IEA Head of Political Economy Kristian Niemietz has written an alternative history of British healthcare for 1828, one in which the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition decided to pursue NHS reform.

Kristian wrote:

“in January 2010, Cameron hired a prestigious political consultancy to work out a strategy for defusing this accusation.

“It is alleged that the lead author of the report had half-jokingly said to Cameron: “Since your opponents will accuse you privatising the NHS anyway – you might almost consider actually doing it.”

“It is also alleged that this planted an idea in Cameron’s mind…

“The Cameron-Clegg coalition initially wanted to spend its political capital on a programme of fiscal consolidation (dubbed ‘austerity’), and on a reform of higher education financing (which would have involved a trebling of tuition feels). But they then decided against both.

“If they were to do something unpopular, they might as well grasp the nettle, and have a go at a root-and-branch reform of Britain’s ultimate sacred cow: the National Health Service.”

Part 1 of Kristian’s alternative history can be read here.