hang on - you can't have it both ways

The reason that the amendment was opposed is the same reason you're opposing the reform bill for further down the board:

"Private healthcare companies will be able to challenge every commissioning decision. The legal cost to the NHS will be truly enormous."

If you don't want private companies challenging public procurement decisions because of the cost to the public purse, then you shouldn't be opposed to the NHS not having an absurdly onerous disclosure requirement (which will result in truly enormous legal bills and is a medical negligence lawyer's wet dream).

The anti-reform debate would be a lot more successful if it didn't trip itself up all the time by focusing on individual soundbite issues rather than looking at the bigger picture. That amendment - whether right or wrong in principle - has no place in a debate over structural reforms to the NHS. It's a battle best fought on another day, and it just wastes time that is better spent challenging and amending the Bill in more constructive ways.

Posted By: CWC, Feb 23, 14:48:54