NHS-were we clapping or waving goodbye?

Yes, I can remember before the last election, Conservative voters assuring us Labour supporters that the NHS would be safe whoever won the election.

MayBee70

They used the NHS to win the EU referendum. I don’t know how some of them can sleep at night. Then again some have been given knighthoods haven’t they (eg Gisella Stuart).

A peerage not a knighthood.

So all amendments were voted down by the Tories.

no protection for the NHS

no protection for food standards

no parliamentary scrutiny of trade deals

It is a living nightmare

And nobody is the slightest bit bothered WwMk2, it makes me so angry. Anyone like to come forward and defend the indefensible? Anyone?

The media have been very quiet about this as well.

I have just written the strongest of letters to our Conservative MP who voted against the amendment. I would hope thousands will do the same.

Project fear they said - Johnson has promised the NHS would not be part of a Deal. Trump said 'jump' and he 'jumped' - so much for wanting to rid ourselves of being ruled by foreign politicians.

growstuff: I knew I’d got the wrong word but the right one wouldn’t appear in my brain!

" Johnson has promised the NHS would not be part of a Deal."

Why would anyone ever believe a word he says biba? He is a proven liar.

Opposition parties tabling amendments to cause trouble. Attached from Paul Holmes MP:

I’ve seen a number of misleading or altogether false statements about yesterday’s Trade Bill vote and I think it’s important to clear things up:

The Trade Bill passing does not mean that substandard food will be flooding into our supermarkets. The Government remains absolutely committed to maintaining the UK’s world leading food standards.

The Trade Bill passing does not mean that the NHS is “for sale” or “on the table” in any future trade agreements. This is a lie that Jeremy Corbyn and the Labour Party desperately tried to repeat again and again at the last election.

No matter how many times people repeat it, it remains a lie.

The Government has made its commitment to the NHS clear at all stages and repeatedly said that it won’t form part of any new trade deals in future.

The Trade Bill passing does not end Parliamentary scrutiny of trade deals. The checks and balances around negotiating and ratifying new trade deals under the Constitutional Reform & Governance Act 2010 remain in place.

This Trade Bill is a straight-forward but important piece of legislation that allows the UK to continue trade agreements with 20 countries “rolling over” the agreements from our time as a member of the EU. This will be vital for our economy as we end the transition period. It also allows British businesses to access £1.3 trillion of overseas government contracts and gives them protection from unfair trade practices.

Tabling poorly thought out amendments which are not relevant to the purpose of a bill and forcing the Government to vote them down is a standard opposition parliamentary tactic. It’s pure politics and not based on any good-faith desire to improve the law.

I will continue to support efforts to open up new trade and export opportunities for British business so that we can make the most of our global position.

Little bits of the NHS have already been privatized by the back door. You can check how your local MP voted. I checked and our MP did not vote (his wife used to be Health Minister in the past!), and another local MP voted against!

Good post shortlegs

Shortlegs

Opposition parties tabling amendments to cause trouble. Attached from Paul Holmes MP:

I’ve seen a number of misleading or altogether false statements about yesterday’s Trade Bill vote and I think it’s important to clear things up:

The Trade Bill passing does not mean that substandard food will be flooding into our supermarkets. The Government remains absolutely committed to maintaining the UK’s world leading food standards.

The Trade Bill passing does not mean that the NHS is “for sale” or “on the table” in any future trade agreements. This is a lie that Jeremy Corbyn and the Labour Party desperately tried to repeat again and again at the last election.

No matter how many times people repeat it, it remains a lie.

The Government has made its commitment to the NHS clear at all stages and repeatedly said that it won’t form part of any new trade deals in future.

The Trade Bill passing does not end Parliamentary scrutiny of trade deals. The checks and balances around negotiating and ratifying new trade deals under the Constitutional Reform & Governance Act 2010 remain in place.

This Trade Bill is a straight-forward but important piece of legislation that allows the UK to continue trade agreements with 20 countries “rolling over” the agreements from our time as a member of the EU. This will be vital for our economy as we end the transition period. It also allows British businesses to access £1.3 trillion of overseas government contracts and gives them protection from unfair trade practices.

Tabling poorly thought out amendments which are not relevant to the purpose of a bill and forcing the Government to vote them down is a standard opposition parliamentary tactic. It’s pure politics and not based on any good-faith desire to improve the law.

I will continue to support efforts to open up new trade and export opportunities for British business so that we can make the most of our global position.

Thanks for posting this ...it’s time for those who relentlessly fire away at anything they see ( and will continue to do for the next four years on here) to be called out!

These changes started happening at least 24 years ago. It was the day of a serious operation I was about to endure. The anaesthetist came to introduce himself to me. He looked like the cat who'd got the cream. It was the time the hospitals became responsible for their own expenditure. He told me, as though I should be delighted and honoured, that he was now second in command of the hospital and the surgeon doing my op was now the man in charge. My immediate thought was, this is the start of privatisation, and it made me feel very uneasy. It has been apparent for years that everything the government have privatised has been milked by the governing body to fill their own greedy pockets. This I feel has been the biggest reason for inflation. Bad management and greed. Who pays? We do, all the time.
I am not intelligent, or well educated like most of you are, but seem to have a sixth sense regarding wrong decisions our so called leaders make. They always seem to be passing the buck, so to speak, to make their lives easier, with less responsibility, which enables them to escape blame. Sorry it's long. Rant over.

the Tories have received backing from health companies, this is what they demand, there were lies in the election campaign last year and questions sidestepped, 'does trump want the NHS?' the tory press asked, the answer was no because the issue of NHS privatisation was neatly manoeuvred to trump, & not private NHS companies, which is exactly what is happening now

Remember the Boris Bus? This is 'taking back control' - and giving it to Trump instead. Amendments mentioned can always be voted against but the bill itself should have been passed, it is our protection. Shameful

lemongrove the amendment had little to do with Corbyn as Paul Holmes states. It was proposed by Caroline Lucas from the Green Party and personally I would choose to believe someone with real standards and beliefs than any Tory MP who simply wants to do deals with Trump. The problem with not protecting things with proper legislation is that it then becomes a matter of conscience what happens when doing deals and there are few Tory MPs with a conscience.

ladymuck
"Cheap foreign labour" Oh you mean the same ones who gave their lives during this covid pandemic. The same ones work just as hard as the local staff. Also the same staff who had to be recruited from abroad because people in this country don't want the job.
I find your comment disgusting.

Whitewavemark2

So all amendments were voted down by the Tories.

no protection for the NHS

no protection for food standards

no parliamentary scrutiny of trade deals

It is a living nightmare

Whitewavemark2 You are rightl and it's frightening. Trump and the US healthcare system cant wait to get their hands on the NHS and this was totally obvious to everyone before the last election. Yes even the Tory and Johnson supporters but they just don't care or think ill health will never happen to them.
I've seen the documentary where desperate people in the USA have to queue up at huge sports arenas and are treated alongside everyone else for dentistry and medical treatment like a third world country. It will be happening here soon too. After Brexit jobs are going to be even more scarce than they are now. You Tory voters knew Johnson was a liar and had a terrible reputation but you seem to think he will look after you. He wont and now you have the evidence in black and white. Even the DUP voted in favour of protecting the NHS and our food standards and they dont come more extreme right than that party.
Our children and grandchildren have been sold down the river of Cummings/Johnson Brexit. So please NEVER vote Tory again, ever. Unless you like inflicting pain and hardship on yourself and others.

I read about this vote on line I but haven’t heard anything about it on the BBC or other news channels. I didn’t see anything about it in my newspaper either. It is such an important issue why isn’t it being more widely reported?

Perhaps because the right wing media prefer to ignore nything which might make this government unpopular?

God help us if we go down the private route with obscene amounts spent deciding if your insurance covers a procedure and profit for share holders / insurance companies added on. The American system is so inefficient and expensive. The annual insurance bill can be in the region of £10,000, more if you want a higher level of cover. Although it is often paid by your employer, the excess can run into thousands and what if you lose your job. I could go on. Anyone who has pet insurance will know how brilliant the NHS is, as well as how costs rise once insurance enters the equation. Did the people who voted Tory know what they were voting for?

Some real Tory bashing going on here but the truth is that it was Tony Blair's Labour government that started privatising parts of the NHS. The Tories have just gone on with what Labour started and before anyone says anything I'm not a Tory and my father was a staunch trade unionist when he was alive.. Look it up if you don't believe me. Actually I'm not anything these days as I generally go into the ballot box with 'I can't vote for you or you or you. Sometimes I've been left with the equivalent of the Raving Loony Party.

MayBee70

growstuff: I knew I’d got the wrong word but the right one wouldn’t appear in my brain!

I have too many moments like that these days!

The thing is there's a difference. A knighthood just means you can call yourself "Sir" or "Lady". A peerage means you get to float about in ermine, can claim expenses and, crucially, can vote in the House of Lords.

Some real Tory bashing going on here but the truth is that it was Tony Blair's Labour government that started privatising parts of the NHS.

It wasn't. 'Hotel services' were privatised under Thatcher.

You'll find it in here: www.counterfire.org/articles/analysis/16852-the-great-nhs-swindle

I have long thought that the Brexit Broadcasting Corporation was now under orders from the Vote Leave government, so I wasn't surprised that they did not report this disgraceful vote.

The Tory lobby fodder voted away Parliament's right to protect the NHS.

Utterly disgraceful - and shame on the BBC for not considering it newsworthy.