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Public Services for All > Published by Shamik Das, February 21st 2012 at 12:01 am

Tory support down as Cameron gets an “earful” from ‘yes men’ health summit

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The political cost of the health and social care bill to the Conservatives grew today with a new poll revealing a four-point drop in support in the past month.

The news heaps further pressure on David Cameron and his embattled health secretary, who was yesterday jostled and shouted down on Whitehall on his way to the prime minister’s well-choreographed summit of believers – which turned out to be anything but the glad-handing gathering of ‘yes men’ critics had feared.

Andrew-Lansley-June-Hautot-Whitehall-NHS-protests-20-02-12
As today’s Times reports (£):

The idea was for David Cameron to emerge from low-key talks in Downing Street and proclaim the backing of medical chiefs for the government’s NHS reforms. It didn’t happen quite like that.

Inside, the prime minister received an “earful” from the health professionals. Outside, Andrew Lansley was harangued at length by a pensioner as he tried to push through protestors.

On a bruising day of PR disasters, the image of the health secretary being accused of talking “codswallop” as he arrived in Downing Street is likely to stick…

The encounters left Mr Cameron admitting that he had failed to make the case for the reforms and would spend the coming weeks trying to reassure a sceptical public that he was not about to privatise the NHS.

Adding:

The Downing Street aim was to counter the idea that the medical professions were against the changes en masse, and to build a sense of inevitability about the reforms, which are still going through the Lords. However, those present raised a series of concerns about the bill. Jeremy Taylor, head of the health charity coalition National Voices, said there was “lots of patient group unease” over the bill.

Mr Taylor told The Times that “the PM got a bit of an earful of all the things people have been saying over the past few months” and if he had expected strong support from the meeting he would have been disappointed.

“There were some tense moments,” he said, but the hour-long meeting was “reasonably good natured”. He added that the prime minister had led the discussions with a good grasp of policy detail. “Andrew Lansley was sitting next to him and didn’t say very much – and wasn’t invited to say very much.”

To add to the Tories’ woes, the latest Guardian/ICM poll puts them down four points on 36 per cent, with Labour up two to 37 per cent. Cameron’s coalition partners have also suffered a drop in support, the Lib Dems down two points to 14 per cent.

However, just as Left Foot Forward revealed yesterday, it is on health that trust in the Conservatives takes the biggest hit.

The Guardian reports:

There are signs that the Conservatives’ failure to persuade the public about its NHS reforms could contribute to a “retoxification” of the Tory brand.

Cameron – who once said his priorities could be summed up in the three letters “NHS” – initially invested a great deal of effort in overcoming the Conservatives’ historic difficulties on the terrain of health.

One year into his leadership, ICM found he had made progress – in October 2006 only 31% said they did not trust the Tories at all to run the health service, as against 32% who said the same of Labour. In the latest poll, however, 40% of respondents said they did not trust the Conservatives at all, against 25% who say the same about Labour [see Chart 1].

Only a minority of voters trust either of the main parties “a lot” on the health service – 23% for Labour, and a mere 13% for the Conservatives. Labour is trusted “a little” by 46% of respondents, while 42% say the same of the Conservatives.

Chart 1:

How-much-do-you-trust-the-parties-on-the-NHS-Guardian-ICM-21-02-12
No matter how unpopular the reforms, no matter how many professional organisations and ordinary people line up to oppose them, David Cameron seems intent to plough on – whatever the cost to the health service and even his own party.

See also:

• Tory voters trust BMA and co. over Cameron and Lansley on the NHS – Neil Foster, February 20th 2012

• Look Left – The fight for the soul of the NHS goes on – Shamik Das, February 17th 2012

• Sign my petition to drop Lansley’s monster – Dr Kailash Chand OBE, November 24th 2011

• Safe in Cameron’s hands? Waiting times for treatments, tests, and A&E all up – Shamik Das, September 4th 2011

• Despite the policy changes, public still don’t trust Cameron on the NHS – Shamik Das, June 14th 2011

• The truth behind the coalition’s NHS proposals – Jos Bell, January 25th 2011

• Experts, doctors and commentators turn on health reforms – Will Straw, January 18th 2011

  • http://twitter.com/unisonournhs/status/171860319294070784 UNISON Health

    Tory support down as Cameron gets an “earful” from ‘yes men’ health summit | Left Foot Forward http://t.co/LeUuZBdi

  • http://twitter.com/mickeyfree53/status/171861338237308929 neil lambert

    Tory support down as Cameron gets an “earful” from ‘yes men’ health summit | Left Foot Forward http://t.co/LeUuZBdi

  • http://twitter.com/jimothybull/status/171864168608169984 James Bull

    Tory support down as Cameron gets an “earful” from ‘yes men’ health summit | Left Foot Forward http://t.co/LeUuZBdi

  • http://twitter.com/hangrypea/status/171867416371007488 Hangry Pea

    Tory support down as Cameron gets an “earful” from ‘yes men’ health summit: http://t.co/9botCTSp by @ShamikDas #SaveTheNHS #DropTheBill

  • http://twitter.com/salardeen/status/171867636370636801 salardeen

    Tory support down as Cameron gets an “earful” from ‘yes men’ health summit: http://t.co/9botCTSp by @ShamikDas #SaveTheNHS #DropTheBill

  • http://twitter.com/kevkhayat/status/171867904126627840 Kevin Khayat

    Tory support down as Cameron gets an “earful” from ‘yes men’ health summit: http://t.co/9botCTSp by @ShamikDas #SaveTheNHS #DropTheBill

  • http://twitter.com/cllrjamesdawson/status/171868125942386688 James Dawson

    Tory support down as Cameron gets an “earful” from ‘yes men’ health summit: http://t.co/9botCTSp by @ShamikDas #SaveTheNHS #DropTheBill

  • http://twitter.com/judgemenot69/status/171868841855549440 Neil Courtman

    Tory support down as Cameron gets an “earful” from ‘yes men’ health summit: http://t.co/9botCTSp by @ShamikDas #SaveTheNHS #DropTheBill

  • http://twitter.com/jamesgill13/status/171869517696352256 James Gill

    Tory support down as Cameron gets an “earful” from ‘yes men’ health summit: http://t.co/9botCTSp by @ShamikDas #SaveTheNHS #DropTheBill

  • http://twitter.com/joegammie/status/171870190815023104 Joe Gammie

    Tory support down as Cameron gets an “earful” from ‘yes men’ health summit: http://t.co/04af8Nbn by @shamikdas #SaveTheNHS via @leftfootfwd

  • http://twitter.com/joegammie/status/171870190815023104 Joe Gammie

    Tory support down as Cameron gets an “earful” from ‘yes men’ health summit: http://t.co/04af8Nbn by @shamikdas #SaveTheNHS via @leftfootfwd

  • http://twitter.com/alan_199/status/171871981371797505 Alan199

    Tory support down as Cameron gets an “earful” from ‘yes men’ health summit: http://t.co/9botCTSp by @ShamikDas #SaveTheNHS #DropTheBill

  • http://twitter.com/alan_199/status/171871981371797505 Alan199

    Tory support down as Cameron gets an “earful” from ‘yes men’ health summit: http://t.co/9botCTSp by @ShamikDas #SaveTheNHS #DropTheBill

  • http://twitter.com/therightarticle/status/171873167931998208 Michael

    Tory support down as Cameron gets an “earful” from ‘yes men’ health summit I Shamik Das – http://t.co/qMDTu3GK

  • http://twitter.com/tess1959/status/171874426294509568 Teresa

    How can PM plough on? RT @leftfootfwd: Tory support down as Cameron gets an “earful” from ‘yes men’ health summit http://t.co/8dUekQe7

  • http://twitter.com/jamiejones77/status/171876127785226240 JamieJones77

    Tory support down as Cameron gets an “earful” from ‘yes men’ health summit: http://t.co/9botCTSp by @ShamikDas #SaveTheNHS #DropTheBill

  • http://twitter.com/woolfiesmith/status/171877973031526400 Citizen K

    Tory support down as Cameron gets an “earful” from ‘yes men’ health summit I Shamik Das – http://t.co/qMDTu3GK

  • http://twitter.com/britishroses1/status/171881105799118848 BevR

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  • http://twitter.com/cameronsfollys/status/171881699477700609 cameronsfollys

    Morng! #Tory support down as #Cameron gets an “earful” from ‘yes men’ Health Summit http://t.co/AvD9PJZX #NHS #Reforms http://t.co/bfPA4N9C

  • http://twitter.com/chrisplol/status/171882249132843008 Chris Paul

    Tory support down as Cameron gets an “earful” from ‘yes men’ health summit: http://t.co/jSiJjuzB by @ShamikDas #SaveTheNHS #DropTheBill

  • Selohesra

    That silly old woman didn’t do much for the anti-change cause – she just came across as rude, ignorant and pig headed – if you are going to debate its much better to at least pretend to listen to responses and adjust accordingly rather than persist in a preprepared high decibel rant.

  • http://twitter.com/jintyg51/status/171887054869893120 Janet Graham

    Tory support down as Cameron gets an “earful” from ‘yes men’ health summit: http://t.co/jSiJjuzB by @ShamikDas #SaveTheNHS #DropTheBill

  • http://twitter.com/debbiegeorge65/status/171888115357712384 Deborah George

    RT @leftfootfwd: Tory support down as Cameron gets an “earful” from ‘yes men’ health summit http://t.co/UGHQAHJR

  • http://twitter.com/yrotitna/status/171888178981113856 Yrotitna

    Tory support down as Cameron gets an “earful” from ‘yes men’ health summit: http://t.co/9botCTSp by @ShamikDas #SaveTheNHS #DropTheBill

  • http://twitter.com/julian_wells/status/171889770140672003 Julian

    Tory support down as Cameron gets an “earful” from ‘yes men’ health summit http://t.co/hjAatdVf #wrb #spartacusreport #democracy #liberty

  • Anonymous

    Forget your rational debate, Selohesra, there’s nothing the public enjoys more than a granny telling a politician to their face that they’re a liar, because that’s what so many of us think anyway.

  • http://twitter.com/nhsspy/status/171895684415500288 Watching You

    From later last night: Tory support down as Cameron gets an “earful” from ‘yes men’ health summit: http://t.co/9botCTSp by @shamikdas

  • http://twitter.com/adamdkharrison/status/171895924635873280 Adam Harrison

    RT @leftfootfwd: From later last night: Tory support down as Cameron gets earful from yes men health summit: http://t.co/BgsGxRXV @shamikdas

  • http://twitter.com/durhamcub/status/171896832019013632 Martin Steel

    From later last night: Tory support down as Cameron gets an “earful” from ‘yes men’ health summit: http://t.co/9botCTSp by @shamikdas

  • http://twitter.com/martinb216/status/171897415576719360 martinb216

    From later last night: Tory support down as Cameron gets an “earful” from ‘yes men’ health summit: http://t.co/9botCTSp by @shamikdas

  • http://twitter.com/greenmavis/status/171913550598643712 Mavis Green

    From later last night: Tory support down as Cameron gets an “earful” from ‘yes men’ health summit: http://t.co/9botCTSp by @shamikdas

  • http://twitter.com/powerbase/status/171917107502657536 Powerbase

    Tory support down as Cameron gets an “earful” from ‘yes men’ health summit | Left Foot Forward http://t.co/rcRYgk8I

  • http://twitter.com/spinwatch/status/171917110975541248 Spinwatch

    Tory support down as Cameron gets an “earful” from ‘yes men’ health summit | Left Foot Forward http://t.co/MaSd41V3

  • http://twitter.com/thebuilderone/status/171934748812390401 Jim Black

    Tory support down as Cameron gets an “earful” from 'yes men …: The political cost of the health and social car… http://t.co/JCZfrwuZ

  • http://twitter.com/pinkichiban/status/171945327232942080 Emma

    Tory support down as Cameron gets an “earful” from ‘yes men’ health summit | Left Foot Forward http://t.co/LeUuZBdi

  • http://twitter.com/Newsbot9 Newsbot9

    So, she was far better than your typical post then.

  • http://www.leftfootforward.org/2012/03/andrew-lansley-health-and-social-care-bill-public-health/ The damage to public health of Lansley’s bill shouldn’t be ignored | Left Foot Forward

    [...] Tory support down as Cameron gets an “earful” from ‘yes men’ health summit – Shamik Das, February 21st [...]