Stop gushing about the NHS please – it’s not helping anyone

Letters to the editor: our readers share their views. Please send your letters to letters@independent.co.uk

Brits have an unfortunate tendency to say of a whole range of British institutions like the NHS that they are the ‘best in the world’ or the ‘envy of the world’ (Getty Images)

No one disputes the dedication and hard work of our NHS staff, but Brits have an unfortunate tendency to say of a whole range of British institutions like the NHS that they are the “best in the world” or the “envy of the world”. In most cases such boasts are based on absolutely no experience of often much better systems elsewhere in Europe, and without any knowledge of what (if anything) foreigners know or think about our health service.

Sadly, the very sensible article by Mary Dejevsky is unlikely to change anything, because politicians dare not challenge the received popular wisdom about the NHS, let alone suggest radical reform, particularly of its funding model. In popular mythology, as with Brexit, cherished beliefs about the NHS block out any empirical evidence of where and why things are going wrong, or what we could learn from others.

Gavin Turner

Norfolk

Brexit was indeed a con

Wise words from Guy Verhofstadt. Brexit was a con and Britain has indeed exchanged a Jaguar for a Ford Fiesta.

The reason that Labour politicians are not willing to be honest about the mistakes made before, during and after the 2016 referendum, is quite simply their desire to win back the vote of the red wall – who it is believed still fail to see the economic damage Brexit is causing to their own lives, let alone to the country at large.

Brexit was a travesty for the British people and, yes, sooner rather than later post the next election, Labour needs to slay the proverbial elephant and lead Britain back into the European family.

Meanwhile, the barriers the Conservative government has put up to trade with Europe have and continue to make Britain poorer and more isolated.

Nick Eastwell

London

More money for nurses now

I applaud The Independent for supporting the moral stance of raising payments for nurses. The coronavirus pandemic has brought the best and worst in humanity. Nurses have been at the forefront of combating the pandemic. Their selfless sacrifices, social solidarity, dedication, devotion, unrivalled commitment to duty, professionalism and gallantry were inspirational to people across the globe. The disruption to health services, cancer, cardiovascular and maternity wards are bound to unravel decades of progress, and cost in lives and revenues. Time to raise payments for the angels of our beloved NHS.

Dr Munjed Farid Al Qutob

London

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Professional darts is hitting the equality bullseye

Well done The Independent for running a story on professional darts – of which I admit to taking no interest in and having little knowledge of. And well done to Beau Greaves, on becoming, at 18, the youngest woman to appear in the world championship. This is an excellent example where men and women can compete against each other equally – I don’t see a big advantage in being stronger and it is certainly a step forward for equality.

One hundred and eighty!

Robert Boston

Kent

What’s 10 per cent of unfair?

Trade unions should work to devise better arguments surrounding pay. For example, to a low-paid key worker, £2,000 is a 10 per cent pay rise. The same sum to a City trader with a bonus is probably just lunch out with a few chums on a wet Thursday evening.

Surely it is time to talk not in terms of percentages but with real sums of money. Such a revision is not only more understandable to the general public, but is also bound to benefit the more desperate in our crushingly unequal society.

Alan Hallsworth

Hampshire