Geography, Health, Austerity and Europe – where next for the countries of the UK?

Geography, Health, Austerity and Europe – where next for the countries of the UK?

Public Lecture given by Danny Dorling at the University of Swansea, December 12th 2016. Co-hosted by the Department of Geography and The Regional Collaboration for Health, a partnership between Swansea University, ABMU and Hywel Dda University Health Boards.

Some points made during the lecture included:

When it comes to NHS health spending and provision, choices over taxation, education, housing and wealth we would do well to look to France. France is no Utopia, but compared with the UK, it has six more doctors to treat every 10,000 patients (21% more per person), 35 more hospital beds per 10,000 people (130% more per person), and people stay in hospital for less time on average (5.6 days instead of 6.9 days). The productivity of those in work is higher partly because health is better and people are not forced into low paid employment. There is a clear and present danger that leading French politicians will seek to portray their country as a failing state in the race for votes in 2017. But if that can be avoided then we should not assume that the inequality and poor health that helped get Brexit over the line and Trump into power will necessarily play out that way in France. Facts, and how they are presented, will matter more than ever before.

Really taking back control means:

.Taxing at the normal European level
.Spending on education & health normally
.Having housing laws that are fair to tenants
.Working towards a basic income for all
.No sanctions and student loans for the young
.Introducing a fair system of voting (PR)
.Not allowing the 1% who take a 7th of everything every year in the UK – to also run political parties, newspapers, companies, even university building programmes unchallenged. This is best done by reducing their income/wealth – and that can be done in many ways – which they are aware of.

Read more here (free low resolution PDF)