Open letter to Lib Dem members from John Healey

Following today’s decision by the Liberal Democrats to push for a re-write of the Government’s NHS bill, Labour shadow health secretary, John Healey MP, writes an open letter to Lib Dem members exclusively on Left Foot Forward.

I attended your Party’s debate in Sheffield today on the government’s NHS reorganisation. It would have surprised some to see me at a LibDem Conference but I was made to feel welcome, and I welcome also the outcome of the vote that followed the debate.

Your conference showed its understanding that there is next to nothing of Lib Dem health policy in David Cameron’s huge top-down internal reorganisation of the NHS in England. The Prime Minister is trying to force this onto people, despite promising NOT to do so in the Coalition Agreement, and despite increasing concern and criticism from patients’ groups, professional bodies and NHS experts.

By voting how it did, your conference has recognised Mr Cameron’s plans for the NHS as Conservative policy.

Your Party’s policy priorities before the election were to ensure that local people have more control over their health services. The Tory-led government meanwhile, wants to place sweeping powers with a new national QUANGO – the National Commissioning Board – and a national economic regulator charged with promoting and enforcing competition to open up all parts of the NHS to private health companies.

Your Party’s principled concern before the election was to strengthen local and public accountability of health services. However, the Health and Social Care Bill seriously restricts openness, scrutiny and accountability both to the public and to Parliament. It will lead to an NHS in which “commercial in confidence” will be stamped on many of the most important decisions.

The Conservative ideology towards full market competition at the heart of this legislation directly conflicts with your Party’s long and proud commitment to the ethos of essential public services. Doctors warn the plans will be “the end of the NHS as we currently know it”.

The reorganisation, which the NHS chief executive himself has described as “enormous – beyond anything that anybody from the public or private sector has witnessed” is piling on extra unnecessary pressure on the health service. It comes at a time when patients and staff are already seeing waiting lists grow and services cutback. Led by the BMA, organisations speaking for NHS staff say the scale, speed and cost of the changes are “extremely risky and potentially disastrous”.

The outcome of today’s vote shows LibDems recognise all of these concerns. I saw for myself what your delegates think of David Cameron’s plans. The big test now is for your leader Nick Clegg. It will be up to him to persuade the Prime Minister to change course and make fundamental changes to the planned legislation and reorganisation. If Mr Clegg fails to do so, I hope you as an ordinary LibDem member will make common cause with everyone else who wants to defend and protect the NHS.

Yours

John Healey MP
Labour Shadow Health Secretary

http://twitter.com/clairee_french/status/46653924031209472 Claire French

RT @leftfootfwd: John Healey writes an open letter to Lib Dem members exclusively on @leftfootfwd http://bit.ly/hZPzTU
http://twitter.com/oranjd/status/46653990460600320 James Doran

RT @leftfootfwd: John Healey writes an open letter to Lib Dem members exclusively on @leftfootfwd http://bit.ly/hZPzTU
http://twitter.com/joshuwahwah/status/46654146157350912 Joshuwahwah

RT @leftfootfwd: John Healey writes an open letter to Lib Dem members exclusively on @leftfootfwd http://bit.ly/hZPzTU
http://twitter.com/parkeriana/status/46654184610742272 Ian Parker

RT @leftfootfwd: John Healey writes an open letter to Lib Dem members exclusively on @leftfootfwd http://bit.ly/hZPzTU
http://twitter.com/dis_ppl_protest/status/46654281243308032 DisabledPeople

RT @leftfootfwd: John Healey writes an open letter to Lib Dem members exclusively on @leftfootfwd http://bit.ly/hZPzTU
http://twitter.com/maisieredivivus/status/46654295310999552 M Redivivus

RT @leftfootfwd: John Healey writes an open letter to Lib Dem members exclusively on @leftfootfwd http://bit.ly/hZPzTU
http://twitter.com/alexmckerrow/status/46654336339677184 AJM

RT @leftfootfwd: John Healey writes an open letter to Lib Dem members exclusively on @leftfootfwd http://bit.ly/hZPzTU
http://twitter.com/wn_hub/status/46654391704494080 WNH

RT @leftfootfwd: John Healey writes an open letter to Lib Dem members exclusively on @leftfootfwd http://bit.ly/hZPzTU
http://twitter.com/debsalini/status/46654885038534656 Deborah Segalini

RT @leftfootfwd: John Healey writes an open letter to Lib Dem members exclusively on @leftfootfwd http://bit.ly/hZPzTU
http://twitter.com/matthewsdent/status/46654989938081793 Matthew S. Dent

RT @leftfootfwd: John Healey writes an open letter to Lib Dem members exclusively on @leftfootfwd http://bit.ly/hZPzTU
http://twitter.com/kerrymp/status/46655809228259328 Kerry McCarthy

RT @leftfootfwd: John Healey writes an open letter to Lib Dem members exclusively on @leftfootfwd http://bit.ly/hZPzTU
http://twitter.com/jokbristol/status/46656059573678080 Joanne Kaye

RT @leftfootfwd: Open letter to Lib Dem members from John Healey http://bit.ly/hZHIHZ
http://twitter.com/tlittleford/status/46656111834697728 Tom Littleford

RT @leftfootfwd: John Healey writes an open letter to Lib Dem members exclusively on @leftfootfwd http://bit.ly/hZPzTU
http://twitter.com/leechalmers/status/46657472504668160 Lee Chalmers

RT @leftfootfwd: John Healey writes an open letter to Lib Dem members exclusively on @leftfootfwd http://bit.ly/hZPzTU
http://twitter.com/abilitv/status/46657548513837056 AbiliTV

RT @leftfootfwd: John Healey writes an open letter to Lib Dem members exclusively on @leftfootfwd http://bit.ly/hZPzTU
http://twitter.com/janedaisypain/status/46660276916994048 Jane Phillips

RT @leftfootfwd: John Healey writes an open letter to Lib Dem members exclusively on @leftfootfwd http://bit.ly/hZPzTU
http://twitter.com/smudgesmith/status/46660630144499712 Dick Smith

RT @leftfootfwd: John Healey writes an open letter to Lib Dem members exclusively on @leftfootfwd http://bit.ly/hZPzTU
http://twitter.com/cheadlelabour/status/46661516023435264 Cheadle Labour

RT @leftfootfwd: Open letter to Lib Dem members from John Healey http://bit.ly/hZHIHZ
http://twitter.com/alexchalmers5/status/46661634319593472 Alex Chalmers

RT @leftfootfwd: John Healey writes an open letter to Lib Dem members exclusively on @leftfootfwd http://bit.ly/hZPzTU
http://twitter.com/sheffieldcityuk/status/46664246154641409 The Steel City

Open letter to Lib Dem members from John Healey: I attended your Party's debate in Sheffield today on the govern… http://bit.ly/e1hbit
http://twitter.com/alexsobel/status/46665491967778817 alexsobel

RT @leftfootfwd: John Healey writes an open letter to Lib Dem members exclusively on @leftfootfwd http://bit.ly/hZPzTU
http://twitter.com/leicesterliz/status/46675234845233152 Liz Kendall

RT @leftfootfwd John Healey writes open letter to LibDems http://bit.ly/hZPzTU < hats off to Healey's hutzpah attending LibDem conference >
http://twitter.com/labourtim/status/46676036888444928 Tim

RT @leftfootfwd: Open letter to Lib Dem members from John Healey http://bit.ly/hZHIHZ
http://twitter.com/slintottuk/status/46676950051336192 Stephen Lintott

http://www.leftfootforward.org/2011/03/open-letter-to-lib-dem-members-from-john-healey/
http://twitter.com/sianelendavies/status/46678134073999360 Sian Davies

RT @leicesterliz John Healey writes open letter to LibDems http://bit.ly/hZPzTU < hats off to Healey's hutzpah attending LibDem conference
http://twitter.com/sianelendavies/status/46678694705631232 Sian Davies

RT @leftfootfwd John Healey writes an open letter to Lib Dem members exclusively on @leftfootfwd http://bit.ly/hZPzTU
http://twitter.com/coalitionfail/status/46678798195900420 Coalition Failure

RT @leftfootfwd: John Healey writes an open letter to Lib Dem members exclusively on @leftfootfwd http://bit.ly/hZPzTU
http://twitter.com/vriyait/status/46680961819222016 Vijay Singh Riyait

RT @leicesterliz: RT @leftfootfwd John Healey writes open letter to LibDems http://bit.ly/hZPzTU < hats off to Healey's hutzpah atten …
http://twitter.com/trakgalvis/status/46683800113123328 Trakgalvis

RT @leftfootfwd: John Healey writes an open letter to Lib Dem members exclusively on @leftfootfwd http://bit.ly/hZPzTU
http://twitter.com/manatrue/status/46684219392536576 bee hive

RT @trakgalvis: RT @leftfootfwd: John Healey writes an open letter to Lib Dem members exclusively on @leftfootfwd http://bit.ly/hZPzTU
http://twitter.com/twttimestop/status/46769381446918144 Tweeted Times Top

Open letter to Lib Dem members from J…: http://bit.ly/godonu most discussed on @guardiannews/members-of-parliament (http://bit.ly/hQfwov)
http://twitter.com/drkmj/status/46812120498704384 DrKMJ

RT @leftfootfwd: John Healey writes an open letter to Lib Dem members exclusively on @leftfootfwd http://bit.ly/hZPzTU
http://twitter.com/personagratia/status/46861476098609152 Sue Ackroyd

Open letter to Lib Dem members from John Healey http://bit.ly/hZHIHZ It will be up to.. Nick Clegg..to persuade the PM to change course
http://twitter.com/jacquilofthouse/status/46863994308395008 jacquilofthouse

RT @leechalmers: RT @leftfootfwd: John Healey writes an open letter to Lib Dem members http://bit.ly/hZPzTU
http://twitter.com/pigreen/status/46908837604765696 pigreen

RT @leftfootfwd: John Healey writes an open letter to Lib Dem members exclusively on @leftfootfwd http://bit.ly/hZPzTU
http://twitter.com/hens4freedom/status/46917803118297088 Hens4Freedom

RT @leftfootfwd: John Healey writes an open letter to Lib Dem members exclusively on @leftfootfwd http://bit.ly/hZPzTU
http://twitter.com/krtaylor/status/47260582889529344 Kerry Taylor

RT @leftfootfwd: Open letter to Lib Dem members from John Healey http://bit.ly/hZHIHZ
Mr. Sensible

It seems to me clear that the government’s NHS reform agenda is in a total mess.
http://twitter.com/bevaniteellie/status/47338981343506432 Ellie Gellard

RT @Paul0Evans1: John Healey MP with an impressive move on the health row with the Lib-Dems http://bit.ly/gITjxf
http://twitter.com/1_little_cloud/status/47344216287870976 1_little_cloud

RT @BevaniteEllie: RT @Paul0Evans1: John Healey MP with an impressive move on the health row with the Lib-Dems http://bit.ly/gITjxf
http://twitter.com/gpl41/status/47358564129452032 GordonL

RT @BevaniteEllie: RT @Paul0Evans1: John Healey MP with an impressive move on the health row with the Lib-Dems http://bit.ly/gITjxf
http://leftlibthistime.blogspot.com/ Geoffrey Payne

In the normal course of events I understand it makes sense to refer to the “Tory led” government. But if you really want to be friendly towards the Lib Dems I recommend you use the word Coalition instead.
The lesson from this is that although the Lib Dem Parliamentary leadership might appear to be right wing, and many Lib Dem bloggers as well, but at grassroots level of the Liberal Democrats there is an instinctive opposition to Tory policies.
It is possible for left of centre pressure groups including trade unions to make alliances with the Lib Dem left, and because the party is democratic the leadership does not easily control what gets debated and passed at Lib Dem conference.
However demonstrations against the “Con-Dems” will provoke an unsympathetic response in return.