tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881762807913180318.post6540804946098125342..comments2024-01-23T16:53:02.428+00:00Comments on Mark Thompson: The Doctors vs FPTPMark Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00744387583593537268noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881762807913180318.post-69384000148334132032012-03-25T14:10:41.939+01:002012-03-25T14:10:41.939+01:00It depends what happens in the meantime. If the po...It depends what happens in the meantime. If the policy turns out to be a disaster, and given that Tory voters tend to be older and therefore use the NHS more, then the doctors might win over Tory votesLeft Libhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06363370783879139149noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881762807913180318.post-91983104518924327352012-03-24T18:19:29.371+00:002012-03-24T18:19:29.371+00:00The doctors will lose their deposit in every const...The doctors will lose their deposit in every constituency for the following reasons:<br /><br />1) The NHS will not look different from a user's point of view - Yes, structurally the service may seem different to doctors, nurses, administrators, managers etc... but to the public, as long as they can see a GP, get an ambulance when they call 999, get their children vaccinated at school and not have to get their chequebook out before getting an operation, then the apocalyptic language we are currently hearing like "death of the NHS" will look just a little bit silly. <br /><br />2) The election will most likely be dominated by economic factors - jobs, taxes, growth, cost of living, and by the evergreen political issues surrounding crime, immigration, border controls, war, identity and britishness (especially after scots referendum). The doctors are standing on a single issue - opposing structural changes to the NHS. Another popular single-issue party are UKIP, who regularly out-poll Lib Dems in questions about europe (and, indeed, the euro elections). Yet they can't win an MP despite having a very popular single issue: leaving the EU. No matter how popular the single issue, voters still want a broader range of policies to vote for. <br /><br />3) They will have no campaign infrastructure, no local government base, no historic information about voting patterns, very little media coverage compared with the big 3 parties, no staff, little money, and they'll be up against a voting system that destroys small parties as Mark puts so well in this article. <br /><br />4) £500 per seat is a lot of money that somebody isn't going to get back.Mikenoreply@blogger.com