Whining about the NHS

I wrote recently about the right wing debating tactic of whining that lefties were stifling freedom of speech on subjects such as immigration or the family.

This week, a very right wing Tory MEP called Daniel Hannan went on American telly to slag off and lie about the NHS, in order to try to help the Republican Party stop President Obama from improving America's dysfunctional health care system. In response, the creator of Father Ted and quite a lot of other people, including the leaders of both the Labour and Tory parties, twittered about how they love the NHS, on the topic '#welovethenhs'.

Showing the independence of mind and diversity of opinion which conservatives pride themselves on, the response to '#welovethenhs' from people who don't support the way that the NHS is currently structured has been to, you've guessed it, start whining about how their opinions are being silenced:

James Forsyth from the Spectator writes that, "One wonders whether we will ever be able to have a rational debate about the merits of the NHS in this country"

Iain Dale, "This whole row illustrates the problem we have in this country. It is impossible to have a rational debate about the NHS because the moment anyone utters the most mild of criticism (and I accept Hannan's doesn't fall into that category!) or dares to suggest that the NHS actually isn't all that perfect, they are dumped on from a great height."

Dizzy Thinks, "Sadly, unlike what’s going on in USA right now, the structure and delivery of healthcare services is not even a matter for discussion in the UK anymore. Instead, the snobbish and arrogant British superiority complex rears its head, and stupidly deems that the structure we have is the best possible."

Tim Montgomerie of Conservative Home takes it one step further and argues that a journalist (employed by Rupert Murdoch) who criticised Daniel Hannan ought to resign.


If their arguments are so good and rational, makes you wonder why they don't just make them publicly, rather than whining that they are being silenced by the diabolical forces of Graham Linehan and his twittering chums.

And the journalists who have been parroting the line that the Great British Public have made up their minds that they want spending cuts should take note that David Cameron and the Conservative Party are now promising to increase spending on the health service.