> "Free" to mean "free at point of use" is a pretty universal usage.
In my experience I would say the most people really do think that it is 'free' (I guess for people who have never paid tax it is). In the past, older generations often felt guilty about taking 'hand outs' so a lot of work (and public money) was put in to encourage them to 'take up services that they had already paid/worked for'. Unfortunately we now have a culture that feels no such guilt (even if they have never worked at all) and they really believe that they should claim everything that is available regardless. Not so different from MPs claiming allowances because it is apparently within the rules - even if the money is not actually needed... or gordon browns attitude in his book 'how to scrounge off the state'. Every single thing the NHS does has been paid for by money taken from some individual who earned it from the sweat of their brow. People who use 'public' services should feel rather less 'entitled', and should be rather less grateful to the well paid 'public servants' and a rather more grateful (and acknowledging) of the people whose hard work has been usurped to pay for them. 'Choice' from a number of restricted options is no more choice than freedom is being allowed out of your cell occasionally. Paul ps. I wish you well with your tests! 2009/5/26 Francis Davey <[email protected]>: > 2009/5/26 paul perrin <[email protected]>: >> >> Its not free; its pre-paid... But despite having to pay you have no >> choice over who delivers the service... unless you can afford to pay >> all over again of course... > > "Free" to mean "free at point of use" is a pretty universal usage. > Having gone through a very bad health patch which is by no means > entirely over I am very grateful indeed that the amount I pay is not > determined by how often I make use of the facilities. It would be a > disaster for us all if it were. > > Nor am I quite sure that "no choice" is really right. I can (and have) > chosen the better of the GP surgeries in the health centre opposite. I > have a test tomorrow which involves sleeping over at a hospital and > have chosen UCL not Homerton because it is more convenient for me (my > GP asked me which hospital I'd like and I picked - it felt like a > choice). > > Obviously its all delivered by "the Health Service" in some sense, but > I'm not sure that has as much practical effect as it might seem. > > NB: I'm not saying choice is the right or wrong policy, I'm just > saying that it does exist. > > -- > Francis Davey > > _______________________________________________ > Mailing list [email protected] > Archive, settings, or unsubscribe: > https://secure.mysociety.org/admin/lists/mailman/listinfo/developers-public > _______________________________________________ Mailing list [email protected] Archive, settings, or unsubscribe: https://secure.mysociety.org/admin/lists/mailman/listinfo/developers-public
