- Jan 18, 2009
- 4,885
Had a discussion with a Labour supporting pal yesterday, and we agreed on the following:
The NHS is Labour's crowning glory, it would never have happened under the Tories.
Labour have improved the lot of the working/lower classes immeasurably since their inception.
Labour have proven themselves incapable of running a balanced economy on more than one occasion.
Old Labour are becoming irrelevant, as they really do not have a cause to fight any longer as our standards of living are so much higher for the majority of people now when compared to the past.
If Jeremy Corbyn becomes Labour leader it will split the party in the medium term, which may well happen anyway. The Labour party, in its current form, is on borrowed time.
As a point of historical fact I think you are overstating the creation of the NHS as a Labour strategy.
The Second World War meant the country needed a universal medical system to cope with emergencies and this was created by a coalition Govt. The Tories in fact tabled a white paper in 44 that outlined how the system should continue in the post war environment.
This paper sought to place the health systems that had been created in WW2 under the control of local authorities. It was largely supported by all parties, however Bevan took that view and "nationalised" it.
All parties accepted the principle that the British public would not stand for the complete removal of the health system created to help cope with the consequences of (say) bombing.
If anyone deserves thanks for starting the NHS maybe you should look to that nice Mr Hitler.