Brexit is opening the door to NHS chaos in so many ways. But we are now presented with a new threat.
There have been concerns for many years, often expressed in this column, that the 2012 Tory design of the NHS opens the way to privatising not only services but also commissioning itself. Fighting the impact of the 2012 Act and its offspring such as ACOs/ICSs has been paramount. By shrinking the state at the same time as imposing austerity, the Tories have created the conditions for increasing mortality rates. This appears to be taking place now.
But Brexit has opened a new front: The Ideal US-UK Free Trade Agreement – A Free Trader’s Perspective.
Striking trade deals independent of the EU is the Brexiteers’ dream. This document shows how it can become a nightmare for the NHS.
The paper was released in September and is a US/UK collaboration of right-wing institutes fronted by the Initiative for Free Trade and the Cato Institute. MP Daniel Hannan is a co-author……………………
The aim is to open all sectors of the economy to investment from business. It should open all services markets without exception to competition.
They say: “The ideal FTA is one that removes all barriers to trade in goods and services, opens up all sectors of the economy to investment and, ultimately, goes as far as possible to remove all administrative impediments to integration of the economies of the parties without encroaching on the sovereignty of governments to pass laws and regulate in the public interest in ways that do not discriminate against foreign goods, services and companies”
They call for “zero restrictions on competition for government procurement.”
They have a particular interest in health services.
“Health services are an area where both sides would benefit from openness to foreign competition, although we recognise any changes to existing legislation will be extremely controversial. Perhaps, then, the initial focus should be on other fields such as education or legal services, where negotiators can test the waters and see what is possible. That said, we envisage a swift, time-tabled implementation of recognition across all areas within 5 years.”
There it is – a blueprint for privatisation, starting with what they deem softer areas like education and moving on to the NHS within 5 years.
The document goes into some detail about how such a Free Trade Agreement would deal with a range of other arenas and issues.
Milton Friedman, one of the principal architects of the current neo-liberal world order now failing the world, said: “There is nothing as powerful as an idea when its time has come. I say that time is a crisis, actual or perceived. When the crisis occurs, the actions that are taken depend on the ideas lying around.”
Hannan and his co-conspirators are seeding these ideas so that they become available when needed.
Beware Brexiteers bearing false promises – many were hoodwinked by the lies about massive NHS investment. Trade Agreements are likely to offer similar attractive lies. We must remain vigilant against these crazy and dangerous proposals.
Published with acknowledgements of GP Magazine.