The Government reforms of the NHS referred to by councillor Nigel Offen (Letters, June 14) were, of course, coalition reforms supported by Nick Clegg, Vince Cable, Danny Alexander and Paul Burstow, who all signed the Bill. No Lib Dem MP voted against. Bob Russell voted for it. The recent Lib Dem objections to the reforms were all raised by Labour during the passage of the Bill, but were voted down by Lib Dem MPs on the Bill committee in March.
Not a single amendment was put forward by any Lib Dem.
It is staggering the Lib Dems are trying to protect the NHS from their own Bill.
In any event, they still support a revised Bill, which continues to open up the NHS to the competition and privatisation they now claim they are against.
They still have not worked this out.
Unless the Bill is scrapped and started again, then its only purpose is to turn our NHS into a market so the private sector can run swathes of our much-loved NHS for profit.
If Lib Dems love the NHS, then they should vote against the Bill.
They have had many opportunities to do so, but thus far they have firmly supported the Tories in every vote.
Tina Dopson
Deputy leader
Labour Group
Colchester Council
Gosbecks Road
Colchester
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