Has Cameron declared war on the BMA?

At Prime Minister’s Questions today, David Cameron complained of “roadblocks” to reform of the NHS, but at first did not refer directly to the British Medical Association; the doctors’ representative body, who called yesterday for the NHS bill to be dumped.

David-Cameron-NHS Then, in his answer to Ed Miliband’s final question, he said:

“He should remember the fact that the BMA opposed foundation hospitals, they opposed GP fundholding, they opposed longer opening hours for GPs’ surgeries.

“Isn’t it typical, just as he has to back every other trade union, just as he has no ideas of his own, he comes here and just reads a BMA press release.”

It’s all a far cry from speeches in the early days of Cameron’s leadership, where he tried to reassure public service workers as to the intentions of a Tory government.

He said:

“I believe that the more you trust people, the stronger they and society become. In the NHS, that means trusting in the expertise and experience of health professionals.”

Considering more than 90 per cent of the British public trust doctors, while barely more than one in ten trust politicians, is the prime minister picking the right enemies?

http://twitter.com/pjakma/status/48007698700185600 Paul Jakma

RT @leftfootfwd: Has Cameron declared war on the BMA? http://bit.ly/gZ54Ez – #PMQs report by @DanielElton
http://twitter.com/natandoron/status/48008272782966784 Natan Doron

@DanielElton Very quick and point well made. @BevaniteEllie also tweeted concern about this http://bit.ly/gZ54Ez
http://twitter.com/danweekes/status/48009421565071360 Daniel Weekes

RT @leftfootfwd: Has Cameron declared war on the BMA? http://bit.ly/gZ54Ez – #PMQs report by @DanielElton
http://twitter.com/technomad00/status/48010307012001792 …

RT @leftfootfwd: Has Cameron declared war on the BMA? http://bit.ly/gZ54Ez – #PMQs report by @DanielElton
http://twitter.com/paulmgleeson/status/48011045209513984 Paul Gleeson

Has Cameron declared war on the BMA? | Left Foot Forward: http://bit.ly/ftkj0O via @addthis
P Spence

“….every other trade union”. Oh dear. Cameron is letting the mask slip. The NHS White Paper may prove to be the Coalition’s undoing. The smokescreen of patient empowerment and devolving decisions to GPs is blowing fast away to reveal the true nature of the plan: to expose the NHS to the full force of competition, policed by Monitor and locked in by EU competition law. The consequences are unthinkable and certainly destructive.
http://twitter.com/westmonsterblog/status/48012130548596737 WestMonster

RT @leftfootfwd: Has Cameron declared war on the BMA? http://bit.ly/gZ54Ez – #PMQs report by @DanielElton
http://twitter.com/myinfamy/status/48041189773033472 Daniel Pitt

Has Cameron declared war on the BMA? http://bit.ly/gZ54Ez #ConDemNation
Neil Foster

For more info on doctor’s opinions and trust levels through MORI, see the article below.

http://liberalconspiracy.org/2011/03/09/do-conservatives-really-think-they-can-take-on-doctors-and-win/
http://twitter.com/thedeadduck/status/48047843537203200 Molly

RT @leftfootfwd: Has Cameron declared war on the BMA? http://bit.ly/gZ54Ez – #PMQs report by @DanielElton
http://twitter.com/f8vnz/status/48066717468987392 Philip Painter

Cameron declares war on… the doctors? http://s.coop/usw
Alan W

Was glad to see Miliband raising the EU competition law issue today in PMQs. This is an aspect of the NHS proposals Labour should really be making a big deal about for two main reasons.

First, because it’s the key issue that exposes the Bill as a Trojan horse for the wholesale privatisation of the NHS. Once EU competition law takes hold over health, they’ll be no getting rid of it, and the NHS will be left totally exposed to profiteering by Lansley’s private health industry chums.

Second, because it has the potential to seriously piss off the Europhobic Tory right. Perhaps Miliband should even adopt some Daily Mail style xenophobic sloganising about selling out our health service to Brussels. That would leave a whole host of Tory backbenchers absolutely bloody seething.
http://twitter.com/musicmp/status/48103999089553408 M McLaughlin

RT @f8vnz: Cameron declares war on… the doctors? http://s.coop/usw
http://twitter.com/itsmotherswork/status/48117000987357184 itsmotherswork

RT @f8vnz: Cameron declares war on… the doctors? http://s.coop/usw
Mr. Sensible

If Cameron’s that keen to listen to doctors and patients he should get rid of this bill.

Doctors don’t like it, nurses don’t like it, the public don’t like it, and I think we got an idea earlier as to who does.
http://twitter.com/norbet/status/48317240063438849 norbet

RT @leftfootfwd: Has Cameron declared war on the BMA? http://bit.ly/i4wl1j
http://twitter.com/blogsoftheworld/status/48708151574409216 blogs of the world

At Prime Minister's Questions today, David Cameron complained of roadblocks to reform of t… http://reduce.li/230d3s #declared
http://www.leftfootforward.org/2011/03/look-left-18-03-11/ Look Left – World finally decides to take action against Gaddafi | Left Foot Forward

[...] main domestic story, and the focus of this week’s PMQs, is the future of the NHS – with growing concern at Andrew [...]
http://38degrees disgusted

tell andrew landsley to take off his schoolboy’s hat and short trousers and grow up,and that goes for nick clegg too.
http://www.leftfootforward.org/2011/04/andrew-lansley-in-denial-over-opposition-to-health-reforms/ Lansley in denial over level of opposition to reforms | Left Foot Forward

[...] course if all else fails David Cameron could simply call all these groups “roadblocks” to reform; but how long can they keep up this defence, and the pretence that professional [...]