Brits defend National Health Service against US conservative lies

by dunkelberg | August 14, 2009 at 06:29 pm

564 views | 66 Recommendations | 21 comments

FAT, stupid Americans with no health insurance have attacked plans to stop them dying so easily.

That's just one of many salvos being fired at U.S. conservatives who have been taking liberties with the truth about the United Kingdom's national health service.

Bill McKay, a retired sh[redacted]kicker and Fox News analyst, from Kentucky, said: "I would rather replace my own hip using a rusty spoon than wait two months to have it done in a communist hospital, by some coffee-coloured faggot doctor who will then eat my unborn child to celebrate the end of Ramadan.

While the Daily Mash takes a humorous bent, many of the thousands of Twitter users tweeted their love and respect for the service, and some took some shots as well. The Twitter #welovethenhs movement snowballed and was at the top of the boards for days.

Exceptional staff & care for my now healthy 7 yr old son! 3 complex heart ops at £0 - same in US over $400,000. Thanx NHS
Clearly Sarah Palin and Newt Gingrich never got the mental health care they so sorely needed :
The greatest gift any government has given its people!
If Sarah Palin lived in UK she wld have her foot removed from her mouth 4 free
I'm loving the #welovetheNHS tweeting. Been hoping for backlash against the blatant lies about it for months.
Surely cervical and HIV screening must be available to ALL patients in the US?
UK Prime Minister: NHS often makes difference between pain & comfort, despair & hope, life & death. Thx4always being there
only really rich people in the UK would argue against the NHS. Ordinary working people couldn't afford the alternative.
"if Stephen Hawking were british he'd be dead". He's British, and alive. American rightwingers are comedy gold
NHS diagnosed and treated J's mum's breast cancer quickly, effectively and successfully. For free.

The movement quickly moved to Facebook and was picked up in the United States.
While there is opposition to the NHS in Britain, some of the people being used as examples say they are none to happy to be singled out.

Britain’s Channel 4 News reported on Friday that two British women featured in the ad by Conservatives for Patients’ Rights said that they support the NHS despite its problems and were duped into sharing their personal tragedies by producers who said they were being interviewed for a documentary, not an attack ad.

Perhaps one of more moving reactions to the conservatives' attack came in a posting to the New York TImes blog piece.

I’m British resident in London. I don’t object to rational criticism of the NHS. It’s a national passtime here. I’m actually glad I also have private health cover as a back up. However, when I was laid off last year, I lost my old private insurance provided by old employer. My current employer uses a different company and wouldn’t cover my pre-existing condition. Now that’s disappointing but, thanks to the NHS, it is a minor incovenience rather than anything else.

What I vehemently DO object to is Republicans implying that British society, which is sending troops to fight and die in Afghanistan with your own is so sick as to countenance state sponsored euthanasia of the elderly and disabled. They are essentially comparing us to Nazi Germany. It is a national libel. Critisisms of waiting lists and the British model are fine. Scaremongering untruths making us out to be so heartless as to murder our own disabled and elderly is not.

— Martin Pratt

We end as we began with the Daily Mash.

Stephen Malley, professor of American History at Reading University, added: "To be fair to Fox News and the Republicans, they do have a principled objection to socialised medicine based largely on the fact that a black man won the election.

"The thing you must always remember about the American right wing is that they are basically the baddies in a film."

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Paschen

at 18:58 on August 14th, 2009

Thank you for the post on the Health care Lies by the Conservative.

Roy C

at 20:46 on August 14th, 2009

Beside being insulting of an entire nationality, this article above should be labeled opinion.

Paschen

at 21:51 on August 14th, 2009

Roy, it is based on facts and news. It is not an opinion post nor an editorial. Follow the links given in this post and read for your self the news coverage.

Roy C

at 19:06 on August 14th, 2009

It is so good that I am convinced! About face and forward march!

Are we allowed to want a plan different than the Obama plan? Why is the Obama plan the only plan we are "allowed" by ethnocentric knee-jerkers in other countries to even consider?

We are not fat because we are unhealthy, but rather unhealthy because we are fat. And the Brits are now the second fattest of the industrialized nations.

rng

at 19:55 on August 14th, 2009

Why is the Obama plan the only plan we are "allowed" by ethnocentric knee-jerkers in other countries to even consider?

Present an alternative - no Republican Administration ever does. It goes on the back burner until Dems come back and try and do the hard yards again. That is why the Republicans are not a viable option - they have no policy just a rejection of anything presented. You represent a Republican ideologue view of the world, despite talking yourself as a centrist. if you have a health plan other than the shocker system we have, please step forward, the floor is yours.

No..nothing...the sounds of silence...LOL

Roy C

at 20:05 on August 14th, 2009

I have presented an alternative. Do I have to find you the link?

Tort reform. Medicare fraud reform. Medicare legal restriction reform. Preventive medicine a la the wellness programs of Blue Cross/Shield and the Safeway Plan. Empower nurse practicioners. Use alternative medicine. Negotiate drug prices same as Canada and Europe, not the Obama plan which is just like Bush's and way too generous to the pharmaceutical companies.

I will present a whole story about generic medicine tomorrow.

rng

at 05:45 on August 15th, 2009

Good, because above you have a few random thoughts that do little to address the real problems of service delivery costs, accessibility or intervention inefficiencies. When the Republican right offer up some ideas on this believe me you will have people listen ntil then it is just more crickets from you guys over there. Off for a bike ride and a swim - back later

Roy C

at 07:06 on August 15th, 2009

That means that you don't understand in the least what tort reform is or what is going on with generic drugs. You are up on insults, though.

I am not a republican. I offer my plan, and I am not alone on this.

rng

at 07:51 on August 15th, 2009

Please don't think you somehow have any unique insight. I do understand this and some other issues too. Unless you address the insurance system, payment mechanisms, delivery systems and unnecessary interventions the rest is just tinkering. It is a system design issue and an inefficient delivery system - torts and pharma are just not the heart of the problem, but do contribute.

Please go to BBC today (here is the link again) and then understand what is wrong with the system...it is far more existential that just torts and pharma. If you don't consider yourself a Republican, then you go with that. Roy you are not going to get anywhere trying to threaten intimidate me as you have tried with other posters - that dog won't hunt.

I have served you with facts not musings nor insults - please respond in like

generaldecay

at 08:21 on August 15th, 2009

Please observe the Code of Conduct, both of you. This discussion is bordering on personal attacking. Please focus on the topic and keep away from the personal. Thank you.

rng

at 08:57 on August 15th, 2009

I do apologize if I overstepped the mark. I just don't appreciate someone keep trying to intimidate me, as he consistently does to others with no apparent censure from the editorial team. I will in futurehowever refrain from treating his comments with like.

Roy C

at 20:13 on August 14th, 2009

And, Big Pharma is not being addressed properly by Obama. That is the first link. And the second one is below. Not a complete list, mind you, but a good jumping off point.

We need real reform which Obama does not propose. Repeat: we do need reform, REAL REFORM, not the plan that Obama proposes.

We need TORT REFORM.

We need REFORM ON PRESCRIPTION DRUGS.

We need to base the plan on PREVENTION, NOT TREATMENT.

We need to EMPOWER NURSE PRACTICIONERS.

We need to drastically improve our DIETS AND STOP ABUSING OURSELVES.

We need to END MEDICARE FRAUD AND END THE MASSIVE SUBSIDIES THAT US CONGRESSMAN AND POLITICIANS OF BOTH PARTIES WRITE INTO LAW THAT PREVENT COST-CUTTING MEASURES SUCH AS COMPETITIVE BIDDING.

The UK is only about as big as a couple of our East Coast states. I don't want a massive bureaucracy that would extend from "London" to "Moscow".

Do you get it?

You Brits don't even want Brussels, just a stone's throw from London by rail, to tell you what to do.

I don't want Washington to tall me what to do.

Washington State, where I live, has a plan. I support that plan.

Your Europeans always accuse us of being ignorant of Europe and what you have. You blind supporters of Obama's so-called plan are the one who don't know anything about the details of the plan, nor even how to compare Obama's plan with what you have.

You simply knee-jerk it all the way through.

And San Francisco, for you American critics, already has a plan. Being that California is really the 8th greatest economic power on Earth, why, oh, why should Washington be involved at all?

There is no need to be involved, and there is need to not be involved.

Roy C

at 20:16 on August 14th, 2009

Would you like some memory enhancer suggestions? They will improve recall.

Start with three grams of choline a day, and throw in some lithium, some acetyl-l-carnitine arginate and some uridine and some DMAE.

rng

at 07:03 on August 15th, 2009

Any meds you are on, I wouldn't take as a matter of course. I don't need that level of suppressed rage in my life, thanks

Also try addressing some facts rather than ephemeral musings about your precious little sacred cow and please don't just serve us the usual republican-fundamentalist GOP nonsense

If you really want to confront the painful reality of US health just review these benchmarks http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8201711.stm and then come back and tell us how truly wondrous this system you and yours would preserve so that the workers can break their backs to fund it.

Roy C

at 07:07 on August 15th, 2009

Ha. lol. It is nice to wake up to a good laugh. Thanks.

dunkelberg

at 23:22 on August 14th, 2009

[bell rings]

NICHOLAS PARSONS - Lee Dunkelberg

LEE DUNKELBERG - Repetition and deviation.

NICHOLAS PARSONS - Quite right! You have 15 seconds and the topic is "

Brits defend National Health Service against US conservative lies"
"Just a Minute"

The_Cynic

at 22:28 on August 14th, 2009

the Brits are now the second fattest of the industrialized nations.

Because, unfortunately, "Brits" still see a great acquaintance with the USA. But, as has happened before - idiots whisk in the mix.

j2B (not verified)

at 01:01 on August 15th, 2009

dunkelberg, good to see you around! "Big Boy" are you gearing up for the health reform campaign?

J2B (not verified)

at 01:06 on August 15th, 2009

David Cameron today insisted that the Conservative party stood "full square behind the NHS" as he sought to distance his party from comments made by a Tory MEP who rubbished the British health service in a series of American interviews.

The Conservative leader branded Daniel Hannan's views on the NHS "eccentric" and insisted he did not agree with them.

Cameron said today: "I don't agree with Daniel Hannan. The Conservative party stands full square behind the NHS ... We back it, we are going to expand it, we have ring-fenced it and said that it will get more money under a Conservative government, and it is our No 1 mission to improve it.

"As I said at the party conference, you can sum up our priorities in three letters: N. H. S. That is as true today as it was then."

Asked about Hannan's remarks, Cameron replied: "He does have some quite eccentric views about some things, and political parties always include some people who don't toe the party line on one issue or another issue. But no one should be in any doubt: the NHS is our No1 priority ... It is one of our greatest national institutions and we want to expand it and improve it."

Babel-Fish

at 01:30 on August 15th, 2009

Obama has of course sold him self out, changed paths and plans what with a cut and paste health reform and the pandemic fiasco. Its easy now to see who is pulling the strings, but his path is one of glass now of not really bringing in social reform in health care. The more lies and propaganda related to Public paid systems add sugar to a very sour apple.

Personal Medical Insurance being thw winner of the day and high medical fee's will erode away any value of what was patched up.

Ronald Paraman (not verified)

at 01:58 on August 15th, 2009

I really must join this one. I watched a lot of this discussion by Americans on BBC the other day, ubeleivable how ignorant they are, One so called American politition pontificating about Dr, Stephen Hawking "If he were british he would be dead by now" well he is British and is kept alive by the NHS. Another American "The NHS is hopeless, Have you seen British teeth?" The dental care in the UK is, it is rarely funded by the NHS. It is mostly privatly funded and NHS dentists are rare and hard to find. The reason. years ago dentists were paid by the work they did on patients, many dentists did a lot of unnecessary work, fillings that didn't exist etc. When I was 11, over 50 years ago, my own dentist was struck off for fiddling the NHS, claiming for work that was never done. Most dentists broke away from the NHS in protest at the poor pay they were recieving and went private. I have had private dental care in the UK for many years and it is excellent, and relatively inexpensive.

As to tory politicians making comments about it being no good, what do they know? most of them are so out of touch with the real world they are not worth listening to.

Now the reason the NHS is in trouble, I'll list them. Too many managers and not enough doctors, too many people getting free treatment who have never paid a penny in taxation toward it's upkeep. This includes Americans who at one time found it was cheaper to get a flight to Britain and have a baby on the NHS than to have it in America. It also includes something we call "health tourists" who arrive here from many countries in order to get free treatment. We also have women getting very expensive in vitro fetilisation treatment free and plastic surgery free.

The NHS is excellent, I worked in engineering all my life till struck down by something nasty and incurable, the NHS has looked after me for the last 20 years wonderfully well. I get free medication, (I take about 12 different sorts daily and 2 more weekly) I have a free wheelchair, an income from the government to help with my disability and help with transport costs. I have had surgery numerous times including joint replacement. I saw my orthopeadic consultant last Tuesday at 8:10 pm in the evening. He decided I need a new hip joint. It will be done in October, free, including the hospital stay, my food, medication, physiotherapy and transport back home.

Don't listen to those who knock the NHS, the only thing wrong is those who abuse it, Like managers who are the local mayors daughter who have no qualifications and get a fat salary out of it for letting their secratary do the work and make the decisions.