t telling the truth on the NHS any more than Osborne on the economy
Oct 2nd, 2014 by Michael Meacher.Cameron’s closing speech to the Tory conference centred on trying to reassure the electorate that the NHS was safe in Tory hands. But the evidence he produced to justify this proved the opposite. He promised to protect the NHS in real terms for the next 5 years from 2015 to 2020, the same as he […]
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Labour HQ censors 91-year old veteran’s reference to welfare cuts and austerity
Sep 30th, 2014 by Jon Lansman.Yesterday, I received an email appearing to come from Andy Burnham about what I’m sure he did describe as “one of the most moving speeches I’ve ever heard“. It deserved strong praise — that’s why we featured 91-year old Harry Leslie Smith’s demand for David Cameron to “keep his mitts off my NHS” on Left Futures last week. It received […]
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“Mr Cameron, keep your mitts off my NHS”
Sep 26th, 2014 by Jon Lansman.Unfortunately, I missed Harry Leslie Smith speaking at the Labour Party conference but the truth and the electricity survive in this recording. The words which perhaps have almost more importance as a warning for Labour Party members than for the Tories are these: As I stand here today, my heart is with all of those people from […]
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PFI contractor, Carillion, damned in report by NHS trust
Sep 25th, 2014 by Andy Newman.A damning NHS Trust report completely vindicates what GMB has said about Carillion since the union was first approached by staff in 2011. GMB, the union for staff at Carillion at Great Western PFI Hospital in Swindon, commented on the report considered on 25th September by the Board of the NHS Foundation Trust which details […]
