Board.
director of Drayton Premier Investment Secretary of State for Industry. stands by the Tory election pledge to sell off the NEB's hetter assets Leslie Murphy. chairperson of the NEB and former deputy chairperson of merchant bank, takes a slightly different view.
While he accepts that there should be 'greater involvement of the private sector in the NEB's ventures into profitable industry, he wants the NEB 1o continue to play the role ot a *bridge between state ownership and private neurial activity.
The Tory Bow Group, whose members have an personal interest in private industry and finance, come up with an even grander proposal of fusing the NEB and former the Corporation Trust and now private industry, Schroders worthwhile.
entrepre- sources, NOT LACED equally to show, have plant in Teeside. olT.
over lessons the membership policy that Labour government.
pany, revealed in freedom the The wider use of week, at the of Public for a gave the ultimatum.
deadline for the more than six months.
Geddes private industry, the risk of investing.
National OIl The new body would reocive both government and private finance, and provide a short term, term cash generator for British argues What all these Tory bosses able have in common is that they want to see profitable industry in private hands preferably their own. But neither they hor Sir Keith other capitalists are prepared to invest unless the profits make it the NEB That's where the argument for a modified NEB contes in.
If the capital for ventures major essential to the British coonomy cannot be raised from privare nil the picces. ground with public money and encourage private capital to take them over as returns begin the neod Thus the NEB's proposal to spending, which build a f10m titanium granule SIESTLET has its band around the neck of the NHS. It is our duty to cut it While the executive didn't malised formally oppose amputation, proposal for action dent waiting to see what the Tories weakening planned and then mobilising legislation TELLECTI to the same "leave it to us allowed private medicine to Nourish under the As BUPA, the largest British become private health insurance comreport issued Just before the election:
The 1976 Health Services health industry. Act (which provides for the PRIVATE medicine in focus. A medical secretary to a hospital ere unit told the Parlamentary Expenditore Committee on NHS facilities for Private Practice that some patients were kept waiting for three or four years when there was no need to wait When questioned, the consoltant replied: "If we keep them waiting long enough they get fed up with being unable to see us and agree to become private palients."
Sixteen consultants from Moorfields Eye Hospital paid for the optical equipment at the private Wellingion Hospital. The Wellington made a trading profit of £1.6m in 1976, and just applied for a bendred more beds. granules are vital to sections of industry is not prepared to take bosses Kearney, Trecker and Marexample successful sale back to private hands. To make sure the NEB carries out such exercises, the firm had to show itself able to make a profit over the long The Bow Group therefore given the considerreluctance UK companiesto invest in high-risk industries, this facet of NEB activities was a major success."
Joseph. on the other, hand will be able to poin to the overall performance of the fact that the board is a long way from showing a profit, and one of its British LeyLand, Is far from ready to returit to private hands - cven in Joseph also is looking at the reduction of the role of the LISAN NEB from another viewpoint control.
public tbe Tones have argued is the key to conutic expansion through phasing out of pay beds as und Solihull when the private sector can provide altemalives) his forthe existence and has raison d'eire of the indepensector. and far from its position the has proved instru mental in bringing about the much needed stability whereby:
*Consultants use independent hospital facilities, oceu pancy levels increase, hospitals economically viahle, futore markets are assured, and financial institutions are more willing to invest in the private Opus The NUPE delegute from itens sheet lowering interest rates Whatever the outcome of the debate, what altitude should the labour movement take to these changes?
The labour left, and Bennin particular, have argued that the NEB should be strengthened with more public spending and planning agreements".
Unfortunacly, this doesn't tackle the real problem — those with capital will not invest if the profits are too low or the risks too high.
The only way that planned investrent brought about is by breaking with the sacred laws of private property - denyine the right of those with capital to dispose of it as they wish. And once you start doine that you have to go tho whole hog by expropriating their wealth That means fighting for the nationalisation of the banks and unance noses.
the com af Hritish industry, and ander workers If private capital cannot provide jobs and develop indusiry, then it must be taken out of their hands.
General Hospital explained just what this meant in the context of the are sAl been taken NHS expenditure.
While the campaign to save his hospital from closure has raised f2,000 over the past three years, a consortium of Birmingham business people raised Elm in 12 months to open a privute clinic next to the Solibell General.
It means that the direct action by hospital workers to throw out the remuining 2,819 beds has to hand-in-hand action against the private hospitals and the health cuts.
IMG member Ray Varnes secretary of NUPE's ILEA committee, was ap plauded at the conference when he called for the private sector to be nationalised by taking it into the NHS. and a fight aguinst the cash limits imposed on health expenditure.
The Tories will do all they can to aid the financiers stake in health cure, and if the workers' mosement b not to witness the dismantling of the health service create, then it's up to all of us to bient the axe on our hospitals and ensore that the bosses can't desciop theirs.
These will be among the on the agenda for the Health — not cuts conference to be beid by fightback on Saturday, 30 June. It is to b held at Conway Hall, Red Lien Square, London WCI.
Details and the latest action Fightback, Camden Rd. London WI. Tel 01-560 3431 ext 679
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THE announcement in the Queen's Speech that the Tories intend to introduce a new industry Bill in this session of Parliament has provoked debate among the bosses about the future of the National Enterprise