A Scottish Socialist Party statement on January 26 reported that Labour joined with the Tories and Liberal Democrats to vote down an SSP bill to abolish Scottish National Health Service prescription charges. The vote was lost 77 to 44, despite the parliamentary health committee recommending the bill be accepted. The SSP, Greens, Scottish National Party and independents, along with one Labour MSP, voted for the bill. SSP national convener Colin Fox commented after the vote: "So now we know, Labour MSPs are happy for their constituents to continue to be taxed for being sick. During the debate we had the incredible sight of Labour MSP's representing constituencies with some of the worst health records in the UK, and indeed in Europe, dismissing the core principle of the NHS — that it should be free at the point of need — as fantasy politics." Fox noted that "the Queen gets free prescriptions while people on disability living allowance do not".
From Green Left Weekly, February 1, 2006.
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