Cornwall: MP moves to oppose hospital cuts

The BBC reports that a Cornwall MP Andrew George is to meet a health minister to discuss the possible closure of a Cornwall hospital.

The Lib Dem MP for St Ives opposes plans being considered by the Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust to shut St Michael's Hospital in Hayle.

The Trust is cutting costs and 300 jobs to reduce a potential £31m deficit. A memo leaked to the BBC revealed plans to close St Michael's 70 beds.

Yet the £31 million deficit causing the problem is a tiny fraction of the £115 million a week we'll be sending the EU from next year, if the deal Tony Blair did in December is approved by MPs like Mr George.

So more interesting than his meeting a minister, is Mr George going to vote for this 60% increase in our payments to the EU while EU auditors still can't tell us how the majority of its budget is spent, and while a hospital in his constituency is threatened with closure for a small proportion of the extra amounts Blair wants to fire-hose at the EU?

That'd take some explaining to his constituents, come the next election.