There was a major scandal in Britain last year. One of the NHS hospitals not far from where I live was found to have an unusually high rate of patient deaths. An independent inquiry was begun, and today they reported their findings. They said that patients had been left ‘sobbing and humiliated,’ and that there had been ‘unimaginable distress and suffering.’ This situation, they said, had been caused by the NHS Trust responsible for the hospital having become ‘driven by targets and cost-cutting.’ The NHS used to be entirely public-funded, but one of the legacies of the Thatcher/Blair years has been the part privatisation of the service. This is the result.
On a less upsetting note, I bought a Post Office phone card in January to make some calls to America. The advertising literature said that calls to the US and Canada would be free during January. I’d done it before, and the offer had been true to its word. Not any more; the British Post Office is now also part-privatised, and they’ve changed the charging system. In order to access the service, you have to call one of two numbers, both of which make charges. So the claim that the calls will be ‘free’ is, quite simply, a lie.
There is no decency or ethical dimension in modern, large scale commerce. It isn’t about providing goods and services for a fair price any more. It’s about wheedling as much money out of people as possible, by any means they can get away with. If ever there was an argument in favour of communism, modern commercial practice is providing it.
And should I talk about the troubles the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow is having since the Russians embraced the free market? Maybe not; I think I’ve said enough.
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