Senior Tories' links with Republican NHS-bashers revealed

The Telegraph ^ | 8/14/2009 | Toby Harnden in Washington and Rosa Prince

[bruinbirdman]

Senior members of the Conservative front bench have close links with Republicans who have been attacking the National Health Service.

George Osborne, the shadow chancellor, William Hague, the shadow foreign secretary, and Michael Gove, shadow children's secretary, are all on the advisory council of Atlantic Bridge, a conservative, transatlantic organisation aimed at promoting the “special relationship” between Britain and the United States.

The group is chaired by Liam Fox, the shadow defence secretary, and has Baroness Thatcher as its patron.

Also on the advisory council are a number of leading US critics of President Barack Obama's plans for health care reform, which opponents have likened to the NHS.

Among them is Representative John Campbell of California.

In a blog post, Mr Campbell described a recent conversation he had with Daniel Hannan, the Conservative MEP who has embarrassed David Cameron with his views on the NHS, in the “green room” at a Fox News studio - and praised the MEP's views on Britain's health service.

The emergence of links between the Tory front bench and Americans opposed to the NHS is embarrassing to Mr Cameron, who has spent much of the last few days defending the British healthcare system from attack by Mr Hannan.

While the Atlantic Bridge is a respected body on both sides of the Atlantic, the views of Mr Campbell and others will raise eyebrows, as will the suggestion that the Tories' main links with American politicians are with individuals opposed to their views on health.

A Conservative spokesman said, however: "The joy of having foreign policy relationships with other politicians around the world is that we may not necessarily agree with everything that they say. We have set out our position on the NHS as clearly as possible - we support it fully."

On his blog, Mr

[bruinbirdman]

Mr Campbell concluded: “And this is the system that president Obama, Speaker Pelosi, and the vast majority of Democrats in Congress want to emulate!!!! This is nuts.”

[fanfan]

Bump!

[screaminsunshine]

Only the USA and it’s Freedom loving citizens can save the world from the Socialist plauge. This is our time to step up to the plate. We have enjoyed the sacrifices of our predacessors lomg enough. Time to get in the game. We OWE it to them.

[browniexyz]

And really, Axelrod doesn’t have his contacts with pols in Germany’s socialized medical system! Or Dr. Ezekiel!! No, sir, it’s only those bad conservatives who keep up with their counterparts in foreign countries!! ELEVEN CONGRESSCRITTERS are in Germany on recess, folks!! Let’s hear some more about who they are meeting with !

[bruinbirdman]

"The NHS was the “third largest employer in the world," he said, "behind only the Chinese Red Army and the Indian National Railroad” and that there were more NHS employees with the title 'manager' than there were doctors.

“In other words, Britain’s socialised medicine system is enormously inefficient, wasteful, and costly. This is part of the reason why Britons have seen higher costs and the rationing of care. Should we be surprised?” "

yitbos