Presciption charges abolished in Wales
- Thread starter editor
- Start date
biff curtains
Fred West or Fred Housego
Eat your tea!In Bloom said:"Shopping is weactionawy"
ViolentPanda
Hardly getting over it.
In Bloom said:"Shopping is weactionawy"
Are you lisping, or are you speaking with your mouth full again?
Kid_Eternity
Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
lewislewis said:
That's fair enough if you ask me, if they want it they should get it. Just as if the Scottish want out of the union they should go for it. Bring on a fully independent City State of London I say!
wishface said:
£30m really is peanuts in the context of the Assembly's budget of £14bn+ (for health, education, transport and other devolved matters). Wales has generally avoided expensive PFI schemes to fund new hospitals and schools and we don't have city academies and shite like that.
The Welsh NHS has got a deficit like that in England but I don't think it's as bad - however there are loads of plans by New Labour to close local hospitals but they were put on the back burner cos of the elections. If Labour gets back in (a big if) then lots of community hospitals will close and services will be centralised - a big problem in a country with such shit public transport and roads.
urbanrevolt
New Member
it's excellent though quite limited and defintely should be part of a demand for the whole of Britain as well as something like having a publicly controlled NHS instead of the internal market and privatisation.
It is peanuts and it shouldn't have to be raised in Wales at all- it';s just a petty nationalistic argument. I'm Welsh- well half- myself, I was born there, my parents live there but so what class is what's important not petty nationalistic bullshit. We should campaign for this and other reforms across the whole working class not just particular regions.
It is peanuts and it shouldn't have to be raised in Wales at all- it';s just a petty nationalistic argument. I'm Welsh- well half- myself, I was born there, my parents live there but so what class is what's important not petty nationalistic bullshit. We should campaign for this and other reforms across the whole working class not just particular regions.
Udo Erasmus
Well-Known Member
It is of course entirely an accident that Welsh New Labour decide to abolish prescription charges exactly one month before the elections?
Welsh Labour try and pose as left of New Labour. But not a single Welsh Labour MP voted for an Iraq inquiry (including the ones who had spoken on StWC platforms) and what they call "clear red water" between Labour in Westminster and Cardiff Bay, doesn't impact on the massive poverty and deprivation in Wales. Life expectancy in Wales is one year lower than in England. UrbanRevolt is correct that nationalist politics offers no solution. Plaid's economic strategy is massive tax breaks to multinationals to rebuild Wales.
Welsh Labour try and pose as left of New Labour. But not a single Welsh Labour MP voted for an Iraq inquiry (including the ones who had spoken on StWC platforms) and what they call "clear red water" between Labour in Westminster and Cardiff Bay, doesn't impact on the massive poverty and deprivation in Wales. Life expectancy in Wales is one year lower than in England. UrbanRevolt is correct that nationalist politics offers no solution. Plaid's economic strategy is massive tax breaks to multinationals to rebuild Wales.
rhys gethin
New Member
urbanrevolt said:
The prescription charges have been abolished. What is all the rest of your rant about, indigestion?
rhys gethin said:
not in england.
Sweaty Betty
Hemo rising!
Really?? Great as i just got promoted and was anticipating a reduction in my working tax credit which WOULD have necessitated me having to pay for my prescription.....great, it all counts,,,
lewislewis
Lumumba Cymru
Udo Erasmus said:
Yes Udo but 'Welsh Labour MP's' aren't part of the Welsh party on anything other than paper, they are answerable to London. Welsh Labour is also answerable to London, to a lesser extent. I'm not denying that Welsh Labour Party is a load of crap and needs to be kicked out of office, but they are to the left of the New Labour project. Some of their policies have been palatable to me, massive PFI programmes haven't happened, their education policy has been progressive, etc . But mainly Welsh Labour have been incompetent in office and always too reluctant to draw up radical new policies or implement a truly socialist programme.
I think Welsh Labour should stand up for themselves and truly break away from the Blairite agenda, by calling for an upgrade of the Assembly to law-making powers.
Of course this is an election ploy but it could backfire and play into the hands of Welsh nationalism and Plaid Cymru, as people might recognise the achievement as a result of devolution itself, rather than a result of Labour being in power.
Plaid has always suffered when the Assembly has done badly, even though Labour are in political control! The Assembly is associated with Plaid Cymru, because they were the main voice calling and campaigning for it.
This works both ways though, so now the Assembly appears to be 'doing well' Plaid will gain support.
What weird definition of "rich" are you using here? Are you suggesting that anybody who's not on the dole or otherwise a benefit claiment is "rich"? Because that's just retarded.MC5 said:I would have thought that this £30 million has to be found from within the Welsh Health budget. So whats going to be cut then?
So some rich twat in Wales gets a free prescription.
What's to applaud?
Paulie Tandoori
shut it you egg!
MC5 said:I would have thought that this £30 million has to be found from within the Welsh Health budget. So whats going to be cut then?
So some rich twat in Wales gets a free prescription.
What's to applaud?
Its called thinking strategically isn't it?
By ensuring pretty much that everyone who has to use prescription medicines will actually go the chemist and get them, rather than being unable or unwilling to afford them at the still quite ridiculous prices asked in England for example. This should mean that the health of the general population is maintained to an improved standard, reducing demands and hence costs of primary care services.
You also save the administrative costs associated with trying to run and police a complex system of some people paying full price, others of reduced means and long term ill health problems paying a proportion with 'season tickets' and only the very poorest people having a full exemption, as well as often severe and enduring health conditions due to living in relative poverty.
And it could be considered a social demonstration of solidarity from all of the citizens in a society accepting that the provision of drugs that can at least ameliorate, and hopefully improve, the very worst aspects of living on little money with bad health. Which is good for everyone. I think it is an example of an extremely progressive act for a government to take.
audiotech
wav, aiff, mp3, ogg, flac
Paulie Tandoori said:
Well, some believe, as I do, that the demand for drugs will rise in the short to medium term. This will only gladden the hearts of the drug companies. I also expect that the £30 million pound estimate will grow significantly beyond that and seriously affect other areas of health-care.
scifisam
deleted
(All of this is presuming it isn't an April Fool. If it is, oh well - interesting discussion anyway).
My first reaction was 'why only Wales? Why should people in Wales get free prescriptions when people in England don't?' My second reaction was, oh well, it's something I believe in, so it's better that at least some (small) portion of the UK's population are getting this than none at all.
I wonder if I can pop into the chemist for a free prescription next time I'm in Wales? Or is it only for people with doctors registered in Wales?
Um, so you're saying that Wales puts more in that it takes out, is that it? I'd like to see some figures for that, thanks. Nope, it's not up to me to Google for them, since it's you that's made the claim.
My first reaction was 'why only Wales? Why should people in Wales get free prescriptions when people in England don't?' My second reaction was, oh well, it's something I believe in, so it's better that at least some (small) portion of the UK's population are getting this than none at all.
I wonder if I can pop into the chemist for a free prescription next time I'm in Wales? Or is it only for people with doctors registered in Wales?
ViolentPanda said:Tell you what.
Why don't you sort me out the figures for taxes garthered from the principality, and figures for expenditure in the principality, so we can see if your claim has any validity, eh?
Um, so you're saying that Wales puts more in that it takes out, is that it? I'd like to see some figures for that, thanks. Nope, it's not up to me to Google for them, since it's you that's made the claim.
scifisam
deleted
MC5 said:
I'd be all for that, except that the admin costs would probably mean that it's just cheaper to give free prescriptions to all, especially since the seriously rich people will probably go private as a 'status' thing anyway. Philosophically your idea sits well with me, though.
So it's a bad thing if prescription charges are abolished if it isn't executed in exactly the way you would want? Really rich people don't use the NHS anyway.MC5 said:
The gap should be filled with progressive taxation and the NHS should stop pissing money away on unnecessary accountancy and private investors.
Udo Erasmus
Well-Known Member
New Labour in Wales actually made a manifesto pledge in 2003 to abolish prescription charges!
So this is being implemented around 4 years late!
It is surely not co-incidence that New Labour in Wales choose to make this announcement exactly 1 month before an election where they may do badly?
I think this is what is driving policy
So this is being implemented around 4 years late!
It is surely not co-incidence that New Labour in Wales choose to make this announcement exactly 1 month before an election where they may do badly?
I think this is what is driving policy
Paulie Tandoori
shut it you egg!
That's the part of the strategic thinking that i left out 
rhys gethin
New Member
scifisam said:
Partly because of the climate and partly because of the industrial history, far more people in Cymru are ill proportionately than are ill in England. The theory behind the Health Service was that treatment should be governed by need, not by geography. Do you have a problem with that?
Do sick people, on the whole, put more in than they take out, evil buggers as they are?
Because Cymru is more inclined to equality and decency than England the Labour Party has been pushed into this legislation. Are you against it?
What exactly IS your point? Are you some kind of English racist, or what?
audiotech
wav, aiff, mp3, ogg, flac
In Bloom said:
Who mentioned anything about being bad?
The 'really rich' do use NHS facilities though - Doctors and nurses trained by the NHS for example. They also rely on A and E and specialist services like cancer treatments.
I agree with the second paragraph.
In Bloom said:
exactly, there is such a thing called the poverty trap (people are not exactly rich, but can't get out of the trap either)
You seemed to be being unnecessarily scathing and you didn't seem to have anything positive to say about it. Sorry if I misunderstood you, but you can hardly blame me, given the context.MC5 said:
How many rich nurses do you know?
In any case, when it comes to prescription charges, I'd have thought most genuinely well off people would be on private anyway.
scifisam
deleted
rhys gethin said:
WTF are you on about? ViolentPanda claimed that the Welsh pay more in taxes than they receive back from Westminster; I asked him to prove that. (It seems unlikely to me, partly because there's higher unemployment due to the collapse of the mining industry and other heavy industries - which are not the fault of the ordinary Welsh person).
It's got absolutely nothing to do with whether more people in Wales are sick, or whether there's more or less equality there. You're reading an awful lot into my post that wasn't there.
audiotech
wav, aiff, mp3, ogg, flac
In Bloom said:
'Scathing'?
I gave a critique. You disagree with it -what's new? Now the nurses bit,
could have been worded better certainly, but you knew what was meant and you haven't refuted my point any. We can continue on the theme of the "really rich" if you want, nevertheless, it would appear that you do accept that some will still benefit from freebie scripts? To think, they may even send out a lackey to queue up at the Co-op pharmacy for them too.
MC5 said:'Scathing'?
No, I don't have a fucking clue what you're talking about. What do "nurses trained by the NHS" have to do with anything.Now the nurses bit,
As long as there are no further cuts, I couldn't give a shit, to be perfectly honest.
lewislewis
Lumumba Cymru
In Bloom said:You seemed to be being unnecessarily scathing and you didn't seem to have anything positive to say about it. Sorry if I misunderstood you, but you can hardly blame me, given the context.
How many rich nurses do you know?
In any case, when it comes to prescription charges, I'd have thought most genuinely well off people would be on private anyway.
Everyone knows nurses are all rich, and that these free prescriptions will benefit the rich the most.
Or not!
Similar threads
