The Staggers

The New Statesman’s rolling politics blog

Shirley Williams encourages Lib Dem NHS rebellion

Lib Dem peer says she cannot support an “untried and disruptive reorganisation”.

By George Eaton Published 28 February 2011 10:17

David Cameron's fondness for U-turns has emboldened the opponents of his health reforms. In an article for today's Times (£), the Lib Dem grandee Shirley Williams declares her opposition to an "untried and disruptive reorganisation".

Like others, she warns that the reforms are likely to cost more than the government suggests, that the private sector "will skim off profitable routine operations" and that there is no mechanism to hold GPs' consortiums to account. What's more, she implies that Lib Dem MPs have both a duty and a right to rebel.

Pointing out that the coalition agreement promised "to stop top-down reorganisations of the NHS", she declares: "As a Liberal Democrat parliamentarian, I am under no obligation to support policies outside the agreement."

It's notable that Williams is the second of the three surviving founders of the Social Democratic Party to oppose the coalition's plans for the NHS. In a recent article for the NS, David Owen, the former leader of the SDP, wrote:

There is growing anxiety within the coalition that [the Health Secretary, Andrew] Lansley's reforms will prompt the public to hold the government responsible for anything and everything that goes wrong in the NHS. No wonder David Cameron is worried. And no wonder Liberal Democrats, deeply committed to the NHS and historically sceptical even of an internal market, are beginning to question what they are being asked to support. If the Liberal Democrats cannot call a halt to or, at the very least, slow down, these ill-conceived health reforms they will no longer be able to claim to be the heirs of Beveridge.

Those Lib Dem MPs who defected from Labour to the SDP in 1981-82, including Bob Russell, Mike Hancock and one Vince Cable, will find it hard to resist such appeals. When Cable denounced the coalition's "Maoist revolution", it was notable that he cited the government's health reforms above all else.

The NHS is likely to provide one of the flashpoints at next month's Lib Dem spring conference in Sheffield (11-13 March). A motion calling on the party to rethink the reforms has not been tabled formally for debate after the Lib Dem health minister Paul Burstow complained of its "inaccuracies". But expect rebels to attempt to amend a motion supporting the reforms, including the words, "Conference welcomes the vision for the NHS set out in the government's white paper".

It now seems increasingly unlikely that the coalition's reforms will be implemented in full.

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24 comments

Mon, 2011-02-28 19:17 — ang (not verified)

If Shirl doesn't support 'an untried and disruptive reorganisation', then why does she support the coalition?

Mon, 2011-02-28 19:34 — Rich Hamilton (not verified)

Well Lib Dem faithful, if you thought you'll take a hiding for mucking up higher education, you ain't seen nothin yet. Conspire with the Tories to ruin a health service that currently has a 30 year high in public satisfaction and YOU ARE TOAST.

Mon, 2011-02-28 20:01 — ang (not verified)

What the Tory-led govt are about to do to our wonderful NHS, is surely a good enough reason for the Lib dems to make a break from the Tories. They can stop this madness, if only they had the courage.

Thu, 2011-03-03 13:13 — Lutra (not verified)

Ditto most of the posters on here. Electoral reform would be great, but if ever there were a candidate for referendum, this is it... Seems we're just going to have to organise our own referendum - on the streets.

But the thing that really bothers me is that so few in the coalition seem to see that this is so much more than a question of economics, but a deeply PHILOSOPHICAL issue - health might seem like a bit of an intangible "utility" to marketeers, but it sure as hell doesn't when you can't work, pay taxes, possibly lose your home because of the lack thereof. It's therefore the foundation of our taxpaying economy, and why all talk of "state monopoly" should be BOOED DOWN, in favour of talk of public investment...in the PUBLIC, for a change.

Geddit, fratboys?

Fri, 2011-03-04 07:58 — Mr Woogy (not verified)

Shirl you still owe for your carbon emissions for all those translantic trips!

Tue, 2011-03-01 01:15 — Nozick (not verified)

I think it's time Shirley went back to her roots.

Can't see any of the ex-SDP folk on the Tory bench opposing reform, especially since that includes Andrew Lansley!

Mon, 2011-02-28 10:55 — Aliqot (not verified)

I hope we see more of this!

Mon, 2011-02-28 11:03 — mike cobley (not verified)

Not before time, Shirley. The wrecking has to be stopped.

Tue, 2011-03-01 03:41 — Reginald-Fah-fah

I'm a top Tory and Andrew Lansley is not one of my favourite Cabinet Ministers.

Moveover, I'm a member of an NHS trust and support my local hospital and great charities founded from there!

We have to make sure our National Health Service remains the best in the World!!!!

Mon, 2011-02-28 11:37 — mcquade

The Lie Dem top brass are not likely to oppose the reforms, least of all rabib neo-liberal Blue Nick who has been calling for the NHS to be broken up since 2005.

http://torylies.blogspot.com/2011/02/it-is-clear-that-blue-liberal-nick....

Mon, 2011-02-28 11:39 — oldpeculier (not verified)

Shirley shout a bit louder we can't hear you and at this moment in time we desperately need opposition voices heard. Esp via the mainstream media to enable us "little people" (voters) to hear!

Mon, 2011-02-28 11:47 — jie4v7i14

Someone tell Shirley Williams she might as well talk to a wall.

The Lib Dems are blind with power at the moment. But it will eventually come out in the wash for them, and it will be nasty, in the polls that is. Could be the end of them, and the vacuum filled by another minor party or parties.

Mon, 2011-02-28 12:16 — Charles West (not verified)

'health minister Paul Burstow complained of its "inaccuracies"'
I got to see PB's criticisms of my motion very late in the day. In his list of complaints there was actually only one factual criticism and he was wrong and I was right.
Watch this space, you have certainly not heard the end of this.

Mon, 2011-02-28 12:22 — Lou (not verified)

About time Shirley.

I've always quite admired her but I've been sorely disappointed in the support she has given many coalition policies where once she would have had an objection and voiced it loudly.

I don't see much of a rebellion with the NHS, I see abstentions but not on a grand enough scale to stop the white paper's progress through Parliament and no Minister is going to rebel no matter what they might think.

Mon, 2011-02-28 12:36 — jie4v7i14

Lou, do you remember Shirley Williams as a Labour government cabinet minister? I do. And when she quit the Labour party, with her three mates (I think three), was I not impressed? They jumped ship when the going got tough, and maybe prevented a Labour recovery in around 1990, by not being still there.

Mon, 2011-02-28 12:46 — B Jones (not verified)

At last...someone of substance standing up to this disgraceful privatisation of the NHS. Soon the focus will be on money, not on healthcare. I never thiught we'd see that day, and one only needs to look at the lack of meical treatment available to millions of Americans to see the road we are heading own.
If the Liberal party helps bring in this right wind idealogical revolution it will be damned forever.
Come on Shirley, shout from the rafters. If public demonstration/democracy can kick out evil in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya, then surely it can work in the UK!

Mon, 2011-02-28 13:05 — Lou (not verified)

Ehtch,

I do.

Ironic that she could leave a party for the views of the far left being incompatible with her own (amongst other reasons) but yet she now props up a right of centre party and all their right of centre policies.

The term social democrat and Shirley Williams are a contradiction in terms when you look back at the party's founding statement ....'"The SDP exists to create and defend an open, classless and more equal society which rejects prejudices based upon sex, race, colour or religion".

Yep Shirl, that open, classless & more equal society is really coming along nicely under the ConDems isn't it.

Mon, 2011-05-09 21:36 — julie (not verified)

What concerns me is the American private health care schemes being able to jump over the pond and take over our NHS I mean can you imagine anyof us getting any treatment from privatisation? I can think of such mundane questions as "do you breath in and out?" Thus denying any of us our health care. Of course they may rephrase this in order to confuse us "do you suck in oxygen?" We must not be blinded by terminology, we must fight privatisation to the very end. The NHs has saved me from epilepsy and diabetes.

Tue, 2011-03-01 23:32 — Mrs Nobody

The coalition government have no mandate whatsoever to dismantle and privatise the NHS. What was it Cameron said in the lead up to the 2010 election 'the NHS is safe in our hands.'

Whoops butter fingers!

They won't get away with this. It's only their supreme arrogance that blinds them to reality.

Mon, 2011-02-28 15:51 — Yak

Well said Shirley....more please

Mon, 2011-02-28 16:25 — jie4v7i14

Lou, yes, makes you think that "the gang of four" used the Labour party for their own political ambitions, since Labour are one of the two major 20th century political parties of most of the twentieth century, and they knew they would have got nowhere in joining the Tory's in their younger days, due to their non-silver spoon backgrounds.

They should have stuck with Labour, throughout the storm of Thatcher fascism and repondent Labour far-left knee-jerk. It was only a phase, based on, as I have said several times, Thatcher using increased North Sea Oil wealth for her dogma, in trying to create her fantasy dysfunctional Britain.

Mon, 2011-02-28 17:00 — neil (not verified)

Just exactly where is the democratic mandate?

Mon, 2011-02-28 17:48 — Guardi (not verified)

Come of it,the lib dems have doing the tories bidding,and they wont be stopping now,Shirley!.

Thu, 2011-03-03 02:41 — trev1959ad

The vast changes proposed for the NHS and for society as a whole should require a mandate from the people.If that mandate is forthcoming from the people then so be it,but there should be an immediate election before these massive changes are put into effect.Without that mandate this Government has put itself well beyond the pale of legitimacy and,in an ostensible democracy,that is a tragedy.