Health Care and the Economy!

It was about eight years ago that I felt assured enough and to the best of my knowledge that the economy was going to ‘go  bust’. Very cheap and easily obtained mortgages was just one of the clues, backed up by historical facts and a little economics. Most economists got it completely wrong, often because they were in complete denial or wanted to protect their own interests in a speculative and so called free world. This continues today.

Now things have edged forward, I wish I had been wrong. Please do not believe the new ‘green shoots debate’. We simply have to start talking about a different society.

In the meantime, lets try to protect our NHS  from any further fragmentation and  privatisation.

The Clinical Commissioning Groups will play a major role in commissioning health services and will have a nationwide budget of billions of pounds at their disposal. They are tasked with developing Commissioning Plans and replacing the role of Primary Care Trusts.The CCG’s will have responsibility for commissioning or buying health and care services including non-specialist acute services, community services, and continuing healthcare, Mental Health and other important services.

The big move to privatisation is the requirement upon CCG’s to contract with any qualified provider’.

Influence over the CCG’s is therefore of paramount importance.

Meetings need to be convened to involve local people in campaigning to pressure their CCG’s to make changes to their constitutions.

Ivor Timson

Diary date: Saturday 10th November 2012- Birmingham- 1-15 pm 0nwards. Carr’s Lane- Church Centre, Birmingham UK. Who owns our NHS? Speakers and refreshments.

Eurozone Vision?

The European Central Bank president Mario Draghi described the current set-up of the eurozone as “unsustainable”.

There were rumours that Spain had already gone to the IMF, after the Spanish deputy prime minister went to meet the IMF’s managing director Christine Lagarde.

“My desire is to not come out and deny these rumours because they are senseless,” Spanish Economy Minister Luis de Guindos said on Spanish television.

Spain has taken Greece’s place as the epicentre of the eurozone crisis as concerns over the health of Spanish banks have shaken markets.

Bankia, Spain’s fourth largest bank, has asked for another 19bn euros (£15bn) recently from Madrid, but many questions as to whether Spain will be able to afford it.

Speaking to the European Parliament, Mr Draghi said: “Can the ECB fill the vacuum of lack of action by national governments on fiscal growth? Can the ECB fill the vacuum of the lack of action by national governments on the structural problem? These questions must be answered.

The next step is to clarify what is the vision for the Eurozone years from now. The sooner this is specified the better. But with no benchmark or alternative policies, surely no real vision is possible.

EU economics commissioner Olli Rehn said more austerity was needed if the eurozone was to avoid disintegration. Yes, more cuts and printing even more money. Will they ever learn!  We really must organise for even more effective action and resistance to all austerity which only patch up a crisis; caused by the banks and the corrupt systems they support. Ivor Timson MSc ( Econ)

Poor standards!

Poor Standards. France has lost its top AAA credit rating from Standard and Poor’s and eight other eurozone governments have also been downgraded by the ratings agency. But who are these people with a very discredited history? And now they seem to have the power to destroy millions of peoples lives, hopes and are accountable to no one. Again, they are pure speculators and merchants and are so desperately trying to save the failed capitalist system. So much for democracy!