Publisher's Synopsis
This book examines the privatization of NHS ancillary services from the perspective of their political significance. In particular it argues that the existence of the NHS as a pole of opposition to ôThatcheriteö and ônew rightö ideas and values gave the health service a special role in articulating left wing politics. This leftist position utilizes what Stuart Hall has called ôcounter-hegemonic struggleö and is conducted principally at cultural level.