„TB-BUSTERS” advocating for the privatisation of health insurance
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written by Pederito 10 December a unique street performance took place right outside the Hungarian Parliament.
A group of activists dressed as business leaders and bankers associated with the „Social-Darwinist Movement”, the „National Association of Capitalists”, the „Blood Defender's Society” and the „Anti Humanist Movement” staged a short protest against the planned changes of the Hungarian public health insurance system.
They arrived at the venue in a big white Hummer limousine, playing aloud the famous starting sounds of Pink Floyd’s Money and welcomed the health care reforms due to be voted by the Hungarian Parliament next week in front of a dozens of journalists and bystanders.
The reforms – scheduled to be passed by legislation on 17 December 2007 - will allow profit interests – the interests of these demonstrating businessmen - to enter into the Hungarian health care market. It would also give the insurance companies a substantial portion of the decision making power as they will hold 49% of the share of the newly created regional insurance bodies and will have the means to tailor policy decisions to their preferences.
The CEO representing the "National Insurance Busters"stated that he was delighted that the Government had finally realised that the way forward for Hungary was to remove falsely imposed social protection, that the natural way forward - the Darwinist natural selection scheme - is best achieved by legislation which removes those illogical state benefits that 'keep grannies dodging graves' at the expense of the rich and healthy. Special reference was made to the “guarantees” which the government insists on having to protect citizens from the worst excesses of capitalism: the bankers ensured their cronies that no matter what the state is communicating to the people, they don’t need to worry: 'every guarantee will run out' as the process of privatisation deepens. They were pleased to say that their rights to control the market will be protected and enhanced by the GATS and EU competition laws.
At the end of their protest, the businessmen rolled their limousene to the entrance of the Parlaiment and were to have a chat with their “chums” in the government. However, they were unable to gain entry for some reason, although they claimed that they were old friends with the Prime Minister with whom they compiled the draft legislation together with over many glasses of wine...
The activists were of course neither members of the “TB-Busters” (TB is the Hungarian abbreviation for Social Insurance) nor any of the above organisations, they acted as part of an alliance of NGOs established by the famous environmental-political group Védegylet, the National Association of Large Families, Humanist Movement and other NGOs with the sole purpose of stopping the “privatization” of the public health insurance system.
Tensions are getting higher by every day in the Hungarian domestic political life, as the social-liberal coalition seems to be unstoppable in pushing forward the controversial reform-bill despite the hence rarely experienced nationwide joining of forces of the civil life, the political opposition as well as leftist intellectuals normally providing the moral background of the coalition parties.