Re: Crown jewel
@ Bloodbeastterror
"Maybe the NHS isn't perfect, but if you break your leg which side of the pond do you want to be on...?"
This is an interesting question but not clear. You say break a leg but lets say something more long term like an illness. In the UK you book an appointment and the NHS eventually get back to you with a date a month or so away. When you get there you are ignored until eventually you get looked at but that is all you know from any 'tests'. Anything being sent off takes an age to get back and you dont generally get to know much about it. If they dont want to deal with it they bounce you from department to department and back again for a number of years and throw drugs at you until something masks the pain but the underlying problem is ignored until it comes back AND START AGAIN!
That is against booking an appointment that is convenient and timely, tests which are quicker and the results given to you in full. The end goal is to make you better and get you out so the next customer can come.
"I would say that the country can't afford ***to be without the NHS***"
That is an interesting statement which I would somewhat agree with except we cant afford the NHS. This isnt an if or but its a fact that we cannot afford the current incarnation of the NHS. I dont know the solution but throwing endless money at something which endlessly consumes and demands more has to result in no NHS and a huge bill. Which we seem to agree would be bad.
"Health care, or Trident missiles mouldering expensively in unused and useless silos against a non-existent threat. Hard choice?"
Apples and oranges unfortunately. The problem with healthcare is the increasing cost and greater demands. How do you do both without taking more money? Trident missiles have a use and a purpose even if you dont like them so it isnt as easy as just cutting them for the NHS. And of course in doing that the NHS will consume more and demand more money after that. So what is cut next?
When we look at the budgets of these public services we should be shown the issue. We can spend more on health but do we want to take that from education? Defence? Welfare? And of course the labour gov spent up pretty badly and we are in a recession. We need an economy to generate the money required to spend on the public luxuries.