The Great NHS Privatisation Quiz
25 November 2021
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Energy and Environment
23 November 2021
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3 December 2021
Economic Theory
The citations below are (with one exception) all from major national newspapers or magazines (such as the Guardian/Observer, the Independent or the New Statesman). Time-specific references have been removed.
Can you guess which year each quote is from? The answers can be found below.
a. 1980
b. 1989
c. 2010
d. 2021
2. “No area of the NHS is safe from the government’s privatisation steamroller.”
a. 1985
b. 1993
c. 2007
d. 2018
3. “It is no exaggeration to say that the National Health Service is now under serious threat. […] There is no doubt in my mind that the NHS is in danger and over the next five years we could find ourselves drifting towards American-type medicare.”
a.) 1980
b.) 1993
c.) 2008
d.) 2019
4. “Hospital doctors have accused the government of using the concept of patient choice as a “smokescreen” to disguise its intentions to privatise the NHS. Delegates at the British Medical Association’s consultants’ conference […] unanimously supported a motion calling on the BMA to “expose the deceptive propaganda” […] coming out of the Department of Health.”
a.) 1983
b.) 1995
c.) 2004
d.) 2012
5. “The health service is up for grabs.”
a.) 1983
b.) 1990
c.) 2013
d.) 2020
6. “Hundreds of family doctors are threatening to quit the national health service in what is emerging as a full-scale revolt against the government’s NHS white paper […]. 200 GPs […] backed a motion asserting that the white paper would “lead to the end of the NHS as we know it and is intended to lead to its ultimate privatisation.””
a.) 1980
b.) 1989
c.) 2011
d.) 2021
7. “[T]his creeping privatisation […] will mean the slow disintegration of the NHS”
a.) 1982
b.) 1994
c.) 2009
d.) 2017
8. “The leader of Britain’s nurses last night warned […] against “creeping privatisation” of the NHS […] [Name deleted], general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, said […] “nurses have concerns about privatisation by stealth” […] [A] poll of more than 2,000 nurses across the UK […] found that 73% of nurses expect patients will have to pay for at least some routine operations such as hip replacements by [current year + 10 years].”
a.) 1983
b.) 1990
c.) 2000
d.) 2016
9. “[T]hey will embark [on] a very subtle programme of dismantling the NHS by privatisation”
a.) 1982
b.) 1998
c.) 2007
d.) 2014
10. “Today’s plans […] [open] the door to widespread privatisation”
a.) 1981
b.) 2001
c.) 2011
d.) 2021
11. “The government […] will privatise the NHS next year”
a.) 1983
b.) 1992
c.) 1997
d.) 2015
12. “[T]hese damaging reforms […] will not only destroy the NHS but also profoundly affect the social fabric of the nation.”
a.) 1986
b.) 1999
c.) 2011
d.) 2021
13. “If privatisation is not nipped in the bud in [current year], it will spread like a malevolent weed through the NHS, strangling health care […]. The time to fight is now!”
a.) 1984
b.) 1994
c.) 2004
d.) 2014
14. “Market mechanisms must be abolished. […] If this does not happen, the NHS in England is destined to become no more than a logo attached to a group of corporate chains, while all the old health inequalities and fears return.”
a.) 1982
b.) 1989
c.) 2006
d.) 2013
15. “…said they were evidence of creeping privatisation within the NHS. Shadow Health Secretary [name deleted] said: “The founding principle of the NHS […] is now threatened […] and has never been in greater jeopardy.”
a.) 1985
b.) 1994
c.) 2003
d.) 2019
16. “40 academics, health professionals and consultants published a letter accusing [name of party] of “galloping privatisation” in the NHS. The signatories claim the new [name of latest health reform] has the potential to end access to healthcare free at the point of delivery”
a.) 1981
b.) 1991
c.) 2001
d.) 2011
17. “Today MPs will vote on a bill, which […] will effectively privatise NHS hospitals.”
a.) 1983
b.) 1993
c.) 2003
d.) 2013
18. “[Name of health minister] […] has signalled that [name of political party] will continue to dismantle and privatise the NHS delivery system, its staff and services – handing taxpayers’ funds to multinational companies, and remodelling the service along the lines of US healthcare. […] [Name of health minister] provides the clearest sign yet that [name of political party] is planning to introduce charges for healthcare, crossing the final rubicon of NHS privatisation”
a.) 1988
b.) 1997
c.) 2008
d.) 2018
19. “GPs will confront [name of Prime Minister] this week […] They are set to pass a vote of no confidence in proposed health reforms which they claim will result in NHS privatisation.”
a.) 1981
b.) 1990
c.) 2008
d.) 2020
20. “The contract seeks to change the NHS into a pre-privatisation poodle, which is easier to sell off.”
a.) 1980
b.) 1990
c.) 2000
d.) 2010
_______
Answers:
1b, 2b, 3a, 4c, 5a, 6b, 7a, 8c, 9a, 10c, 11a, 12c, 13a, 14c, 15b, 16c, 17c, 18c, 19c, 20b
Can you guess which year each quote is from? The answers can be found below.
- “These proposals smooth the way for the privatisation of the NHS.”
a. 1980
b. 1989
c. 2010
d. 2021
2. “No area of the NHS is safe from the government’s privatisation steamroller.”
a. 1985
b. 1993
c. 2007
d. 2018
3. “It is no exaggeration to say that the National Health Service is now under serious threat. […] There is no doubt in my mind that the NHS is in danger and over the next five years we could find ourselves drifting towards American-type medicare.”
a.) 1980
b.) 1993
c.) 2008
d.) 2019
4. “Hospital doctors have accused the government of using the concept of patient choice as a “smokescreen” to disguise its intentions to privatise the NHS. Delegates at the British Medical Association’s consultants’ conference […] unanimously supported a motion calling on the BMA to “expose the deceptive propaganda” […] coming out of the Department of Health.”
a.) 1983
b.) 1995
c.) 2004
d.) 2012
5. “The health service is up for grabs.”
a.) 1983
b.) 1990
c.) 2013
d.) 2020
6. “Hundreds of family doctors are threatening to quit the national health service in what is emerging as a full-scale revolt against the government’s NHS white paper […]. 200 GPs […] backed a motion asserting that the white paper would “lead to the end of the NHS as we know it and is intended to lead to its ultimate privatisation.””
a.) 1980
b.) 1989
c.) 2011
d.) 2021
7. “[T]his creeping privatisation […] will mean the slow disintegration of the NHS”
a.) 1982
b.) 1994
c.) 2009
d.) 2017
8. “The leader of Britain’s nurses last night warned […] against “creeping privatisation” of the NHS […] [Name deleted], general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, said […] “nurses have concerns about privatisation by stealth” […] [A] poll of more than 2,000 nurses across the UK […] found that 73% of nurses expect patients will have to pay for at least some routine operations such as hip replacements by [current year + 10 years].”
a.) 1983
b.) 1990
c.) 2000
d.) 2016
9. “[T]hey will embark [on] a very subtle programme of dismantling the NHS by privatisation”
a.) 1982
b.) 1998
c.) 2007
d.) 2014
10. “Today’s plans […] [open] the door to widespread privatisation”
a.) 1981
b.) 2001
c.) 2011
d.) 2021
11. “The government […] will privatise the NHS next year”
a.) 1983
b.) 1992
c.) 1997
d.) 2015
12. “[T]hese damaging reforms […] will not only destroy the NHS but also profoundly affect the social fabric of the nation.”
a.) 1986
b.) 1999
c.) 2011
d.) 2021
13. “If privatisation is not nipped in the bud in [current year], it will spread like a malevolent weed through the NHS, strangling health care […]. The time to fight is now!”
a.) 1984
b.) 1994
c.) 2004
d.) 2014
14. “Market mechanisms must be abolished. […] If this does not happen, the NHS in England is destined to become no more than a logo attached to a group of corporate chains, while all the old health inequalities and fears return.”
a.) 1982
b.) 1989
c.) 2006
d.) 2013
15. “…said they were evidence of creeping privatisation within the NHS. Shadow Health Secretary [name deleted] said: “The founding principle of the NHS […] is now threatened […] and has never been in greater jeopardy.”
a.) 1985
b.) 1994
c.) 2003
d.) 2019
16. “40 academics, health professionals and consultants published a letter accusing [name of party] of “galloping privatisation” in the NHS. The signatories claim the new [name of latest health reform] has the potential to end access to healthcare free at the point of delivery”
a.) 1981
b.) 1991
c.) 2001
d.) 2011
17. “Today MPs will vote on a bill, which […] will effectively privatise NHS hospitals.”
a.) 1983
b.) 1993
c.) 2003
d.) 2013
18. “[Name of health minister] […] has signalled that [name of political party] will continue to dismantle and privatise the NHS delivery system, its staff and services – handing taxpayers’ funds to multinational companies, and remodelling the service along the lines of US healthcare. […] [Name of health minister] provides the clearest sign yet that [name of political party] is planning to introduce charges for healthcare, crossing the final rubicon of NHS privatisation”
a.) 1988
b.) 1997
c.) 2008
d.) 2018
19. “GPs will confront [name of Prime Minister] this week […] They are set to pass a vote of no confidence in proposed health reforms which they claim will result in NHS privatisation.”
a.) 1981
b.) 1990
c.) 2008
d.) 2020
20. “The contract seeks to change the NHS into a pre-privatisation poodle, which is easier to sell off.”
a.) 1980
b.) 1990
c.) 2000
d.) 2010
_______
Answers:
1b, 2b, 3a, 4c, 5a, 6b, 7a, 8c, 9a, 10c, 11a, 12c, 13a, 14c, 15b, 16c, 17c, 18c, 19c, 20b
4 thoughts on “The Great NHS Privatisation Quiz”
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Earliest date in every case?
I’m not gonna make it that easy.
It would be more interesting to know who said what rather than just the dates.
Fair point. Paper on that forthcoming.