Saturday 15 August 2009


Amid the denials, David Cameron’s support for the NHS after Dan Hannan, a Conservative MEP, told American television viewers that “he wouldn’t wish it on anyone”, is a bit hypocritical, seeing as George Osborne, the shadow chancellor, William Hague, the shadow foreign secretary, and Michael Gove, shadow children's secretary, are all on the advisory council of Atlantic Bridge, a conservative, transatlantic organisation aimed at promoting the “special relationship” between Britain and the United States.


The group is chaired by Liam Fox, the shadow defence secretary, and has Baroness Thatcher as its patron, also on the advisory council are a number of leading US critics of President Barack Obama's plans for health care reform, which opponents have likened to the NHS.

Among them is Representative John Campbell of California.

In a blog post, Mr. Campbell described a recent conversation he had with Daniel Hannan, the Conservative MEP who has embarrassed David Cameron with his views on the NHS, in the “green room” at a Fox News studio - and praised the MEP's views on Britain's health service.

The emergence of links between the Tory front bench and Americans opposed to the NHS is embarrassing to Mr. Cameron, who has spent much of the last few days defending the British healthcare system from attack by Mr. Hannan.

A Conservative spokesman said, however: "The joy of having foreign policy relationships with other politicians around the world is that we may not necessarily agree with everything that they say. We have set out our position on the NHS as clearly as possible - we support it fully."

Mr. Cameron and Labour politicians have attacked Republican critics of the NHS.

However, Nile Gardiner, director of the Margaret Thatcher Centre for Freedom at the Heritage Foundation think tank in Washington, who has worked closely with the Atlantic Bridge, said: “The Labour government has launched an hysterical campaign aimed at backing President Obama’s health care proposals. It is a highly inappropriate intervention in US domestic politics under the guise of defending the NHS.

Come on guys, make your minds up, are you for the NHS or agin it?

Angus

Angus Dei on all and sundry

Angus Dei-NHS-THE OTHER SIDE

No comments: