Rescuing Democracy in the United Kingdom from our current Elected Dictatorship

You will notice that, since New Labour came to power, not a single leading Cabinet member or party 'heavy hitter' has appeared on the programme (BBC's Question Time). Spin, not face-to-face confrontations with the voters, is the Government's chosen method of communication. Ordinary people are dangerous. Ordinary people might ask a question which throws a politician 'off message'; the Cabinet member might reveal himself or herself to be a human being like us, and not a programmed android. Worse still, he or she might tell the truth. Ann Leslie - Daily Mail, September 16, 2004

 

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Dentists bite back in NHS row with Prescott

by Chris Brooke and Michael Taggart, Daily Mail, June 10, 2004

John Prescott inadvertently re-ignited the row over the "Third World" NHS yesterday by revealing he had quit his dentist as the surgery was 'going private'. The Deputy Premier spoke about his personal dental problems while standing in for Tony Blair in the Commons.

But his criticism backfired last night when his dentist in Hull slammed the Government's policy on dental provision. saying he could face financial ruin if he stayed with the NHS. Mr Prescott made his comments when asked during Question Time about the problem of getting NHS dentists.

He said:"I'm well aware of the problem because it actually happened to me. My dentist declared he was going private and I declared I couldn't stay with him. That has faced a lot of our constituents."

He then accused his Tory critics of hypocrisy, claiming the previous administration was to blame for the current crisis by closing down dental schools and implementing cuts. But in his Hull constituency, the dental surgery at the centre of the row blamed proposed changes in the system for funding NHS dentists for worsening the crisis.

Mr Prescott is understood to have had treatment as a NHS patient at the East Hull Dental Centre within the last few months. Charles Pierce, a partner in the practice, said he "could not possibly comment" on whether Mr Prescott had received treatment there. But he confirmed that the surgery had temporarily stopped taking new NHS patients three months ago, but had recently reopened the patient list due to the huge demand. "We were turning away 100 patients a day, some of which were in pain," he said.

Mr Pierce said he and his partner, Dr Catherine Geddes, would be having further talks with the local primary care trust about the practice's level of funding before deciding whether to go private in future. He spoke openly about the problems of maintaining a business of seven dentists and 25,000 patients when his fees were often 25% of what he could earn privately. "I would hope very much we could stay with the Health Service," said Mr Pierce. "We have very nice patients. I have seen some children grow up and raise families. But the future for us is very uncertain."

He said that under proposed funding changes, he feared the practice's income would be hit. He said he received £10.30 from the NHS for a scale and polish, but could charge £35 privately. "You can make a living on the NHS, but if I was a private practice I would be much better off. Our fee levels are so low there's no incentive for dentists to stay in the Health Service. We're once again accepting NHS patients at the moment. A lot of people in this area can't afford to pay privately."

The Dental Centre moved to its current location around two years ago and spent £500,000 on refurbish-ments with state-of-the-art technology. Mr Pierce said: "We have borrowed a vast amount of money. We have to pay it back. If NHS fees are cut, the bank takes my house - it's as simple as that, so we are worried."

Asked to comment on Mr Prescott's statement, he said: "That is his personal point of view. He's a politician and I am a dentist. The reality is the NHS is drastically under-fiunded and unless they correct the under-funding they cannot expect dentists to remain in the NHS."

Last night, Mr Prescott appeared to backtrack from his earlier criticism of the surgery. A spokesman for his office said: "Mr Prescott is absolutely delighted with his NHS dentist in Hull."