I’m sure we were all delighted when Ken Livingstone announced that he’d (almost?) given his doctor “an orgasm” when the results of his recent medical exam revealed how fighting fit he was.
However, there’s an interesting story in City A.M. this morning, which I suppose may as well be the basis for today’s virtual afray over the London Mayoral candidate.
It turns out that the doctor who ejaculated such enthusiasm for Ken’s health was a private consultant.
Yes, Ken Livingstone, the “ordinary Londoner” who champions the NHS and who rails againts “privatisation” actually uses a private healthcare provider himself. State-provided medicine is for mugs, er, “ordinary people”, obviously, not those in receipt of large dividends.
“The people of our capital city deserve top quality care and demand our health care should not be broken up, sold off or be privatised by the back door,” Livingstone emoted recently on a petition he created. Meanwhile he’s visiting his own private doctor, perhaps via the back door.
Who can forget Independent columnist Owen Jones trotting out this rubbish:
If Ken loses, it will be a victory for a right-wing machine, its appetite whetted and ready to shred the next target. Ministers will undoubtedly respond as they did with the passing of the NHS privatisation Bill: pounding the Cabinet table with their fists.
Indeed. That must be why Ken’s office were, it seems, very reluctant to use the word “private” and instead referring to the ex-Mayor’s arrangement as using an “external provider”.
