The National Health Service

At Westminster this week, the successes of Britain's NHS will be celebrated. On Tuesday Baroness Jones of Whitchurch will ask Her Majesty’s Government "what plans they have to mark the sixtieth anniversary of the creation of the National Health Service." In the Commons on Thursday, Tony Lloyd will begin an adjounment debate on the anniversary.

The NHS came into being on 5th July 1948, the creation of the charasmatic Aneurin (Nye) Bevan.

For information about the NHS and its history go to http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/News/NHS60/index.htm

Speaking personally, the health service is one of the most significant reasons for being proud to be British. Ill health is worrying enough, without the worry of facing huge bills. I commend the idea to all my American friends.

Peace

Robert McNamara said about the speech which President Kennedy delivered at American University on June 10th 1963 - "Most of you, probably all of you, have never read it, never heard it. Please read it. It's one of the great documents of the twentieth century"

You can read it, and listen to the whole speech at http://www.jfklibrary.org/Historical+Resources/Archives/Reference+Desk/Speeches/JFK/003POF03AmericanUniversity06101963.htm

Khrushchev praised the speech as the "best statement made by any president since Roosevelt". Robert Dallek and Terry Golway commented - "While the speech will seem visionary when read and heard in the twentieth century, Kennedy knew that he risked criticism at home from those who would see it as too conciliatory and even defeatest. He decided it was a risk worth taking"

The final words of the speech bear repeating -

"This generation of Americans has already had enough--more than enough--of war and hate and oppression. We shall be prepared if others wish it. We shall be alert to try to stop it. But we shall also do our part to build a world of peace where the weak are safe and the strong are just. We are not helpless before that task or hopeless of its success. Confident and unafraid, we labor on--not toward a strategy of annihilation but toward a strategy of peace."

The Daisy Girl

Today's Guardian contains the obituary of Tony Schwartz, the man behind the famous and powerful 1964 campaign ad. http://www.guardian.co.uk/theguardian/2008/jun/28/usa?gusrc=rss&feed=worldnews

It was only shown once, but has become one of the most famous political ads in history. If you haven't seen it, it's worth remembering the context. There was a real fear that nuclear anniliation could come at any time. Some even regarded it as nigh on inevitable. Only two years previously the Cuban Missile Crisis had brought the world to the brink.

The Week Ahead

The House of Representatives and the Senate are not expected to sit this week - as Friday is 4th July, America's national holiday. Westminster won't have the week off [The House of Lords will sit on 4th - I won't be there!] - though there are a number of meetings (some of which I am looking forward to attending) about the USA, and the forthcoming election in particular.

Zimbabwe may dominate the week - with a debate in the Commons on Thursday, and a question in the Lords on Monday.

Business at Westminster

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200708/cmwib/wb080628/28.06.2008.pdf[Commons p11-14: Lords p15-16]

The Cost of Parliament

In a written answer in the House of Lords, the running costs of Parliament have been set out in a number of tables. The cost per member in the last session was £636 per MP and £176 for each Peer. The biggest difference came in accommodation costs. 641 MPs cost £207. 9m to accommmodate - while the 722 Peers cost only £99.9 million.

The full answer can be found at

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld200708/ldhansrd/text/80624w0004.htm#080624116000027