Greens: End PFI scam and stop privatisation of the NHS

Greens have called for urgent action to cure the NHS of cancerous PFI payments and have written to the Secretary of State for Health calling for action to ensure that health care provision is maintained rather than allowing hospitals to go into administration. The Greens are the only mainstream party to oppose PFI and to campaign to stop the privatisation of the NHS.

The revelation that the South London Healthcare NHS Trust is going into administration with debts incurred by its contracts under PFI (Private Finance Initiative) has come as no surprise to the Green Party. The Green Party has warned of the financial dangers of hospitals being built under PFI. The news that up to 30 other Trusts may be facing administration has prompted the call for action to prevent closures.

Adrian Ramsay, Green Party Deputy Leader, said: "It is time to cut out the cancerous PFI deals that are killing the NHS. While successive governments seem to find billions to bail out banks and to quantitatively ease the economy they seem utterly beholden to the companies that they now rent hospitals from having sold them off in the first place.

"The PFI deals were simply an accounting fix that put money in the pockets of big companies and locked the NHS into huge debt. The taxpayer will end up paying £63bn towards hospitals that cost £11bn to build. As hospital trusts go into administration we can expect to see health care provision drastically reduced. This is unacceptable and the Green Party has written to Andrew Lansley calling for a solution that protects services.

"It is surely time to end the PFI scam and let the NHS focus on providing care for patients, not profit for shareholders."

Poor TV signals in Wembley - any advice?

From the Law. Forum website LINK

Hi I would appreciate any help from anybody more knowledgable than me on this subject.

I live in Wembley, as you may know the erection of the monstrous stadium was erected in the last few years, now there is non-stop building works of huge new buildings. Flats, tall ones!

Since all this, my television and phone reception, along with all my neighbours and family have been affected so badly that I can no longer even speak to people on my mobile, and my TV just freezes ALL the time, at least twice a day...I don't even watch that much TV, maybe an hour a day at MOST.

I live in a nice area in Wembley where the council tax bills are so large I feel like I'm paying it like a sucker.

Such a large proportion of Brent council's income comes from me and my neighbours round here and now we can no longer make full use of our technology, which we need for work etc. No doubt this has devalued the house, as my neighbours have recently sold their house and had been told by estate agents that they had to drop the price as people would realise how bad the signal is and find it terribly impractical.

I have spoken to the council and they do nothing but brush me off!

Is there any legal action I can take? I have lived here for 20 years and loved it, now it's a nightmare!

Keep Willesden Green enters positive new phase

Although we don't know precisely what led to Galliford Try withdrawing their planning application for the redevelopment of Willesden Green Library Centre, it is likely to be a combination of the scale of local opposition, internal Labour Party debate, technical and legal risks; and national and international opprobrium.
The reason given for withdrawal was to allow for more consultation and a possible redesign which amounts to a victory for the Keep Willeden Green's demand to 'Stop, Listen and Reflect' (above)

Whatever the detail, the successful mobilisation of local opinion by the energetic and resourceful  Keep Willesden Green campaign, which saw the council's planning department deluged with objections to the plans,  must have played a part. Thus, last participants in last night's well attended meeting of the campaign allowed themselves a modest celebration at the planning application  withdrawal whilst recognising that this was only the end of Round 1.

It was a sign of the strength of the campaign that the meeting included about eight newcomers who wanted to contribute to the next phase. Rather than tailing off as a result of the pause in the process, the campaign has drawn strength from the decision and become even more determined to influence events.

The consensus that emerged about next steps  emphasised a positive, proactive approach that will seek participation in the formulation of new plans from the start, aided by the provisions of the Localism Act. In reaction to new council leader Muhammed Butt's stated desire to work with the community, rather than against them, KWG will seek a meeting with him to discuss the way forward to ensure that any development meets the needs and aspirations of the local community.

Mark Twain House: Brent needs 'mental food'

Dear Secretary Hunt, Minister Vaizey and Brent Council Members, 

Good morning!  I would like to grab a moment of your time and some brief attention as you hurriedly prepare for the arrival of the Olympians this Summer.  Stateside, we are all very excited to see how you celebrate this monumental event!  There is great anticipation for the Olympics as it is a wonderful opportunity for the world to come together in the spirit of competition and excellence.  It is, of course, also an opportunity for you to showcase the assets of your great city.

One of the assets of any city, any culture or any society great is its repository of knowledge.  Mark Twain, the man we honor here at his home in Hartford, CT, USA, knew this when he said:

“A public library is the most enduring of memorials, the trustiest monument for the preservation of an event or a name or an affection; for it, and it only, is respected by wars and revolutions, and survives them.”

The one thing Twain might not have anticipated a library having to survive is our current economy.  Another of his wonderful quotes:

“The lack of money is the root of all evil.”

I understand, due to tight budget constraints, you have had to close or are considering closure of several libraries in the Brent borough of London.  This may seem necessary to bring shortfalls in budget in line.  Being an American, I may not know the difference between a chip and a crisp or a loo and a lift, but I do know that closing a library is an Olympian decision where everyone loses.  We all know that libraries are important, vital and essential to the livelihood of a community, especially a financially challenged one. 

In 1900, Mark Twain on a visit to Dollis Hill attended the opening and dedication of your historic Kensal Rise Library.  It is dismaying to hear of its closure, but the reason is not so surprising.  Twain, in a way, anticipated it at its opening:

“If the community is anxious to have a reading-room it would put its hand in its pocket and bring out the penny tax.  I think it a proof of the healthy, moral, financial, and mental condition of the community if it taxes itself for its mental food.”

I would heartily encourage you in your decision-making roles to reconsider the closure of libraries and find the means to reopen ones like Kensal Rise that may have already found themselves on the chopping block.  

What you are losing in a library cannot be replaced in a community.  You are leaving a legacy, much as Twain left a legacy of 5 books when he helped dedicate Kensal Rise’s library.  I pledge, on behalf of The Mark Twain House & Museum, to personally come over to Kensal Rise with another 5 books to donate at the rededication of this irreplaceable institution.  

Looking at the Brent Council website, I can see that you are all incredibly attractive.  On top of that, you are incredibly diverse.  I hope that in your diversity you can find unity of purpose to make sure that you nourish your community with, as Twain called it, “mental food.”

I wish you the best with your Olympic preparations and hope you can clear the hurdles to return your libraries to full operations.

Sincerely,

Jacques Lamarre

Director of Communications

The Mark Twain House & Museum

351 Farmington Avenue

Hartford, CT 06105