What the LibDems Think

Well, the LibDems are now Tories so I may as well have a look at their health policy. You can find their thinking at CentreForum. If you have read my analysis of the Conservative health policies then you will find The NHS: a liberal blueprint familiar.

Let me give you a starter, this is the LibDem future for NHS hospitals:

We should introduce a mechanism to allow staff to vote for their hospital trust to become a wholly owned employee trust.

Sound familiar? Yes this is exactly what Andrew Lansley was saying in his "Big Society" manifesto launch when he said that he would "invite in co-ops of doctors to take over hospital services".

Further, the LibDems introduce Circle Health as justification:

Half (49.9 per cent) of Circle is owned by Circle Partnership Ltd, which belongs to everyone who works in clinical services, directly or indirectly and at every level.

The other half 50.1% is owned by Circle International plc. which their website describes as "the investment vehicle that blue chip City institutional investors have subscribed to for shares by providing the capital for Circle".

So what they are saying is that half of the profits go into some "blue chip City institutional investors" rather than back into healthcare. Right. Nice to know that under the Circle model yet more of out tax contributions will be going into the pockets of City investors. New Politics? Pah!

We should not be worried about the Conservative plans for the NHS, it is the LibDems we should be afraid of.