NHS Privatisation

I read this article in The Times about how "Ministers have begun a review of London NHS property in a move that could lead to the sale of some or all of the capital’s biggest hospitals to raise billions of pounds for new projects." and I couldn't help imagine how the BBC and the British Press would have reacted had this been a Conservative government "selling off the family silver". The double standards of the British media disgust me and whilst they are less awe-struck by Gordon Brown than they were by Blair (up until the Iraq war), they are still prone to go gently on the Labour government.


"The Times has learnt that the London strategic health authority, which includes the 31 primary healthcare trusts in the city, has hired investment bankers to advise it on the options. The NHS has one of the largest property estates in Europe, valued at more than £23 billion. In London the huge and ageing property portfolio comprises nearly 100 hospitals and hundreds of smaller sites, which together cost £700 million a year to maintain. The review follows Gordon Brown’s plan to reap billions from selling off a swath of the Government’s £337 billion of assets."


So here we go with more sale and leaseback deals, raising quick money here and now whilst committing future governments to crippling repayments. This Labour government really are ensuring that this country is well and truly screwed for the future.