Healthy sceptic

Far be it for me to argue with Professor Hugh Pennington, but he is talking drivel about Enoch Powell (Letters, 2 December).

Firstly, Powell was not one of the longest Health Ministers as claimed – he was in the role for three years, the standard tenure (Nye Bevin, Norman Fowler and Jeremy Hunt all did six).

Secondly, Powell ended the pre-1960s wholesale dumping by all strata of British society of its mentally ill in “loony bins” as if they were rubbish because it was evil, not to cut costs.

Again contrary to the myth, he voraciously opposed Margaret Thatcher’s “Care In The Community” and pointed out his solution would cost the Treasury more in the short term, less in the long as thousands of mentally ill people would regain their lives. Suffice to say, Powell’s plans went down like a lead brick.

Thirdly, the disingenuous attempts to paint Powell as an advocate for a twotier NHS are so outrageous, a heat pump sunk next to the great man's grave would solve Britain's energy issues in an instant from his spinning like a top at the suggestion. Au contraire Prof Pennington, Enoch Powell warned – and was ignored – what was happening to the NHS and the sinister "market forces" contriving to undermine it.

His potent 1966 book A New Look At Medicine And Politics saw him warn “The unnerving discovery every Minister of Health makes... is that the only subject he is ever destined to discuss with the medical profession is money”, and that those whose sole interest in health was profit undermined health ministers and NHS staff alike at every turn by hissing lies to the Treasury about “savings” which to little surprise prove the contrary when applied.

All warned of by Powell in 1966 – all still true in 2022.

MARK BOYLE Johnstone, Renfrewshire