Link to this page: http://www.socialistparty.org.uk/issue/709/14131
From The Socialist newspaper, 15 March 2012
Liberals' 'democratic' conference
While the Socialist Party held its national congress in Clacton-on-Sea and committed itself to the fight to save the NHS, the Lib Dems had their conference in Gateshead.
The Lib Dems' website claims their conferences are "democracy in action". At this year's conference, party leader and deputy prime minister Nick Clegg claimed he is "as radical as ever".
To prove this, Clegg ignored the party's spring conference's vote to reject the Health and Social Care Bill at the next Lords reading.
And in an attempt to face both ways at once, Clegg claimed 'it's not a Lib Dem bill, but it's now a better bill thanks to our input'.
This 'better bill' would cost £1.7 billion to implement and means that 49% of the NHS could be used for private practice. 80% of the NHS budget would be given to Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCG). CCGs are already being set up even before they are written into law with many senior GPs spending up to four days a week on doing so.
CCGs are being 'advised' by huge corporations. So instead of 'handing control over to family doctors' - which is what the Con-Dems claim - it's really handing control over to big business that will 'advise' that more money goes to private health companies.
The would make the NHS into a badge behind which private companies seek huge profits.
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In The Socialist 15 March 2012:
Socialist Party news and analysis
Fight the cuts - for a workers' alternative
Fight back against attacks on pensions
Socialist Party workplace news
International socialist news and analysis
Widespread fraud alleged as Putin wins presidential poll
Kazakhstan: Oilworkers' lawyer freed from prison
Socialist Party reports and campaigns
National demo needed to save our NHS
Liberals' 'democratic' conference
Fighting Con-Dem attacks on education
14 March - Socialist Students get a response
Library cash goes to supermarket bosses
Coventry: Fight for a socialist alternative
Socialist Party congress
Socialist Party Congress 10-12 March 2012
World developments show - capitalism is crisis
Britain: working class begins to 'rise like lions'
Building the Socialist Party: 'year of the branch'
Young, socialist and proud to be!
Reviews & readers' comments
'Westenders' - omnibus edition
The best of 'literary fiction'
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