UK
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Sleepwalking into an information grab by private health? By Jane Fae
NHS England has still not done enough to inform patients of the privacy-busting implications of the new ‘care.data’ scheme, former home secretary David Davies tells openDemocracy. One of the most ambitious privacy-busting information grabs of the new century looks set to resume shortly. Following a minor reverse last year, the way is once more being… Continue reading
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Charges for migrants and visitors set precedent for wider assault on Britain’s NHS By Tony Robson
The UK Conservative-Liberal Democrat government is set to introduce, for the first time, charges for accident and emergency (A&E) treatment for temporary migrants and overseas visitors. Until now, charges have only applied to subsequent treatment as an inpatient or outpatient. Continue reading
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Mental health – a Cinderella service no more? By Alex Langford
Acknowledging the need to improve mental health services by any politician is a positive step. For such a policy to attract the Deputy Prime Minister himself is even better. So why has the reaction from mental health professionals been at best cautiously muted, and at worst dismissive? Continue reading
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UK housing benefit changes threaten mass evictions By Eileen Rose
Open season has been declared on housing benefit recipients who live in private rented accommodation. Continue reading
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NHS: Why this year’s Davos could be bad for our health By John Hillary
Tomorrow sees the start of the World Economic Forum, the annual Davos gathering at which the transnational capitalist class looks to the year ahead and celebrates its continuing domination of the global economy. Open only to invited guests from the highest echelons of the corporate and government elite, the event sees no need to be… Continue reading
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Ex-UK minister of defence and former army chief of staff named in Iraq war crimes case By Jean Shaoul
Britain has been referred to the International Criminal Court (ICC) at The Hague over allegations of war crimes committed during the occupation of Iraq. There was a call for an ICC investigation under Article 15 of the Rome Statute into the actions of senior British officials during the conflict. Continue reading
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US embarrassment “trumps British justice” in drone victim’s case By David Swanson
The Court of Appeal today ruled that, despite Mr Khan’s arguments being “persuasive,” they accepted the British Government’s claims that the case should not proceed as “a finding by our court that the notional UK operator of a drone bomb which caused a death was guilty of murder would inevitably be understood…by the US as… Continue reading
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Bournemouth hospital review confirms warning by NHS FightBack campaign By Ajanta Silva
Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospital (RBH) NHS Trust, delivering care to a population of more than half a million people, is the latest Trust to be criticised for delivering inadequate care. Continue reading
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Mark Steel: How ‘leftie’ academics hijacked the Great War
Now the centenary of 1914 has got going, we should do as British education secretary Michael Gove suggests and celebrate the First World War, instead of taking notice of “left-wing academics”, who complain it was a regrettable waste of life. Continue reading
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UK government ‘cheerleading’ for the fracking industry
British government officials have been collaborating in private with shale gas companies to manage the public’s hostility to fracking, it was revealed in emails released under the Freedom of Information Act. The UK government has been found sharing pre-prepared statements with shale gas bosses as well as meeting for elaborate dinners, as well as tete-a-tete… Continue reading
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UK police demand Channel 4 hand over whistle-blower’s footage By Robert Stevens
British police have stepped up their efforts to seize material from the Channel 4 TV station relating to their broadcasting of revelations provided by former UK intelligence operative and whistle-blower Peter Francis. In recent years Francis has provided material to Channel 4 and the Guardian newspaper revealing that Britain’s intelligence services and police have organised… Continue reading
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No riots, no surprises By Nadia Beard
The subject of race and racism in the UK is nothing new to Britain’s criminal justice system and media, with reported cases of racist policing practices periodically gracing the media landscape. But few cases have had such stirring power as that of Mark Duggan’s shooting, the recent verdict of which has deepened an existing mistrust… Continue reading
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Why you should be pissed off about Care.data By Alice
From the Spring, medical information about you which was previously only kept to help understand you as an individual – information from consultations, notes on prescriptions – will be uploaded to a central database to become one of the world’s most complete health databases. Our records are being connected to make them stronger. Continue reading
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First world war: an imperial bloodbath that’s a warning, not a noble cause By Seumas Milne
They were never going to be able to contain themselves. For all the promises of a dignified commemoration, the Tory right’s standard bearers held back for less than 48 hours into the new year before launching a full-throated defence of the “war to end all wars”. The killing fields of Gallipoli and the Somme had… Continue reading
