Let's get tough on politicians

doi:10.1136/bmj.39262.474005.3A

BMJ 2007;335:8 (7 July), doi:10.1136/bmj.39262.474005.3A

Letters

Tackling health inequality

Let's get tough on politicians

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Heath's message is that there must be a political remedy forthe social injustice of health inequality.¹ It is no surpriseto ordinary observers of our health service that our politicians(some of the current lot in power even claim to be socialists)have to be reminded that, as Chadwick pointed out, violence,alcohol, and opium abuse, are consequences rather than causesof poverty. Engels' and others' observations of the ghastlycondition of the poor gave birth to modern socialism which spawnednot only communism but our own Labour party.

That party is now so ‘‘off message'' that, for example,it has attempted (and signally failed) to deal with the UK'sdrug problems with slogan led strategies such as "Tackling Drugsto Build a Better Britain."² The £17bn spent annuallyon criminalising drugs and stopping them coming into the countrywould be better used to help communities and individuals out. . . [Full text of this article]

Roger L Weeks, general practitioner

Deanhill Surgery, London SW14 7DF

roger@safescript.org