This afternoon, our Honorary President Godfrey Bloom spoke on the Jon Gaunt Radio Show about foreign aid and the NHS. The highlight was his mention of Jean-Baptiste Say. If you would like to listen to this 7-minute interview, please click on the audio link below.
I’m glad he makes the point that social security in Britain moved away from its original purpose, an insurance system underwritten by the state that you paid into, to become a ‘free’ system funded largely out of general taxation for the benefit of all-comers. That’s not to say that we should return to the original vision, but an understanding of this distinction is an important step in recognising what went wrong. The settlement of the late 1940s was based on a relatively homogeneous and cohesive society with a large manufacturing sector and stable jobs. It was a settled society in which there was a shared understanding that you paid into the system to receive its benefits and services. That necessary founding ethic was gradually forgotten, and is even ridiculed now when native Britons raise it as part of complaints about migrants. It is now seen as unacceptable to expect outsiders to pay for services.
Quite apart from other immigration restrictions that are urgently needed, we should not allow eligible migrants to enter this country unless they can provide proof of medical insurance coverage for the planned duration of their stay. This must always include accident & emergency cover (which is not a difficult risk to insure). Such an entry requirement would allow our hospitals to remain freely available at the point of use, as the assumption would obtain that all users are either covered by the NHS or otherwise insured. Where it turns out that an uninsured foreigner has received, or will be needing, treatment, a charge should be levied and any future admission to this country should be denied to the individual until they or their government have paid the bill.