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"LAMENTABLE MEDIA COVERAGE AND STATE<br>DECEPTION - THE SCANDAL OF NHS<br>LEGISLATION."<BR> <BR>By Aeron Davis (24 March 2012), Professor of Political<br>Communication, Goldsmiths College.<BR><br>He is the Author of "Political Communication and<br>Social Theory." (2010).<br>His partner is a London GP.<br>The Health and Social Care Bill has just passed through Parliament. A huge step<br>towards privatising the NHS has been taken. The most cherished of UK public<br>institutions is being dismantled and large private providers are already signing<br>contracts. All this is against the wishes of a large majority of the public and an even<br>larger majority of health-care professionals.<br>Continued.<br>2.<br>A big question is why did the national news media fail to cover the issue clearly,<br>honestly and accurately? Their failure to hold David Cameron, Andrew Lansley and<br>their colleagues to account, or to adequately represent the views of professionals and<br>the public was, at times, very frustrating. It demonstrates the weakened state the UK<br>news media. If hacking reveals the deficits of tabloid journalism, this failure<br>represents the deficits of eseriousf broadsheet newspapers and national broadcasters.<br>In many respects, one should look to the actions of the political class first. David<br>Cameron had a seven year career in corporate public relations. The Conservative<br>Party went to extremes to manage its image on the NHS, to obscure its true<br>intentions, and used every trick in the media management playbook to do so. The<br>Conservative-led Government went well beyond spin as it regularly and blatantly<br>misled and now misleads the public about the NHS and the bill.<br>The very weak opposition from the Labour Party and the leaderships of the BMA and<br>many professional bodies added to the problem. The Department of Health had<br>already been infiltrated by McKinseys consultants under New Labour (see Player and<br>Leys, 2011 ª ). For most of the last year, Labour was unclear on its own policy<br>direction ª and thus was virtually silent. Equally importantly, the leaderships of the<br>BMA and several Royal Colleges, bypassed their memberships and were in active<br>dialogue with the Government. Few initially were prepared to condemn the bill<br>publicly. So, without authoritative and high-profile opposition, why should journalists<br>have been concerned to investigate and cover the large, highly complex details of the<br>bill?<br>There are now chronic problems in political journalism generally. An<br>over-dependency on Westminster sources, and a general unwillingness to cover<br>detailed policy matters, are two important failings of UK news (see Davis, 2010 ª ).<br>Far too often, actual legislation is not considered newsworthy enough to report unless<br>there is internal party conflict or scandal attached. There is also a problematic<br>hierarchy for newsgathering that ensures government sources dominate, with the<br>official opposition trailing behind. Far too often other smaller bodies, groups of<br>professionals and the wider public are excluded altogether from the reporting beat.<br>These problems are common across the UK broadsheet press, whether they be from<br>the left (Guardian ª ), centre (Independent ª , Times ª ) or right (Telegraph ª , Mail<br>ª , Express ª ) of the UK political spectrum. They are also too apparent in national<br>news broadcasters including the BBC .<br>Continued.<br>3.<br>This was all too apparent for much of 2011. Professional opposition was widespread.<br>Keep Our NHS Public ª , 38 Degrees ª , Spinwatch ª and others began scrutinising<br>the bill and campaigning at an early stage. New local BMA groups sprang up all over<br>the country in an attempt to force their leadership to engage with its ordinary<br>members about their concerns. Numerous articles and blogs appeared, written by<br>health professionals who had scrutinised the bill in far more detail than politicians or<br>journalists[i]. Public meetings took place regularly - and across the UK, not limited to<br>England. Many demonstrations took place. Marathons were run. Barely any of this<br>was reported or drawn upon in the early stages, or appeared in smaller pieces and<br>letters buried within. Opposition stories focused primarily on disgruntled Liberal<br>Democrats.<br>Under such circumstances, far too often the Government was given too much space<br>to set the reporting agenda and to define the debates themselves. Serious concerns at<br>all levels were ignored until very late. Perhaps the most concerning of these was the<br>Conservative Leadershipfs total disregard for democratic institutions and practices.<br>On Andy Coulsonfs advice, Lansley and Cameronfs long-term privatisation agenda<br>was completely obscured in opposition and during the election. The headline pitch<br>was about securing the NHS: ecutting the deficit not the NHSf and eno more topdown<br>reorganisationsf. The plans were not part of the published Coalition Agreement.<br>Lansleyfs long term links and dialogue with private health care lobbyists and<br>providers was barely mentioned (see Spinwatch ª ). The same went for the part<br>played by McKinseys. It was also clear to all professionals on the ground that many<br>parts of the bill were already being implemented all through 2011. Civil servants<br>repeatedly blocked the publication of their own risk assessments. Why wasnft this<br>disdain for democratic process challenged in media reporting?<br>Similarly, lies and misrepresentation were regularly reported on front pages without<br>challenge. The NHS was portrayed as being inefficient and having comparatively<br>poor health outcomes ª in comparison to other countries. But much of the evidence<br>used was certainly debatable (see Roy Lilley ª ). Cameron and Lansley regularly<br>stated that the majority of doctors supported them ª . But, from an early stage polls<br>showed that two thirds of doctors were very concerned and critical. Towards the end<br>it was over 90%.<br>Continued.<br>4.<br>That GPs were already forming themselves into Clinical Commissioning Groups<br>(CCGs) was promoted as a sign of positive embrace ª . But GPs were given no<br>choice as they watched PCTs being dismantled and new funding structures imposed.<br>News coverage continually reported the line that doctors would be in charge of the<br>budget and that this was about doctor empowerment and patient choice. As doctors in<br>the newly formed CCGs have already found out, their influence over the NHS budget<br>is actually more controlled by Whitehall than ever. CCGs are also having to look to<br>private consultancies to take on key management roles. GP power looks like it will be<br>no stronger than<br>before.<br>All along, Lansley, Cameron, Clegg ª and then Shirley Williams publicly stated there<br>was no privatisation taking place. The word ereformf is the most common description.<br>But, plain and simple, this is a large step towards privatisation. Bupa, currently<br>flooding the UK with advertising, knows this. So do Virgin, Sainsburyfs, United<br>Healthcare, Circle, and Care UK.<br>What is happening is ereactionaryf and eregressivef and threatens to take the UK<br>public health system back to its pre-1945 state. ’20 billion of eefficiency savingsf are<br>really ’20 billion of ecutsf. Again and again Government words and phrases have<br>gone unchallenged - until the last months of the bill. When they were, professional<br>association objections, were all too easily discounted as the calls of eself-interested<br>unionsf. Labourfs challenge, now led more convincingly by Andy Burnham, was<br>dismissed as eopportunisticf. Lansley was chastised for failing to clearly explain the<br>Governmentfs case to the public ª . His real failure was his inability to mislead as<br>convincingly as Cameron..<br>In the last months, Labour, the BMA and most of the Royal Colleges joined in<br>publicly condemning the bill and demanding its withdrawal. That was widely<br>reported. General coverage and editorials, even in the Conservative-supporting press<br>(Telegraph, Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday ª ), became more critical. Some<br>journalists, such as Polly Toynbee of the Guardian, objected loudly and regularly.<br>But, by then, the bill had progressed too far and too publicly for the Conservative<br>Leadership to be able to pull back.<br>Continued.<br>5.<br>Commentators have suggested that this might be the current Governmentfs Poll Tax<br>moment. A far more appropriate parallel is Iraq 2003. Then, and now, the Prime<br>Minister and a small cabal, forced through a momentous policy decision through a<br>mixture of stealth, threats and lies. They did it with utter disregard for democratic<br>processes, Parliament or public opinion. Far too many journalists failed to ask<br>questions or seek alternative opinions over a protracted lead-in period (see account in<br>Davis, 2010 ª ). Unfortunately, this is set to continue. We have an under-resourced<br>news media, incapable of critical self-reflection on its out-dated practices and<br>failings. They are little match for a ruthless administration with a media management<br>operation as slick and determined as any peace-time government we have ever<br>witnessed.<br>END of Article.<br>This Article was circulated by:<br>Wendy Savage MBBCh, FRCOG, MSc(Public Health) Hon DSc<br>19,Vincent Terrace, London N1 8HN<br>020-7837-7635<br>Good analysis of the poor co verage of the Bill .<br><a href="http://www.opendemocracy.net/ourkingdom/aeron-davis/lamentable-media-coverageand">http://www.opendemocracy.net/ourkingdom/aeron-davis/lamentable-media-coverageand</a>-<br>state-deception-scandal-of-nhs-legislation.<br><BR><p align="left">David Kirkham<br> <br><br> <a href="http://www.ukuncut.org.uk/blog/austerity-isnt-working" target="_blank"><img style="width: 56.48%; height: 252px;" src="http://www.ukuncut.org.uk/images/austerity-isnt-working.png" height="343"></a><br><br><br></p><div class="ecxblocky"><span style="font-size: 1.8em; float: left;"> <font size="2">UK Uncut is a grassroots movement taking action to highlight </font><a class="ecxred ecxhover" href="http://www.ukuncut.org.uk/about/cuts" target="_blank"><font size="2">alternatives to the government's spending cuts</font></a></span><br style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: 1.8em; margin-left: 1em; float: left;"><font size="2"> To keep up to date, follow us on </font><a class="ecxblue ecxhover" href="http://www.facebook.com/ukuncut" target="_blank"><font size="2">Facebook</font></a><font size="2"> and </font><a class="ecxblue ecxhover" href="http://www.twitter.com/ukuncut" target="_blank"><font size="2">Twitter</font></a></span><span style="font-size: 1.2em; float: left;"><font size="2"> You can also </font><a class="ecxgreen ecxhover" href="http://www.ukuncut.org.uk/accounts/new" target="_blank"><font size="2">sign up</font></a><font size="2"> to receive emails when someone lists an action near you </font></span><br> <br><br></div><br> <BR><div><div id="SkyDrivePlaceholder"></div><hr id="stopSpelling">From: jonashe@ashes.f9.co.uk<br>To: alijbrown@blueyonder.co.uk; sheffield.uncut@hotmail.co.uk; jm.czauderna185@btinternet.com; Jofiz12345@aol.com; mike.simpkin@mixim.org.uk<br>CC: petergarbutt@hotmail.co.uk<br>Subject: NHS: Circular 2012-10 & 11 (KONP)<br>Date: Mon, 26 Mar 2012 09:43:56 +0100<br><br>
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<div dir="ltr" align="left"><font color="#0000ff" size="4" face="Arial"><span class="ecx283594008-26032012">Dear All</span></font></div>
<div dir="ltr" align="left"><font color="#0000ff" size="4" face="Arial"><span class="ecx283594008-26032012"></span></font> </div>
<div dir="ltr" align="left"><font color="#0000ff" size="4" face="Arial"><span class="ecx283594008-26032012">I'm not circulating this too widely because I suspect
some of you have it already and I don't want to clog up e-mail boxes
unnecessarily.</span></font></div>
<div dir="ltr" align="left"><font color="#0000ff" size="4" face="Arial"><span class="ecx283594008-26032012"></span></font> </div>
<div dir="ltr" align="left"><font color="#0000ff" size="4" face="Arial"><span class="ecx283594008-26032012">Jon</span></font></div><br>
<div dir="ltr" lang="en-us" class="ecxOutlookMessageHeader" align="left"><font color="#0000ff" size="4" face="Arial"></font><font color="#0000ff" size="4" face="Arial"></font><br> </div>
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Date: Sun, 25 Mar 2012 22:46:42 +0100<br>Subject: Fwd: Circular 2012-10 & 11
(KONP)<br>From: sheffieldanticutscampaign@gmail.com<br>To: <br><br><br><br>
<div class="ecxgmail_quote">---------- Forwarded message ----------<br>From: <b class="ecxgmail_sendername"></b><span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:carrie@burngreave.net">carrie@burngreave.net</a>></span><br>Date:
25 March 2012 22:45<br>Subject: Fwd: Circular 2012-10 & 11 (KONP)<br>To: <a href="mailto:sheffieldanticutscampaign@gmail.com">sheffieldanticutscampaign@gmail.com</a><br><br><br><br><br><br>----------
Forwarded message ----------<br>From: Bill Ronksley <<a href="mailto:billronksley@hotmail.com">billronksley@hotmail.com</a>><br>To: <br>Cc: <br>Date: Sun,
25 Mar 2012 22:22:27 +0100<br>Subject: Circular 2012-10 & 11 (KONP)<br>
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<div><font color="#0000ff" size="4" face="Arial"></font><font color="#0000ff" size="4" face="Arial"></font><br></div>-- <br>Sheffield Anti Cuts Alliance is a grass roots
working class anti cuts organisation <span style='line-height: 30px; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,"Nimbus Sans L",sans-serif;'>bringing
together trade unionists, campaigners, students, the unemployed, pensioners and
disabled people against the cuts.</span>
<div><span style='line-height: 30px; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,"Nimbus Sans L",sans-serif;'><a href="http://sheffieldanticuts.wordpress.com" target="_blank">http://sheffieldanticuts.wordpress.com</a></span></div><br></div></div></div> </div></body>
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