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The M.E. & U. Party’s Assessment of the major Parties - continued

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**General Comment on behalf of the Motorists, Equity & Unity Party.  The present government has a pensions crisis.    We are being asked to work until 70 before claiming the Old Age Pension.   The M.E. & U. Party suggests that all those that are willing and able to continue working beyond the age of 65 should be absolved from Income Tax liability for those extra years.   This would act as an incentive and enable those involved to put money aside for when they eventually retire.

National Health Service. In order to improve recruitment of nurses into the NHS we are actively supporting a campaign to enable Registered General Nurses (RGN) with 5 years experience (after qualification) to carry out a two-year course to qualify as an Assistant General Practitioner (AGP).   This would help to keep nurses within the NHS rather than migrating to the Private Sector or going abroad, both of which put strain on our Health Services.   The acquisition of the AGP qualification will help reduce the pressure on the community health care service where there is a shortage of GP’s.
***When we talk about health care we think of our National Insurance contribution and the cover that this affords us in time of need.  From “Cradle to Grave” is the common expression used to describe our Social Services.   If a patient goes into hospital for an operation that patient is no longer eating at home during the hospital stay.  It seems perfectly reasonable to us that to pay for the food whilst in hospital is a perfectly reasonable concept since the Health Cover is surely for Operations or Medications or Special Treatments.    The food is an incidental whilst in hospital and only on limited occasions part of the treatment.   Surely it is reasonable that some charge can be made for this party of the hospital stay, helping to pay something towards that service.   It would enable a more varied menu and most probably more appetising meals, at the same time reducing the burden on the NHS funding.  Another way of reducing the burden on the NHS funding would be to introduce a basic charge for the use of the Ambulance Service.    We have become used to being waited on in respect of all the associated services but, at the end of the day the ambulance is transport and not Medical Care.  Other countries charge for the Ambulance Service and it would seem reasonable that those that use the service pay something towards that service.   Except in emergencies it is often possible for patients to travel by taxi or bus; why should the Ambulance service be entirely free ?   Again this would reduce the burden on the NHS funding without in any way affecting the Treatment side of the equation which remains free to all, regardless of wealth or social standing with access to heart transplants, liver transplants, hip replacements , and the multitude of other treatments available in our country which are not available in the USA without a Health Insurance Policy, the cost of which is astronomical.  These charges would be discounted similarly to the Council Charge for those without a weekly wage.

   On Thursday, 5th of May the New Labour Party achieved a record consecutive third term in government.   Will the ambitions of this government steer us safely into the 21st century ?   Some of the policies of New Labour are questionable and the LibDems will help to keep a reign on their ambitions.   We support a House of Lords with approximately one-third hereditary peers, one third appointed members, and one third elected.   We do not support the abolition of hereditary peers.   We did not support the abolition of hunting.   We did not support the entire banning of smoking in public places; there was already an arrangement to separate smokers from non-smokers; we feel that the present legislation is overbearing and positively harmful to our social cohesion.   We have the ironical situation where there is difficulty finding the funds for pensions and in the same breath trying to prolong the life of the population by banning smoking !  Little thought appears to have been given to what will replace the cigarette for this section of the community.  Persuading people to give up smoking is one thing; to actively interfere with their social lives is a step too far.   For every person that dies of a smoking related illness there are ten times more people that live to an old age without those conditions.   The fact is that some people are predisposed to such illnesses and the smoking simply exacerbates this predisposition.   We have to die of something eventually.   Certain conditions are common to families and no amount of banning will prevent their succumbing to those conditions.

************************* Peter Sayers, secretary, M.E. & U. Party,
      
**************************Tuesday, 3th May, 2005 (updated 9th May)

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