08.01.2004

Antidote to Blairite lies and deceit

The issue of health is one of those battlegrounds that Blair could easily become unstuck over in the next few years. , says Phil Hamilton

The issue of health is one of those battlegrounds that Blair could easily become unstuck over in the next few years. Even though the widely discredited private finance initiative has rightly been seen as yet another way for capital to make the NHS into more of a cash cow, you will not find any mention of this on Labour's website.

For example, its online propaganda for NHS foundation trusts misleadingly emphasises decentralisation and community accountability. Likewise, another health page presents a slew of statistics which may lead the unwary to think hospitals are hunky dory under Labour.

However, like Stalin's five-year plans, these serve to conceal more than they reveal. The website of the London Health Emergency pressure group is the ideal antidote for the headache of Labour's deceit. Its home page is divided into eight sections. The first is a short guide to the organisation, such as giving the number of affiliates, and introducing its quarterly paper Health Emergency.

The latest issue (autumn 2003) of the 12-page journal is downloadable in pdf, but is well worth the wait. Passionately advocating the NHS being free at the point of need, it is an excellent guide to the threats posed by Blairite 'modernisation'. This is followed by links to subjects further down the page. The next section, 'For all health unions', is for publicising a pamphlet on a struggle by workers at Carlisle Cumberland Infirmary. Not only was Unison's court action successful in overturning decades of institutionalised sexism, but has major implications for the pay of all public sector staff. This is followed by another leaflet, replying to Labour's "bold vision" for NHS trusts.

Finally a piece titled 'Under pressure' surveys the problems and issues facing the new strategic health authority in south-west London. 'Union branch newspapers' offers a selection of tabloids designed for affiliated branches of unions. At the moment only 13 papers are available, including Peterborough Unison's Public Eye and the Cardiff and Vale Informer, but Health Emergency does offer assistance to those members wishing to set up local bulletins. 'Research work' outlines the type of studies LHE performs and for whom (councils, union bodies, some NHS trusts). Samples from recent research can be downloaded, but unfortunately material stretching back to its 1983 foundation has yet to be added to the archive pages, which are currently undergoing construction.

The media release page carries a few press statements from the last five or so years, but from the evidence presented here it does not appear to be the most active press department in the labour movement. The next three sections are policy-focused and set out where LHE stands. The first, 'Battle over policy', cites a number of detailed critiques produced in the struggle for "adequate, local and accessible hospital services". 'Challenging the fraud of community care' looks at the impact of creeping privatisation on the care of the old and mentally ill. The points touched on here are deepened by the dedicated piece on privatisation, which sketches out the path the NHS has taken from the initial Tory attacks in the 80s to today's PFI and public-private partnerships. Concluding this policy area is a Unison pamphlet by the LHE's John Lister.

The PFI experience interviews staff in nine PFI hospitals across the country, and is available to download. Returning to the top of the page, the navigation bar begins with 'Latest updates' - a selection of leaflets, releases and documents going back to March. I was interested in the '20th anniversary meeting' link, but was greeted by a flyer instead of a report.

The profile page entitled 'LHE 2002: a potted history' is what it is: a general overview of its activities since its foundation. The 'Join us' page outlines subscription rates for individuals and groups, and costs for bulk orders of Health Emergency. A big selling point is that these rates have not been changed since 1984! The 'Other publications' page is another under construction.

The links page is quite interesting, divided up into a number of themes such as 'The other side' (official health websites), 'The labour movement' and a variety of other health campaigning links. Health Emergency does offer a good, independent resource for activists, but could do with a few tweaks. A secure online donation facility could bring in extra resources, a more complete archive could help activists map the health struggles over the last 20 years, and perhaps a moderated on-topic forum could enhance the site's worth by facilitating contact between those engaged in this area. All socialists should take a look.

Phil Hamilton