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Hospitals counting cost

HEALTH ministers since 1992 have all blamed patient demand and an ageing population for the failure of hospitals.

A lie which the general public have swallowed when, in fact the culprits are the private sector banks and equity investors involved in government-backed PFI deals who are the guilty parties.

In the open market the Government could have sought to buy a new hospital by: a) funding it themselves via a 2.5 per cent Bond Issue over a 30-year period costing £17.4billion in total, or b) borrowed the money through a high street bank at a low interest rate over 30 years costing £23billion .

Instead, they let their friends in the banks and Private Equity Sector help them build hospitals which cost the taxpayer £41.4billion, plus £29.1billion for service charges.

It was unaffordable and has bankrupted every hospital built on PFI loans for the NHS.

The debts have so far ended up with 22 of them going into administration.

In 1990 hospitals paid no charges on their land, buildings, or assets while today many PFI hospitals are paying more than 15 per cent and rising.

This represents 16 to 20 per cent of a hospital trust’s revenue budget, which also has to meet staff wages and patient care.

Add to that the destruction caused to the NHS by selling all its service to private health care companies under the Health And Social Care Act 2012 and there endeth the NHS.

Add that to the selling off of all our other assets to foreigners and now 80 per cent of all our political laws to the EU on June 23 and there we have it – a secondhand, worthless nation not fit for purpose?

IAN HUNT

Swindon

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EU debate rages on

I HAVE to say I am surprised Des Morgan (letters, June 2) takes exception to my use of the word ‘quitters’ and my comment concerning the risks to the jobs of 3.5 million British people should the British decide to quit the EU.

What is wrong with the word ‘quitters’? If we vote to leave the EU then surely we are voting to quit the EU?

Secondly, I do feel it is correct to point out that every one of the 3.5 million British jobs involved with producing the goods and services we export to the EU would be at risk if we quit.

My statement does not suggest that all 3.5 million jobs would be lost, for the simple reason they would not.

However, even the most sceptical must admit some jobs, possibly even a substantial number, will be lost if we were to quit the EU, and we have no way of identifying in advance which of those 3.5 million jobs would go.

The suggestion my claim is false does not hold any water as every one of those 3.5 million jobs could be lost and is therefore at risk.

Losing just one of those jobs without a valid reason for quitting is one too many for me.

Sadly, that reason has so far not been forthcoming from the Leave camp.

I would, however, agree with Mr Morgan’s comments regarding the misleading information distributed by referendum campaigners.

Unfortunately, after examining the claims made by both sides I have to say the majority of such comments, including the inaccurate claim that we send £350million a week to the EU that I identified in my original letter, are coming from the quitters and not the stayers.

ADAM POOLE

Savill Crescent, Wroughton

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Major making sense

SUNDAY, June 5, a day to remember. I never thought I would see a day when I would agree with John Major.

He appeared on the Andrew Marr show and expressed his disdain of the Brexit campaign. He said that the Brexit group, led by Boris Johnson, were deceiving the public with inaccurate and untruthful comments, phantom jobs and expenditure.

I understand the Brexit group have promised to spend the £350million in every south west area?

Lord Major’s interview is worth watching on BBC iPlayer and is followed by an interview with Boris. Major described Boris as “a court jester”, how right he is.

Major closed the interview with the comment Brexit is offering a “pig-in-a-poke”.

I wonder how many people have heard many of the claims set out by the Brexit lobby have fallen by the wayside?

The Prime Minister of Turkey has withdrawn the county’s application to join the EU. So 88 million Turks will not be rushing over here.

The US health companies think the NHS is ready for take-over. I wonder how many people are aware more than half of Tory MPs have private health investments.

MIKE SPRY

Mayfield Close, Nythe, Swindon

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Illusion of democracy

ONCE again Alex Hegenbarth fills your paper with his easily disproved lies.

To claim the “EU is democratic” is complete fantasy.

What part of “democracy” was it when the Republic of Ireland vetoed the Nice Treaty in 2001 and voted against the Lisbon Treaty in 2009 by a majority of 53.4 per cent only to be told they had “voted the wrong way, take it again”?

How was it “democratic” when elected politicians in Italy and Greece who were “hostile” to the EU were replaced by unelected ones with “the right attitude” towards Brussels?

Explain how the EU, ignoring a massive 61 per cent of the vote in the Netherlands, and Green MEP Rebecca Harms to claim “the mob (sic) should not have the power to overturn a decision by the EU Commission” is “democracy at work”?

Denmark, France and many other places around the EU have had legitimate votes, vetoes and referendums ignored because “Brussels” didn’t agree with the opinion of the people.

This Alex calls “democracy”; I call it a dictatorship.

GREG HEATHCLIFFE

Okus Road, Swindon