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Socialism and Health The journal of the Socialist Health Association Spring 2005
Editorial This edition of Socialism and Health goes to press as the General Election is being announced. The manifestoes have not yet been published but we are assuming that Health will be a major issue in the coming campaign, and we are therefore setting out recent policy statements by the major parties for comparison and reference. The Guardian reports that Health is the number one issue for voters. If we give most space to the Tory proposals that is because realistically these are the only alternatives likely to be adopted if Labour is not re-elected. As explained later in this edition I have replaced Judith Blakeman as Hon Editor. We are all grateful to Judith for the work she has done over the past years, and we expect to receive further contributions from her. Meanwhile please send any contributions to the address below. We intend to publish this newsletter quarterly, with deadlines at the last week of every third month. Gavin Ross, Hon Editor
HEALTH POLICIES FOR THE GENERAL ELECTION The website of the Socialist Health Association, www.sochealth.co.uk gives a detailed and updated analysis of contrasting party policies under the heading 2005 General Election. Here we will summarise some of the main points. An election is not a referendum. The question is not whether you approve of everything the Labour Government has done. The question is whether you think some other party could do better. There are things this government has done about which the Socialist Health Association has reservations, mostly because we want the policy to
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