National Health Action Party
National Health Action Party | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Co-leaders |
Dr Richard Taylor Dr Clive Peedell |
| Founded | 14 May 2012 |
| Headquarters | Kidderminster[1] |
| Membership (2015) |
 5,500 |
| Colours | Blue |
| Website | |
| http://www.nhap.org | |
The National Health Action Party (NHA) is a political party in the United Kingdom.
The party grew out of the movement opposing the 2012 Health and Social Care Act.[2] It campaigns for renationalisation of the privatized parts of the English National Health Service, reductions in outsourcing as well as improvements to NHS funding, service provision and staffing.[3][4] Despite focusing on health, the party has a range of policies in areas such as the economy, housing and education. These include opposition to austerity and a call for political reform.[5]
The party is currently led by co-founders Clive Peedell and Richard Taylor.[6] Having stood candidates in local and European parliamentary elections in 2014, the party contested 12 seats in the 2015 general election, coming seventh in England according to the popular vote.[7]
History
The passage of the Health and Social Care Act in March 2012 prompted the party's co-founder Clive Peedell, a cancer specialist doctor, to co-write an open letter to The Independent alongside esteemed medical signatories.[8] The letter was highly critical of the Liberal Democrats for their role in the passage of the Act and stated that the signatories would "form a coalition of healthcare professionals to take on coalition MPs at the next General election, on the non-party, independent ticket of defending the NHS and acting in the wider public interest". Two months later, on 14 May 2012, Peedell co-founded the NHA Party with retired doctor Richard Taylor, who had twice been elected as MP for Wyre Forest on an 'independent health' component to his local hospital party name.[2] The party officially launched in Westminster in November 2012.[9]
Supporters
As of December 2015 the party has 70,000 followers on Twitter and 23,750 on Facebook.[10]
Cultural figures
Best-selling authors Mark Haddon[11] and Philip Pullman,[12] satirist Armando Iannucci[13] and comedian Rufus Hound. Hound stood as an NHA Party candidate in the London constituency for the 2014 European elections.[14]
Policies
The party has a range of policies on healthcare, political reform, the economy, immigration, housing, education and environmental sustainability.[5][15]
Health
- To reverse perceived privatisation and restore a publicly run NHS that provides universal healthcare.
- To repeal the Health and Social Care Act 2012, remove the internal market and purchaser/provider split, and end use of Private Finance Initiative (PFI) deals.
- To protect the NHS from involvement in international trade agreements such as TTIP.
- To involve patients and staff in NHS decision processes and reduce reliance on management consultants.
- To improve public health, social care, housing and other matters that affect the nation's health.
- To demand a moratorium on hospital re-configurations unless there are evidence-based, clinical reasons with local and staff support and adequate alternatives already in place.
Political reform
- To enact stricter controls on MPs' and Peers' voting when they have a conflict of interest.
- To review the system of party whips and the practice of voting without attending debate.
- To end the revolving door culture of UK politics.
- To lower the voting age to 16.
- To appoint a commission to investigate a move towards proportional representation.
Economy
- To reject austerity and oppose further public spending cuts.
- To increase spending on key public services and infrastructure with a view to increasing the UK's GDP.
- To ensure taxation is progressive and take actions to reduce tax avoidance and evasion.
- To improve regulation of the financial sector, including separation of the retail and investment arms of banks.
- To introduce a Living Wage, ban zero-hour contracts and work towards a state of minimal unemployment
Electoral performance
General Election results
| Year | Candidates | Total votes | Average votes per candidate | % of total vote | Average % vote per candidate | Saved Deposits | Number of MPs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015[7] | 12 | 20,210 | 1,684 | 0.1 | 3.26 | 2 | 0 |
Local Election results
| Year | Candidates | Total votes | Average votes per candidate | Average % vote per candidate | Number of Councillors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 7 | 1,177 | 168 | 6 | 0 |
| 2015 | 4 | 638 | 160 | 3.1 | 0 |
| 2016 | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA |
European Parliament Election results
| Year | London constituency | MEPs elected |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 23,253 | 0 |
By-election results
| Constituency | Date | Candidate | Number of votes | % of votes | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastleigh | 28 February 2013 | Iain Maclennan | 392 | 0.9 | 6th |
2015 General Election
The party stood 12 candidates at the United Kingdom general election, 2015.[16] Targeted seats included those of leading proponents of the Health and Social Care Bill such as David Cameron and Jeremy Hunt. The candidates were:[17]
- Dave Ash – Sutton and Cheam
- Roseanne Edwards – Banbury
- Rik Evans – Truro and Falmouth
- Rebecca Fox – Camberwell and Peckham
- Dr Bob Gill – Old Bexley and Sidcup
- Dr Paul Hobday – Maidstone and The Weald
- Karen Howell – Stafford
- Dr Louise Irvine – South West Surrey
- Dr Clive Peedell – Witney
- Dr Helen Salisbury – Oxford West and Abingdon
- Dr Richard Taylor – Wyre Forest
- Dr Carl Walker – East Worthing and Shoreham
The twelve candidates collected a total of 20,210 votes and saved two deposits, but none won.
See also
References
- ↑ "National Health Action Party official website". Retrieved 9 June 2015.
- 1 2 "Former MP to lead new political party opposed to NHS changes". BBC News. bbc.co.uk. 14 May 2012. Retrieved 17 June 2012.
- ↑ Stamp, Gavin (22 May 2012). "Can 'Save NHS' party make an impact at the ballot box?". BBC News. bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 17 June 2012.
- ↑ Torjesen, Ingrid (25 May 2012). "Doctors opposed to NHS reforms set up a new political party". BMJ (London: BMJ Group) 344: e3734. doi:10.1136/bmj.e3734. ISSN 1756-1833. Retrieved 19 August 2012.
- 1 2 "Election 2015: NHA Party 'serious about fixing the NHS'".
- ↑ "Election 2015: A party with a prescription for the NHS?".
- 1 2 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election/2015/results
- ↑ IoS letters: Medics launch national campaign
- ↑ Doctors launch National Health Action party in London
- ↑ "DECEMBERS PARTY POLITICAL CYBER WARRIORS".
- ↑ "Mark Haddon: ‘The London theatre world is so much more alive than contemporary fiction’". Evening Standard. 12 March 2013.
- ↑ "In this week's magazine The power struggle". newstatesman.com/. 2015-05-05. Retrieved 2015-05-08.
- ↑ "Whichever party spouts it, talk of the NHS budget being ring-fenced is a complete fallacy". independent.co.uk. 2015-04-23. Retrieved 2015-05-08.
- ↑ "BBC News - Rufus Hound in Euro elections NHS bid". Bbc.co.uk. 2014-01-26. Retrieved 2014-08-04.
- ↑ "NHA website - Policies". Retrieved 9 June 2015.
- ↑ "Election 2015: A party with a prescription for the NHS?". BBC News. 30 April 2015. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
- ↑ NHA - Our Candidates