This is a nomination for Bright Green’s Dick of the Year 2011 award. To submit your own nomination email around 200 words to editors (at) brightgreenscotland (dot) org by the end of Friday. Voting will open on New Year’s Day.

In the second year of the coalition, Lansley’s Health and Social Care Bill, one of the biggest top down reforms of the NHS since its inception in 1948, rolled it’s way through the commons, and is most of the way through the Lords, delayed only by Lansley’s refusal to release a register of risks created by the health bill. In 2008, Cameron had said there would be an end to top down reforms of the NHS.

The bill is opposed by all the medical professionals, with the BMA recently reiterating it’s complete opposition to it. 38 Degrees’ petition stands at 495,000 signatures. “Andrew Lansley – Greedy, Andrew Lansley – Tosser” became a regular chant on demos, as MC NextGen’s Lansley rap racked up over 450,000 views on YouTube. This song remains one of the most insightful criticisms of both Lansley and the health bill.

Only private healthcare companies like the bill, but Lansley repeatedly says this is not about privatisation, then over christmas announces that the health bill will allow NHS hospitals to sell up to 49% of bedspace to private patients in order to raise revenue.

Meanwhile, Lansley is presiding over “efficiency savings” of £20bn over 5 years from the most efficient healthcare system in the world . With cuts being made, how many hospitals will be able to operate without selling more and more bedspace to private patients who are paying to be seen more quickly?

Before the election Cameron said “we’ll cut the deficit, not the NHS” and then they have done exactly the opposite. 4 out of 5 doctors say those cuts are affecting patient care.

So for accelerating the job begun by Labour when they created foundation hospitals, to seek to run down the NHS in preparation for privatisation, to eventually remove and destroy one of the greatest achievements of the UK, a universal healthcare system accessible regardless of wealth, which is ranked amongst the best in the world, and swap it for a US system which will cost us all more, for worse care, I am nominating Andrew Lansley for dick of the year.