NHS reform

I've just received this:

Sadly I don't feel up to speed on this issue though this comment from Shirley Williams is certainly edifying:

"I do not know if the prime minister authorised or knew about remarks made by his adviser Mark Britnell, who, at a recent conference in New York organised by the private equity company Apax, is reported to have said that the NHS was to become a "state insurance provider, not a state deliverer" of care, adding that this was "a big opportunity for those companies that can facilitate this process".

I don't agree with saying no to any change in the NHS but am wary of the changes, proposed.

A sweeping change like the one proposed by Cameron and done so quickly is not on.

The Liberals need to show that they are going to force the lying Tories ( as exhibited in the AV referendum ) to dramatically change their proposals.

(Which is why AV is/was such a good system as it provided the electorate the means to put pressure on government to change extreme proposals that are so common with governments of all kinds with large majorities)

Shirley Williams, who is the politician, above all all others, that I admire the most, looks like one of the Liberals that is intent in putting some backbone into floppy Clegg. Paddy Ashdown comes second and is another of the same ilk. The Conservative, David Davies is another I admire - why is he strangely out of the news - is he too embarrassed by his present leader to voice and opinion? Perhaps not!

Dear Geoff,

Over the past week we've all been forwarding the Save the NHS petition to our friends, and sharing it on Facebook and Twitter. It's working - between us we gathered 100,000 more signatures in the last seven days!

Meanwhile, 38 Degrees members have started handing in copies of the petition to their local MPs. This weekend, in Blackpool, East Kilbride, Truro, Filey and Sheffield, 38 Degrees members asked their MPs to oppose Andrew Lansley's dangerous NHS plans.

Watch what happened on Friday evening when 38 Degrees members in Sheffield delivered a copy of our petition to Nick Clegg:

Nick Clegg was visibly taken aback at the size of the petition. Several of his aides had to help him carry it! 38 Degrees members made it clear to Clegg that he needs to stand up to Lansley and block the NHS plans if he wants to win back voters' trust.

Imagine the effect if we deliver a copy of our 380,000 strong petition to every single MP in the country. It will send a stir through Parliament, and should help tip the balance against Andrew Lansley's plans. By working together we can make this happen.

It's pretty easy to organise a petition hand-in to your MP. Find out more, and sign up to help, here:

http://www.38degrees.org.uk/nhs-mp-visits

38 Degrees members who've already organised visits to their MPs have found it pretty simple. There's info and advice on the 38 Degrees website. 38 Degrees volunteers in the office are on hand to help if you need it. It takes 2 or 3 hours in total, spread over about a month.

It works something like this:

- put your name down on the 38 Degrees website

- get in touch with your MP's office to book an appointment

- choose a meeting place near to where you're meeting your MP, where 38 Degrees members can gather half an hour earlier (e.g. a cafe, pub, community centre)

- post up the meeting time and place on the 38 Degrees website. We'll be able to let every 38 Degrees member in your area know so they can come along

Please put your name down to get started:

http://www.38degrees.org.uk/nhs-mp-visits

On Friday, confronted with our huge petition, Nick Clegg said some warm words. But, as you'll see from the video, he didn't fully address some of our big concerns. Other politicians seem to be further from where we'd like them to be -  the BBC is reporting today that David Cameron wants to "stand firm" on the NHS plans. [1] Our pressure has already pushed Clegg, but if we're going to save the NHS we need to make sure that every MP feels the heat. 

Here's what Bob, a 38 Degrees member in Blackpool said after organising a petition delivery to his local MP:

"I've never done anything like this before and it was very easy to set up the meeting. It only took about three hours in total. We met up with other 38 Degrees members before the meeting and then went to see our MP. He was very pleased to see us and showed a keen interest in our comments. The local press came along with a reporter and photographer. Can't wait to see the papers!"

Can you do the same with your local MP? Put your name down here:

http://www.38degrees.org.uk/nhs-mp-visits

Thanks for getting involved,

Johnny, Hannah, Becky, David, Cian, Marie and the 38 Degrees team

PS: Thousands of 38 Degrees members emailed our MPs last week urging the government to keep their green promises. It looks like it's working - the press is reporting that tomorrow David Cameron will step back from the brink. Find out more here: http://blog.38degrees.org.uk/2011/05/16/cameron-to-back-climate-targets/

NOTES:
[1] BBC: Cameron set to stand firm on need for NHS changes http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-13408021