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The lies Racism in Anti cuts about the Britain movement debt p8-9 today p12 p6-7 workers power May 20 11 # Price £1 / 1.50 Issue 354 Monthly paper of the British section of the League for the Fifth International € Battle for Libya SAVE THE rages on FIERCE FIGHTING continues across Libya as the revolutionar - ies struggle to bring down Gaddafi’s regime. Rebel fighters, mostly a hastily assembled militia of men who only 8 weeks ago were shepherds, engi - neers and students, are fighting against Gaddafi’s well armed and trained mercenary force. The rebel held city of Misrata has seen fierce fighting, street by street, house by house as the fate of Libya is decided by arms in front of the worlds media. The rebels are bat - tling Gadaffi’s snipers who were trained and armed by the British up to a year ago, while Grad rock - NHS ets and banned cluster bombs rain down indiscriminately on schools and markets. Nato’s supposed humanitarian intervention has done nothing to protect them. Rebel fighters, medics and journalists think as many as a thousand people have died in the siege of Misrata alone. But still the revolutionaries will not be bowed. Even without Nato help, the rebels are hold - ing their own. Gadaffi admit - ted as much when he threatened to bring in tribal loyalists to boost army forces. The truth is, the dictator cannot suppress the popular revolution. To understand why Libyans are so prepared to die for their cause, listen to how one Benghazi resident spelt out what the revolution meant Lansley wants to destroy the NHS – stop him now! for him: “This is total freedom. Before, somebody was in charge – John Bowman enterprises” – designed to cover up and condemned his plans. The GP, they will assess your medical really in charge – of everything. the real intentions of his policy. British Medical Association, whose condition and refer you to the hos - Now we can do whatever we want, ANDREW LANSLEY’S NHS But despite this campaign of mis - doctors are supposed to be behind pital or service which best suits and it means nobody is in charge and Social Care Bill is a fraud. It’s information huge numbers of peo - Lansley’s reforms, have proposed your case. Your local Primary Care and we are discovering the mean - no exaggeration to say that it will ple are seeing through the lies. over 100 amendments to the bill, Trust. looks at county or borough- ing and the borders of freedom.” destroy the NHS as we know it – Patient groups and service users and called for it to be withdrawn wide medical services to see which The fake “humanitarian” inter - letting privatisation rip the heart are angry – over a quarter of a mil - at its first-ever emergency con - treatment centres have vacan - vention by the Western powers, out of our health service. lion people have put their names ference called to discuss the plans. cies, whether you can have care at however, threatens to strangle the There is no honesty in how it’s to an online petition against these home, or in a community-based revolution. In the first month of the presented. The Lansley strategy so-called “reforms”. It’s time to kill the bill hospital, and allocate payment to revolution they refused to send is pernicious. He has bombarded The Royal College of Nursing Does the bill give power to GPs? those services for the care they pro - arms to the rebels. Now military spe - us with jargon and doublespeak – – not a union known for its radi - No, it puts in place a dangerous vide to you. PCTs are state owned cial forces from Britain, France and “consortia”, “pathfinding”, “Mon - calism – passed a motion of “no conflict of interest. and funded and are currently Italy have been sent to train the itor”, “foundation trusts”, “social confidence” in Andrew Lansley Currently, when you go to your …continued on page 2 …continued on page 11 # ALL OUT TO SAVE THE NHS! The editorial Lansley bill will destroy the NHS – stop him now! HIGHLIGHTS …continued from page 1 costs and maximise their profit. The real agenda Andrew Lansley: Thatcher’s SIMON HARDY responsible for 80 per cent of the When the amount of budget control The reforms are not about improving health budget. these private companies will have is patient care, they are to privatise pub - This won’t be the case by March 2013 taken into account, this will result in lic healthcare on an unprecedented if Lansley has his way. PCTs will be a huge, almost total privatisation of scale to boost private profits. Under man who’s out to kill the NHS Strike against the abolished, and their administrative healthcare administration and the the cover of an economic crisis, the responsibility will be taken over by GP healthcare budget. Tories are trying to deliver their his - BORN IN Essex, and son of a class communities, closing down election, which many believed “Consortia”. GP surgeries are being Whilst PCTs are far from perfect, toric goal of breaking up the NHS pathologist, Lansley’s first taste of the mines and launching a war could have been won by Labour. coalition’s cuts asked to group together into these they are publicly owned and run and for good. politics came at the university of against the poor. The poverty and For this he received a CBE, a “consortia” which will then have the NHS budget remains under state It turns the idea of state run public Exeter where he won a close battle unemployment caused by that pol - reward for service to “Queen and THERE HAVE been two events in the last few months which control of the NHS budget and use this control while in their hands. They are services on its head – the taxpayer just to become president of the student icy are still felt in ex-mining towns Country” which Lansley described have shown that we have the power to beat the government. money to purchase these services to a degree accountable to the pub - ends up buying services from semi- guild against a communist candi - across Britain today. as his “proudest moment.” The debates in the The first was when the students occupied the Tory HQ at Mill - directly, transferring care administra - lic, having to publish minutes and allow state bodies or private companies. But date, securing support from Tory, Tebbit’s ongoing war against Nowadays, Lansley prefers not anti cuts movement bank. The second was the mass demonstration on March 26. It tion – and crucially responsibility for access to their meetings. Companies it also puts the infrastructure in place Labour, and Lib Dem students. trade unions made him a hero in to dwell on his anti-union pgs 6-7 proved that there is a mass movement against cuts here in Britain, the budget – to your doctors. like United Health, the second largest to remove the taxpayer from the equa - After the election of Margaret Lansley’s eyes, and persuaded him Thatcherite past. His official web - as over half a million people joined the TUC demonstration in When GPs refer a patient, we trust health insurer in the US, operate under tion completely, leaving people to buy Thatcher in 1979, he quickly sided to become a Tory politician. site says, “Coming from a public a magnificent show of anger and determination to fight. them to recommend the best care for a veil of business secrecy, will be unac - their own health care from insurance with the hard-right of the Con - After 1990 and the anti-Poll Tax service family, he is committing Our resistance must now step up a gear and move from us, based upon their medical expertise, countable to the public. companies and abolishing free univer - servative Party, joining the Depart - movement, Andrew Lansley to improving the NHS for every - mass protest, to resistance at every level, in every workplace, and only that – they are committed to sal healthcare provision for good. ment of Trade and Industry as a believed that the Tories should one.” It’s a re-write of history if in every town and city. We must take these steps, for the sim - our health, not required to balance the NHS hospitals to close There is so much at stake – but the civil servant. have stuck with Thatcher and her ever there was one. ple reason that what we stand to lose if we don’t fight books or create a profit. Healthcare can be allocated to “any Tories are on the backfoot. They fear In 1984, the year of the great policies – he was against the party Lansley got his political training today is enormous. That’s what Lansley’s bill would willing provider” under Lansley’s a battle with a mass movement and miners’ strike, Lansley became ousting her in a desperate bid to in the most vicious anti-working This isn’t just about a single service or a particular attack change. Now GPs won’t just be charged scheme, including private companies. their “consultation” is aimed at divid - Principal Private Secretary to Nor - restore their popularity. He still class government this country has on jobs and conditions. We are faced with a historic offen - with recommending the best treatment The definition of “willing provider” is ing the opposition. man Tebbit, who was secretary of believes they should have stuck ever seen – and now he is back to sive on working people: devastating cuts rolling back the wel - for you, they will have to balance their suitably vague to allow any dodgy But if we fight together – workers, state for Trade and Industry.

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