Re-disorganisation, re-dysfunctionalisation

[Martin Cassini]

In yesterday’s Guardian, Polly Toynbee had a sobering article about the prospect of NHS privatisation under the new government. "If GPs think they will be free to commission who they like among trusted local consultants, think again. Monitor is to become a competition regulator, whose first duty is to enforce a free market. This means all NHS contracts will fall under EU competition law, so tenders must be advertised internationally. GPs favouring local providers can be sued if their consortium rejects a cheaper offer from a loss-leading large company." Later, Toynbee uses the phrase, "If Westminster politicians re-disorganise the NHS" – which of course has a parallel in traffic (mis)management, e.g. the introduction of increasingly sophisticated controls such as pedestrian countdown. Instead of treating the cause of dangerous roads – priority – they address symptoms, and re-dysfunctionalise an already dysfunctional system.