IT is another winter and another NHS crisis.

Staff stretched and politicians seemingly going over the same old arguments. People are rightly criticising the current government.

However the route to a sustainable universal healthcare system is not as straightforward as a change of Government.

On the one hand, I would not dispute any short-term prediction that a new (and non-Blairite) Labour Government would give the investment needed to avert a repetition of the crisis.

However on the other hand, historical trends clearly show that non-Blairite Labour Governments only stay in power for a maximum of a term-and-a-half.

When the question is asked on how other countries run healthcare services, the US and Cuba are two examples which stir passions.

The lack of health insurance available to America’s poor rightly frightens people.

While Cuba’s healthcare policies rightly draw minimal criticism, their economic policies rightly draw much criticism.

Ever since I have been a young voter, I have always been critical of first past the post.

In the past few years my passion for supporting a move to an electoral system based on proportional representation (PR) has increased.

PR based democracies produce a more consensual style of politics, and perform well in the provision of universal health care. Germany uses a compulsory health insurance scheme which also compels employers to make a contribution.

However, unlike the US, less well off Germans are not pushed into financial hardship to afford insurance.

Like our NHS, healthcare in Sweden is mainly free at the point of use, and largely funded through taxation.

For me, what works in countries like Germany and Sweden should at least be considered.

Ultimately, a more consensual (and less tribal) style of politics is needed to establish a new consensus which in turn will underpin modern and more sustainable health policies.

ANDY WATSON Bewsey