Paul Mason attacks Canary columnist over NHS privatisation

  • Post last modified:July 5, 2024
  • Reading time:6 mins read


Columnist Paul Mason hit out at Canary NHS journalist Dr Julia Grace Patterson. Now, he’s probably wishing he kept his mouth shut.

Specifically, the wannabe Labour MP accused Patterson of “disinfo” on the red Tories’ plans to privatise the NHS.

Naturally then, the Canary’s own expert columnist on all matters NHS privatisation knows how to call out sleazy careerists when she sees them. And Paul Mason was no exception.

Paul Mason spouts Wes Streeting’s NHS propaganda

It all kicked off when Mason posted a thread slandering Green Party co-leader and Bristol Central candidate Carla Denyer’s campaign leaflet:

According to Mason, Denyer’s claims about Wes Streeting’s plans to privatise the NHS are “disinfo” and “falsehoods”. Patterson quickly put Mason in his place:

However, mansplain Mason was intransigent, turning the same accusation on Patterson:

You’d almost think Mason hasn’t been paying attention to the last three years of Streeting in shadowy corporate crony cabinet action. In fact, since the election campaign started, in May, the vociferous Labour Party privatisation frontman said it’s exactly what Labour would do:

As the Canary’s James Wright previously detailed about this:

the very existence of private sector healthcare takes resources and expertise away from the NHS. The difference is that shareholders are making huge profits in the private sector.

So when politicians like Streeting seek private provision for the NHS, instead of investing in public healthcare, the cost of those profits are transferred to the taxpayer.

What’s more, some folks on X pointed out the obvious hypocrisy – Streeting’s literal vested healthcare interests for one:

Privatisation in a nutshell

Crucially though, Patterson showed up Mason’s piss-poor attempt to twist the truth. While he was pushing Streeting’s propaganda, Patterson pointed out that what Labour is doing, is precisely privatisation in a nutshell.

Specifically, she highlighted the World Health Organization’s (WHO) definition of privatisation in healthcare. Had Mason cared to do a quick Google, he would have found this helpful summary:

Privatization can be defined as a process in which non-government actors become increasingly involved in the financing and/or provision of health care services.

Of course, this is just what Streeting and Labour are proposing to do with the NHS:

In fact, here he is in the rightwing Corporate shill magazine the Spectator, describing these very plans again:

Peeling off parts of the NHS for private companies to swoop in and seize services IS privatisation, plain and simple. What’s more, it’s funny that Mason took weasel Wes’s word for it. Never have I ever seen a massive Labour U-turn or a pack of the party’s outright lies.

Featured image via the Canary





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