Quick update regarding the Lib Dem leaflet mentioned in the radio debate yesterday. As I suspected the leaflet is quoting Daniel Hannan on the NHS – I got a copy in my postbox this morning.
The quote in the leaflet is as follows:
“We’ve lived through this mistake for 60 years now… The reality is it hasn’t worked – it has made people iller…”
It is credited to “Top Conservative Dan Hannan on the NHS”, next to a bullet point suggesting the Conservatives support “Privitisation of some existing NHS services”.
Sounds suitably alarmist doesn’t it?
However, this is misleading. Hannan is a Tory, but he is a MEP, not a MP. He is not particularly close to Cameron, and has little input into Tory policies.
Most of all, Hannan does not speak for the Conservative party and does not represent their position on the NHS!
Thus for Rendel to use such a quote to scare the electorate into thinking the Tories would threaten the NHS is pure spin. He’s not lying – but he’s certainly not giving the full picture.
[Note: post now updated from my earlier version with links and the Dan Hannan quote.]
[...] recent Newbury Liberal Democrat leaflet summarised Conservative health care policy with the quote: “We’ve lived through this [...]