NHS

Someone said to me "you live in a developed country, why do you spend so much tax on social programmes? All your infrastructure is working". it made me think about the NHS. When it was first set up in 1948 the government (Tory would you believe???) that it was set up to make the population healthy after the war. It was assumed that once the wartime health needs were met the NHS could close down as it wouldn't be needed any more. 

How funny. 

Now we just assume it will continue spending more and more forever. Almost all of the issues for our generation require a collective response. even nationalising the banks takes us back to nation states. How does that fit with individuals and thier need? 

Infrastructure helps everyone and you can see it (that's why the UN like it) but education is harder to track. Maybethe UK should have spooned the last 10 years of cash on the world's best public transport, instead of health and education projects. just a thought..