Has austerity brought Europe to the brink of a health disaster?

Thank you for this and the other articles in this issue of the BMJ which address these matters. Most particularly thank you for the review of Stuckler and Basu. Surely people and their elected representatives will see now that giving priority to caring for people has benefits for our humanity and for economic recovery. As I understand it, the financial constraints of war and rationing led to improved health of the nation and determination to continue caring for each other. Are we too blinkered by ingrained beliefs and prejudice to learn from these lessons and to take appropriate corrective actions?