Dear Sir,
The Private Finance Initiative (PFI) contracts agreed by Blair’s Government could yet bankrupt the NHS – such was their scale. By 2001 PFI contracts were worth £10 billion to private companies.
This year with our economy in recession, the repayment on those contracts alone will be £20 billion. That money comes from cuts to benefits, closure of servcies, public sector redundancies etc. We will be paying the price to protect big business.
But, to be fair, the Coalition Government is doing the same! In their first year they agreed nearly £7 billion of PFI deals. total repayments will cost us £33 billion. Not a bad return on their money!
PFI was used by some politicians to win votes but the real problem is the cost. With interest rates at their lowest for decades it would be much cheaper for the government to borrow the money rather than pay the exorbitant rates charged under PFI. Try telling that to your MP and we come back to where we started, the lack of control over politicians.
I want more than the right to vote every 5 years then leave my MP to do what they like. I want the right to stop them voting for the scandal that is PFI, G4S or Wind Turbines – I want democracy!
Tom Hodgson
