NATO wars have left hundreds of thousands dead and injured

The Workers Party has condemned the presence of a flotilla NATO warships in Belfast this weekend as  ‘a blatant propaganda stunt to normalise the ugly face of war’.

The force includes vessels from the navies of Latvia, Estonia, Germany, Norway, Belgium and the Netherlands.

NATO is an aggressive military alliance representing the extension of US military power and acting exclusively in the interests of imperialism. The history of NATO cannot be separated from the history of foreign interference in the affairs of other nations and war. NATO promotes the militarisation of Europe, the continuation of the arms race and increases the threat of war and nuclear terror.

It urges all member states to increase military spending to at least 2% of GDP at a time when those states should be spending money on hospital, education and the welfare of their people.

NATO’s wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and Libya have left hundreds of thousands dead and injured; destroyed these countries’ infrastructure and worsened the lives of millions of ordinary working people. Millions of people have been forced to become refugees and flee their homes in search of a safe place for them and their families to live.

The presence of such a force in Belfast is a matter for shame. No to war and aggression! No to NATO!

Health & social care must remain publicly funded and free at the point of delivery

Principles                                                                                                               The Party’s statement to Trust Boards emphasised the need for health and social care to remain publicly funded and free at the point of delivery.  ‘These principles are far from safe and secure’ the statement said.

Health inequalities, most notably in working class communities, continue to be the biggest determinant of our health and well-being yet are largely ignored in health care planning.

‘We cannot continue to privatise community care and watch hospital admissions grow out of control, patients die on trolleys and the system go into melt down’.

Halting privatisation                                                                                         There must be an end to “creeping privatisation”, to the outsourcing of health services and jobs to the private sector. Vested interests, including the vested interests of private healthcare, must be confronted and challenged. The Workers Party believes that a properly funded health service designed to deliver quality health outcomes is central to a humane and decent society.

 Engagement                                                                                                     ‘There must be direct democratic engagement with working people, both as patients and users of the service as well as the workers who deliver the service and their trade union representatives’, the Party said.

‘This is the only way to develop a cohesive health and social care strategy, including community care, which tackles existing health inequalities and accords a proper level of funding to meet the needs of all citizens.

A Party delegation will also be addressing the Health and Social Care Board meeting on Tuesday 17th October