No one can deny that the health service is struggling, but the rightwing press seems desperate to shift the blame away from the government
“Are we falling out of love with the NHS?” That Spectator question ricochets around the rightwing media in a hailstorm of attacks on the NHS. They expect trouble if next month’s NHS pay review bodies recommend deeper real pay cuts for staff already earning considerably less than in 2010. The aim of these Tory attacks is clearly to see that blame lands squarely on the NHS itself, not on the government.
Here’s a sample of this rightwing groundswell, for Guardian readers who may not see the anti-NHS rhetoric that Tory politicians and voters imbibe daily.