Daniel Hannan MEP Interviewed on Nationalized Health Care in England

[MrFreeLibertarian]

I see politics in the UK is just like in the U.S. There's a lot of people who don't know shit trying to insult someone who obviously has done far more research and who knows far more about the issue than the losers who insult him simply because he dares to contradict their uninformed ideology. Here's an idea. How about maybe debating the facts of what he's saying instead of just running off at the mouth at how you don't like him? Is it because you don't know any facts on this issue?

[RobGordon35]

This is NONSENSE, and dangerous nonsense at that. Look at France, look at Sweden, their model of healthcare is even better than ours. This guy Hannan is a porriah in his own party. I find his views disgusting. This isn't sbout political branding, its about ETHICS.

[niveksivad]

Daniel Hannan is a profile hungry traitor! It may not be a perfect system, but its our system! Hand in you passport if you're allowed to return!

[TheHoosierphilly]

I am afraid of this is the US. All administration no health care!

[soundnicetome]

Now Now,lets not get out of our prams !!!

[dannygeeisgreat]

Who the fuck is this bloke?  I've never heard of him before he started spourting his bollocks in the US. Stay there if you want, prick.

[lowestoftbus]

You are jealous of a LABOUR SUCCESS. FUCK YOU HANNAN.

[fomastephanovitch]

Mandate and success are two separate concepts. I think the former is a more appropriate term when you describe anything a socialist does.

[tom1832]

I wish he'd stop with the 'it's the only option' 'it's a monopoly' arguments. If you want private healthcare/private medical insurance you can get it just like anywhere else in the world. Has he never heard of BUPA?

[OnTheSocial]

Of course it is a monopoly when you're forced to pay your NI contributions instead of choosing to pay if you wish to use the NHS.

No opt out for your own private healthcare decisions.

[NaMgKCa]

Everyone in Britain hates Hannan now lol.

[youknowimright1]

in america getting the nhs would be the best thing to happen, The american system is disgraceful to any helath serics and also america is the only country without a universal health care which is pathetic, they have 45 million people without any treatment what so ever, america should be embracing the nhs and thanking britain for it, in america you have to pay or you die, and they have something called health insurence, why not rename in life insurence, they call them customers not patience, lmao

[XCritonX]

No system is perfect. However capitalism and private enterprise have natural checks and balances that improves the situation for clients over time. Government run entities tend to get worse with time.

The real problem with American health care is that it is very heavily managed by the government. If the government was to butt out of your business with your insurance company and your doctor you could negotiate for better care at lower prices. You do it all the time with every other purchase.

[McTavishBear]

If you put national healthcare in the hands of profiteers you may as well go back to the feudal dark ages. You may as well have private police companies, private fire fighting companies, all who'll only help if you have the money there and then. Oh yeah, don't forget to abolish libraries and all but private schools, then sit back and relax as science, education, arts, justice, and medicine become the right only of the minority.

[johny344]

Health care is a good, not a right. To make health care a 'right', you must violate the rights of other individuals.

[annoianoid]

What a shit.

[barrieuk]

Daniel you for get much in your prissy presentation: it was the Conservative Government in 1988 that smashed the NHS into a byzantine dischordant mess of competing and co-existing MHS Trusts. Then free market thinking added the cancer of PFI and allowed organiastions like SERCO to take a vice like grip over vital the vital functions of NHS Hospitals?

Thanks to Labour fertilizing the Tory Garden with more of the same ( PCT's and Foundation Trusts) our NHS is unmanagable.

[rebelrebel1981]

OH AND FUCK EUROPE

[rebelrebel1981]

tory supporter but this guy is rent a quote for the very idiotic right wing americans.what is wrong with the NHS helps millions the only flaws is that foreigners take advantage of it.hes a intellegent politication but has now ruined his career in england our doctors and nurses are the best around.Brown out he and Tony Blair made the country bust bring back Maggie T.

[OnTheSocial]

Thatcher wanted a more privatised NHS.

[KierenMan]

I dont think peoples health and lives should be a suitable profit making venture.

[frenchydeepcar]

The welfare state has been Britains downfall. It has sapped all the wealth from the country. The government tax those stupid enough to work over half their income. And we still have the 4th biggest budget deffocit in the world. Don't do it America. If you want to follow a system try one that's successful Switzerland maybe, not Britain we're sunk.

[clemalford]

It's not the welfare state that has sapped UK. It has been its military adventures, (UK only recently finished paying back WW2 debt to USA), undefunding in the state run institutions which are deliberately run down by right wing governments both Tory and Labour then sold off cheaply to the private sector which is only interested in it shareholders profit. Look at the railways, banks etc. The free market is in it for itself and profit so don't think that is the solution to a nation's ills

[frenchydeepcar]

So we should have let Hitler walk into Britain.

Regardless Tony and Gordon have managed to get us in far more debt than we had after WW11 with the slight difference of not fighting a World war.

Margaret thatcher sold off the nationalized industries to pay back much of what we owed, after the last labour government.

[frenchydeepcar]

As for profit, what's wrong with profit? Those profits create wealth for everyone. A lot of share profit goes into pension funds for both public and private . Those shareholders may be you. All those profits are taxable Corporation tax, share tax, Income tax. Try to get knowledge from elsewhere, rather than the Daily Mirror and Guardian.

[clemalford]

Funny how our so called profit has gone astray and mostly in the pockets of greedy bankers!! I don't see capitalists giving money to anyone who isn't a ''shareholder'. As for your other point I don't read the British Press. I can get the news independently from other sources.

UK is bust from its imperialist war debts Only recently did UK pay off WW2 debt to USA. Read your history correctly.

[frenchydeepcar]

The only thing wrong with the Bankers bonuses was. They did not relate to performance. Too many people had conracts that paid them fortunes, even if they failed. I don't begrudge anyone money if they earn it. You I guess think it should be given to the idle.

[clemalford]

Er no, why do rightist always think like that? I put value on human contribution to society, each according to ability and need and all that. If people are excluded from their rights to life then there will be social conflict and that is what greedy bankers have created, havoc. Yours is the old bourgeois arguement. Man is the measure of all things, not money. Is a nurse or a garbage clearer worth less than a hedge fund manager? I think not.

[rahdisas]

First, I am a complete liberal - against bush, atheist, support Obama. But, honestly, the outrage over these comments has me completely befuddled

Since when is criticising a system - unpatriotic?!!!

You can criticise his argument for logical problems etc but unpatriotic? That's the best you can come up with - come on.

Get out from whichever bed you're hiding underneath and look at reality. Honestly, this entire affair is making the supposed "liberal Britons" look like complete hypocrites.

[HarryBallbag]

You forgot to provide any examples of Mr Hannan's mistruths and lies. Please do.

Why was he rebuked? The NHS is a huge employer with a lot of clout and Cameron is a Blairesque fake.

Why would Brits want the American system? Did Hannan say they did?

Pay or die? The state provides nothing for free. Somebody always pays. In the case of the NHS, more people also die.

UK private health has increased significantly due to poor NHS service. Something even alluded to in the advertising now.

[Bezwaar123]

Well for example, people should be able to compare between doctors and choose the one they think will be best for them. Furthermore, people shouldn't have to wait more than a few weeks for any treatment - particularly when faced with a life-threatening disease! Also, older people shouldn't be given end-of-life "counselling" as it promotes a utilitarian view of human life. However, this is inevitable with a rationed system. There are plenty of ways to improve the NHS. It could be so much better.

[fayaztarin]

what annoys me the most is that all americans, as they r a bit stupid, will believe whatever this scumbag says..

[fayaztarin]

scumbag i swear..

[Bezwaar123]

He has been rebuked by the Party leaders. The reason is that the NHS is apparently beyond criticism and that freedom of speech doesn't truly exist here. Hannan expresses his individual opinion and he gets blasted as a traitor, unpatriotic etc. Knowing that one is going to get Hannan's treatment, it's no wonder the NHS isn't getting the reform it desperately needs - people are afraid to speak their mind.

[HarryBallbag]

@Bezwaar123 - "freedom of speech doesn't truly exist there"

Indeed, the same ilk who put healthcare in the hands of the state also got rid of free speech. One can only imagine the wisdom of such philosopher kings!

[HarryBallbag]

Indeed, we need to have an even more planned economy than we have now. That way, the wealth creation of the free market will be so unknown to the population that they won't even know how bad they've got it. I like your thinking. Whoops, I forgot to say "evil greedy capitalist scum" but I've said it now.

[raphaelnik]

I know some lifelong Conservative voters who will echo his sentiments.

The truth is he belongs to a wing of the party just as some of the 'mavericks' in the Labour Party belong to the opposite wing.

Most of Britain hadn't heard of him until this week you could argue. So he's done well to make a name for himself!

[vikashjohn]

NHS will never die

[bukowskijunior]

Not wishing to be cynical, but Hannan has a book out at the moment.

I wonder whether he'll be going to live in America as it's so wonderful over there.

[mgould23]

I could not believe what this effette little creep was saying. Hannan is a disgrace to the UK and the tories. He lied and lied. He must have turned off thousands of prospective tory votes.

If Cameron does not act and sack the likes of Hannan he will be toast. The yanks will be taken to the cleaners again by the power and money.

[andythornley]

Just watched this again as I can't beleive the stuff he's saying!!

This is making me very ,very angry just watching him quote mistruths, innaccurate statistics and down-right lies.

[HarryBallbag]

Would it be possible for you to tell us which things Hannan said are mistruths and lies? Many thanks.

[andythornley]

Plus, his party leader, David Cameron, has just rebuked him for comments such as these. Look at his motives for saying these things.

I'd love to smash him in the face.

[clemalford]

Me too but I am a pensioner!!!! The guys is a sycophantic Yuppie Tory neo con prick.

[andythornley]

This guy is full of rubbish.

We have a 4 week referral turn around for cancer treatment and an 18 week from refferal from your doctor to a specialst consultant (e.g. dermatology).

We also have exceptional patient choice meaning you can walk in to any NHS centre up and down the country between 8am and 8pm and be seen, no matter how affluent you are. Would you rather a doctor or insurance company make a descision about which care you can have? Think about it.

[clemalford]

This guy is a yuppie Tory MEP embedded with the private health sector.

The NHS has its faults but his government and the Tory before are responsible for the running down of the NHS. t is a deliberate move in order to let the private sector in with billions of pounds to be made for shareholders.

I have had three operations two for cancer and one hernia. The NHS is wonderful. Hope he gets sick in the US and has to pay. Of course he earns enough to have big health insurance.

Stuff him neo con

[perezDeSanFernando]

Tell me, would you like the government to provide your food for you too? Perhaps the government should launch a National Food Service to compete against the free market? Of course you wouldn't want that - the free market always knows best.

Same goes for health care. The free market does a much better job of meeting the public's need. Naturally, the system isn't perfect but it can be improved. It doesn't need a government takeover - what an insane idea!

[clemalford]

Our government does check out our food so free market rip off merchants are accountable if they poison people through bad santitaion and bad practise in production. Why do you think competition is the solution to everythink? Humans are top of the tree (supposedly) so how about some co-operation. It worked in WW2 against facsicm. Why is money always the god factor? But then that's why we disagree. I put humans first!!

[perezDeSanFernando]

Of course, with the free market the objective is to make money, which does sound inhumane in a sense. But this is also why it works. If, as you state in your example, a company has poisoned food, that company's reputation would be destroyed. It's therefore in the best interest of the company to provide a good service, otherwise it's broke. By having competition for customers, from other companies, it must compete on quality and price in order to win their customers.

[perezDeSanFernando]

With a government-run option, the free market cannot effectively compete since the government's financial resources easily overwhelm a private business, through taxation, borrowing and printing money. Now, with what is effectively a monopoly on a service, like healthcare, there is no strong competition against the government which means the government is under less pressure to innovate and cut costs, since it's always going to have customers no matter what.

[perezDeSanFernando]

Naturally, there are aspects that require the government, such as national defensive, but it's certainly not the answer to many things. We the people should be the ones making the decisions that affect our lives - not bureaucrats in their ivory towers thinking that they know best. And regarding competition in general, whether it's academic, sporting, political etc. competition always drives an individual to do better and achieve. Cooperation is of course vital in life, but so is competition.

[clemalford]

banks. Competition led them to the disasterous situation we are in. Profits fhe shareholders causes these boom and bust crisis. Of course those well heeled millionaires would say we need the free market but for millions of us ordinary public it can be the difference between living and surviving.

I saw a TV report of thousands in USA with no health care queuing for treatment.

WE don't see that in the NHS.

[perezDeSanFernando]

I don't blame you for thinking that banks were the cause of the economic situation - afterall, that's what the media was feeding us. However, the problem was caused by the US government. The politicians believed in the noble idea that everyone had the right to a home. Sounds good on paper but in practice it was a very bad idea.

[perezDeSanFernando]

They passed legislation for the central bank (Federal Reserve) to provide the government-run housing lenders, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac with the necessary backing to sell mortgages to people who could never possibly pay back the loans. This was the essential problem that caused the whole thing. The banks were simply doing what they naturally try to do - make profit. However, it was the lax lending practices legislated by the government that allowed the problem to grow in the first place.

[clemalford]

Do you think banks suffered from altruism in a capitalist free market by loaning money? They loaned money to make money in a big time scam and they knew the consequences of their actions. Look at Madov. The taxpayerthen had to bail them out. As Marx said the call of capitalists is 'Profit' through explotation of a persons' labour. They believe in goods for profit not use thus accumulating wealth.

[rahdisas]

The problem isn't competition - it's competition without rules. The free market works well as long as the governement ensures that everyone is playing fairly - if people/businesses take advantage of the system - you will have ANY system - from fascist dictatorships to socialist democracies crumble.

[heythisisbert]

I wouldn't say ZERO percent chance of dying of prostate or breast cancer, but sure, this makes sense... They can't bring this to the US... it would be hell...

[4rcane]

what about politicans, do they queue up in the UK