Nick Clegg's NHS squeeze
Peter Hoskin 3:51pm
Andrew Lansley's career prospects were boosted yesterday — when Simon Hughes said
that he should ‘move on’ after the NHS reforms have been implemented. Since then, Downing Street has redoubled its defence of the
Health Secretary; with a spokesman explaining tersely this morning that, ‘Simon Hughes speaks for himself ’. And Nick Clegg
himself has added that, ‘Andrew Lansley is the architect of the NHS bill. He cares passionately about the NHS. He's the right man for the job and he must see it through.’
Clegg's general support for the Bill — and Danny Alexander's — is worth noting because it's one of the factors helping David Cameron hang on to both it and his Health Secretary. And I doubt the Deputy Prime Minister will be eager to withdraw it any time soon. After having the Bill paused and tweaked more to their liking last year, the Lib Dem leadership have been bound more tightly into the process now. Any repeat wavering on their part could be painted as more unreasonable.
But there are still pressures pushing Clegg the other way — foremost among them his own party. Lib Dem MPs have already used PMQs to ask for the Bill to be dropped, and their opposition is only likely to increase as the party's spring conference approaches. The same event last year was when Lib Dem members passed a motion attacking Lansley's Bill, which in turn pushed the government towards that period of pausing and listening and engaging, etc. There's a good chance that the NHS will feature heavily this time around, too.
Which leaves Clegg in a peculiar position: the poacher who did much to hinder the Bill last year is now a gamekeeper who may be damaged by its continued progress.
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William Blakes Ghost
February 13th, 2012 4:01pm Report this commentI really don't think we should be asked to contemplate Libdem 'motions' whether they be at Spring Conference or not......
Libdem Conference voted to scrap tuition fees (twice IIRC?). That got them a long way didn't it....?
tom jones
February 13th, 2012 4:04pm Report this commentTypical! One of the few times I actually want Clegg to make a stand and get a bill dropped - he backs it fully! Less than 20% of the public support this bill and we should drop it before it's too late.
Publius
February 13th, 2012 4:14pm Report this commentHow nice it would be if you hacks stopped playing this off-the-record briefings game. People could then speak out or shut up, and that would be an end to the matter.
You all bleat on about political and media corruption when it suits you, and the the rest of the time you indulge in it.
Pete Hoskin
February 13th, 2012 4:27pm Report this commentPublius: Just curious, where's the 'off-the-record' briefing in the above?
telemachus'
February 13th, 2012 4:37pm Report this commentThe poacher has hooked a particularly bony pike. No wonder he tries but fails to be a gamekeeper. Problem is that his fancy Public School backgound means no one believes that he is not simply like the tories screwing all those not covered by bupa.
Irascible Old Git
February 13th, 2012 4:54pm Report this commentClegg – the man who signed off on the proposal without even reading it.
Sheer class.
lloydj
February 13th, 2012 5:16pm Report this commentT.J. "Less than 20% support the bill"
How many of the 'public' actually know what it is about?
Get real please.
kinglear
February 13th, 2012 5:33pm Report this commentIn reality the NHS as it exists is too complex and unwieldy to be "reformed" in any meaningful way.And ANY change proposed is bound to bring all the vested interests screaming onto the streets.The thing to do would be to stop shoving money at it. Keep the budget identical for the next 5 years and see how quickly people adapt. When the carrot doesn't work try the stick
Publius
February 13th, 2012 7:08pm Report this commentPete Hoskin writes:
"Publius: Just curious, where's the 'off-the-record' briefing in the above?"
To answer your question, my comment was a general one on the way this whole Lansley business is being spun, leaked, whipped up, manipulated, and pushed through the whole tedious media lifecycle.
'Just curious': has Mr Forsyth ever been complicit in off-the-record media briefings?
Fergus Pickering
February 13th, 2012 8:00pm Report this commentMost of the public know sweet fanny adams about it, so their opinions are not worth much. Anything Simon Hughes attacks must have some good in it. Anything Hamish Meldrum attacks ditto.
Colin Cumner
February 13th, 2012 9:14pm Report this commentWill reforming the NHS EVER take place? Surely most people must see the present set-up of the scheme cannot go on as it is. Time after time, government after government has vowed to overhaul the NHS but all we end up with is tinkering around the edges. For goodness sake, let's get on with it.
2trueblue
February 13th, 2012 9:21pm Report this commentThis is my 3rd attempt to comment. Who are the 20% that understand the bill? The MPs have difficulty, as do the medical people. The opposition say they understand it. The very party who left the NHS in debt with massive PFI deals that can never be paid off, and we saw their fantastic understanding of contract negotiation skills they displayed with the GPs contracts.
Heartless C.
February 13th, 2012 10:44pm Report this commentevery piccy tells a story - some say.
this snap says .... ?
Peter Hoskin
February 14th, 2012 7:26am Report this commentPublius: My apologies. I wrongly took your comment as an attack about this post specifically, and responded in kind. Sorry.
Michael North
February 14th, 2012 2:10pm Report this commentPete - do you remeber the Yes Minister scene where a new irregular verb was invented?
I give confidential press briefings
You leak
He is being prosecuted under Section 2 of the Official Secrets Act
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