Jason Cowley sensibly asked Theresa May whether she
was "a Thatcherite or a One nation Tory", getting the typically vague,"I`m a
conservative", in reply (May`s method, 10th February, 2017). On current
evidence, our prime minister is an archetypal Disraelian, with her
government already having many parallels with the 1874-80 administration of the
infamous "political opportunist", and founder of "One nation"
Toryism.
The rhetoric is similar; like Disraeli`s promise
to "improve the condition of the people", May speaks about "the need to create a
society that works for everyone, not just the few". Sadly, the similarities can
be seen in the results, too. The grammar schools which May favours, can only
ever benefit a tiny fraction, to the detriment of the majority, whilst
her actions overall resemble the "window-dressing" reforms of the 1870s; the
climb-down over workers` representatives on boards is akin to the permissive
nature of so many of Disraeli`s reforms. like the Artisans` Dwellings
Act.
Even May`s trip to the White House, which she
mysteriously describes as a "resounding success", can be likened to Disraeli`s
Berlin visit, where he claimed "peace with honour", despite "backing the wrong
horse". Although his government passed a Public Health Act, Disraeli showed
little concern for workers` health, worryingly close to May`s refusal to say
more, in the Q&A section, than it was "an interesting period", when
referring to Attlee and the NHS.
In fact, it was both surprising and
disappointing not to see more of the interview devoted to her plans for the NHS.
With clearly a crisis exiting in our hospitals, with shortage of beds available,
and operations cancelled as a result, a question asking why May`s government
chose to blame GPs might have proved enlightening!
No comments:
Post a Comment