NHS: Lansley must resign!

'Were I Andrew Lansley, I would resign over this issue," claimed Mike Hancock, Lib Dem MP for Portsmouth South, when presented with a 'Save Our NHS' petition by local anti-cuts campaigners, health workers and trade unionists.

"But Hancock, who chaired the committee which scrutinised the government's bill to cut and privatise the National Health Service, was unable to answer why the health secretary of his government had failed to consult the public during the recent 'listening exercise', and was presented with evidence that the original consultancy process had been stage-managed to avoid dissent from health workers.

"The campaigners also demanded a full public inquiry into Andrew Lansley's connections to the private health companies which stand to profit from the proposed bill.

"While Hancock wished to distance himself from the bill, and the policies of his government, he is no politician of principle; having achieved a rare political hat trick of having defected from Labour to the Social Democratic Party to form the Liberal Democrats.

"Then, following the last general election, he was the first Lib Dem MP to appear on national news to praise the coalition agreement with the Conservatives.

"The NHS campaigners are following up the lobby of Mike Hancock with plans to present the petition to Tory MPs Penny Mordaunt of Portsmouth North and Caroline Dinenage of Gosport.

"This activity will be part of the build up to launching a new 'Save Our NHS Portsmouth' campaign, backed by the city's trades union council, to stand against all spending cuts and privatisation of the National Health Service.

Ben Norman, Portsmouth Socialist Party

Campaign launch meeting: Thursday 23 June, Portsmouth Central Library, 7.30pm

More info: SaveourNHSportsmouth@gmail.com

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