Camden New Journal - News: I defended NHS principles, Dobson tells 'Blairite' critic

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Camden New Journal - by CHARLOTTE CHAMBERS
Published: 20 March 2008

Frank Dobson: ‘implemented manifesto’

I defended NHS principles, Dobson tells ‘Blairite’ critic

LABOUR MP Frank Dobson has defended his record as Health Secretary in Tony Blair’s first cabinet after one of the former Prime Minister’s closest aides claimed his appointment had been a mistake.
The Holborn and St Pancras MP launched a devastating attack on Jonathan Powell, Mr Blair’s chief of staff for more than 10 years, insisting that “uber-Blairites were re-writing history”.
The row flared after Mr Powell picked out Mr Dobson for criticism in his first newspaper interview, to the Guardian, on Saturday.
Mr Powell said: “Sticking to the shadow cabinet when we came in in 1997 was a mistake. Frank Dobson doing health for two years was a disaster.”
He was then reportedly asked to name others he thought were a let-down in the early days of the Blair government but offered only Michael Meacher as another apparent culprit.
Mr Powell added: “I would’ve been much more radical early on. I would’ve gone for mixed provision – public and private – in health and education early and I would’ve taken more radical steps.”
Mr Dobson told the New Journal on Monday: “I’ve heard that he was very snotty about me – it’s just lucky I don’t worry about what the likes of Jonathan Powell think.
“He is an uber-Blairite and I think they are trying to rewrite history. What I did was implement what we promised to do in our manifesto.” He listed his achievements during two years in the cabinet, including a national campaign for meningitis vaccinations, increasing the number of medical students, providing better care for mentally ill, diabetic and elderly patients and reducing waiting times.
Mr Dobson added: “I took away the internal Tory market in the health service. We made a promise that we would not hand clinical services to the private sector and – under me – we didn’t.
“We defended the principles of the NHS.”
And – with the shadow of the fifth anniversary of the Iraq war fresh in the mind – Mr Dobson added: “If my time as Health Secretary was a disaster, I wouldn’t swap it for the complete and utter disaster of the Iraq war.”
He reminded his critics that he is on record as warning in the House of Commons that the invasion of Iraq would be a catastrophe.

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