Opinion: The NHS is the new National Rail. The government can’t trick us again.

Small notes have been made to assist international readers with local terms.

Your local Grandad Keith will argue that the NHS [1] is falling apart and Bupa [2] will step in and save the name of good British healthcare. They see the state of the NHS right now, with its waiting times and strikes and decide privatisation is the way to go, because like their underwear, it too has been stretched too thin to accommodate it’s massive demand and overestimated real-estate.

Public service privatisation began in 1979 with BP, and later on with National Express, British Gas, BAE, Rolls Royce, BA, the BAA, and BT [3] after Margaret Thatcher convinced the country that publicly run services were putting the country into a slump compared to the rest of the worlds major economies at the time.

It took a while for railway privatisation to kick into gear, as Thatchers government wasn’t brave enough to get it done, as it’s a tricky operation. However with John Major [4] in the drivers seat, the industry shifted into high gears.

Rail privatisation got going, and it slowly evolved into the hellish nightmare we have today with government subsidies and contract payments actually higher than before. Appealing I know. Now apply its current state to the NHS, the people responsible for saving your life. Again, sounds lovely doesn’t it?…

The government begun their plan to remove their responsibility toward the NHS many years ago, and it was relatively recently reinforced when the government made multiple large investments to the NHS, and slapped it all over the news to rub it in the public’s face.  When one picks it apart they realise that said government, yes, did put lots of money into equipment for the organisation, however that was without stating that over £250million of those pounds were spend on 50 million masks made by forced labour that had to be thrown away in the end.

And that’s the strategy in a nutshell, make it loud and proud that you’re funding it, but “oh no! It doesn’t work! Giving it to private corporations works, we promise!”

And here we are.

But the NHS has saved, billions, of lives, personally speaking, it saved my life twice, both times for free. It’s an absolutely tremendous service, and anyone a part of it at any point should be monumentally proud of the role they’re laying to provide a strong health service that the country can be proud of, and not a set of stitches that costs $120 and a $4300 involuntary ambulance trip.

However unfortunately, the government has been given a golden opportunity to look down on the NHS, with the current strikes popping up in “coincidentally” every publicly run service. The powers that be are treating these services, and the wonderful people that make them possible, like crap, and we need to ensure that everyone, no matter the industry has the right or strike for the pay or the working conditions they believe they deserve. Speaking as someone currently being paid £4.81 per hour [5] at the time of writing, I wish I could have the influence and the contacts to strike to combat my disgusting working conditions and treatment.

All we can do is wait for 2024. Blue haven’t got a chance [6].

Anyway, pfffft.

Going to Costcutter, need anything?…