Thursday 22 July 2010

Lansley talks sense

There was an encouraging outbreak of common sense recently from Health Secretary Andrew Lansley in his evidence to the House of Commons Health Committee on the issue of minimum alcohol pricing:

Health Secretary Andrew Lansley has again ruled out minimum pricing, arguing it would have an “unwelcome” impact on low-income families.

Giving evidence to the Health Committee yesterday, Lansley admitted the idea that the price of alcohol affected demand was unquestionable.

But he added: “The evidence does not support minimum unit pricing as the mechanism to deliver a price adjustment that best impacts on demand and does not as a consequence have unwelcome, regressive impacts in terms of low-income households.”
Good to see that he recognises that a minimum pricing regime which sought to increase the price of everyday off-trade alcohol purchases would have a negative impact on responsible drinkers on low incomes.

Given that he recently also said that people had to take responsibility for their own health rather than being told how to live by government, this gives mild grounds for encouragement.

It’s interesting that his inquisitor was Dr Sarah Wollaston, the Tory MP for Totnes and a former GP, who was selected by an “open primary” of all electors and on this issue at least does not appear to have very “Tory” instincts.

4 comments:

  1. "Given that he recently also said that people had to take responsibility for their own health rather than being told how to live by government, this gives mild grounds for encouragement.
    “- I don't think so!

    "people had to take responsibility for their own health" is code for we want to privatise the NHS and fuck you if you are poor.

    Andrew Lansley is an arse, but the so are all the other ConDems (except Ken Clarke of course).

    Purely a personal viewpoint you understand.

    ReplyDelete
  2. "people had to take responsibility for their own health" is code for we want to privatise the NHS and fuck you if you are poor. "

    Like NuLab said "Fuck the Poor but we'll pretend we care when really all we want to make sure is that our own kind are in as overpaid jobsworths to tell the "poor" how to live for their own good."

    Gimmie someone like Lansley - even though he leaves much to be desired - than the sanctimonious middle and upper class health obsessed freaks of NuLab.

    Had we not had NuLab's criminal waste of money on pet health projects more people would be crying out against Lansley's demolition of the NHS.

    As someone deemed "poor", I'd rather have no health service than NuLab's idea of a health service.

    ReplyDelete
  3. @Paul and Pat

    As a Tory Party activist and member the NHS will never be dismantled. Coming from a grouping within the party that would like to see major reform of the NHS, i.e. private health in competition with the NHS we were asked to keep our council at the last election.

    And besides it ain't going to happen. Even if the Tories started today on reforming the NHS it would take 40 years before the last patient would be examined.

    I the meantime the NHS' budget of £102 billion gets wasted on administrators, smoking cessation nannies and £250,000 a year chief executives for among the worst cancer survival rates in Europe and 90,000 people dying from iatrogenisis. Death by neglect of the medical profession, MRSA etc.

    The NHS is a nasty exercise in state planned Marxism looked after by self serving incompetents.

    I am sure we all have the common goal of better health for all but our obsession with the NHS stops us.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Back on alcohol matters Thailand have the most graphic health warnings on cigarette packets in the world.

    Just to make sure you drinkers don't miss out Thailand is introducing the same for alcohol. Covering 30% of the can or bottle they do not take any prisoners. The depiction of the man apparently having committed suicide by hanging because of drink is particularly stomach churning. Chris Snowdon has the story on the link.

    http://velvetgloveironfist.blogspot.com/2010/07/cheers.html

    ReplyDelete

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