Let's bring in a bit of reality here. The NHS is NOT a free service. As with all socialist-inspired schemes, someone has to pay - you and I, the British taxpayer, and as with all socialist-inspired schemes, we are not getting good value for money.
The NHS offered a "free service" to almost 200,000 mothers who wanted to kill their unborn babies last year - or, in other words, you and I paid to have them murdered.
The NHS offers a "free service" to all those teenagers who have their stomachs pumped at 3AM on Sunday mornings after drinking themselves silly. Once again, you and I are paying for this.
The NHS provides "free" contraception to underage girls - in other words, you and I are subsidising immorality.
The NHS is funded through National Insurance and general taxation - , which is based on earnings and not lifestyle choices. In other words, it is compulsory wealth redistribution, with those who live responsible lifestyle subsidising drug users, smokers, alcoholics, the promiscuous, transsexuals and so on. Even when National Insurance really did cover the costs of the Welfare state, it was nothing like a proper insurance scheme. If motor insurance was run on these lines, it would be like a little old lady with a small hatchback she only uses once a week subsidising 17-year old boy racers in their souped-up sports cars. There would be an outcry
I therefore will not be signing this petition. A proper private healthcare scheme rated on lifestyle choices would discourage undesirable habits and would cost a lot less. Why people who appreciate the financial benefit of the Thatcher privatisations seem to have a blind spot when it comes to applying the same process to healthcare is beyond me. I just wish that there was some truth in the rumour that Jeremy Hunt really was going to privatise the NHS. Perhaps I should start a counter-petition urging him to do so?