Politicians who continue to welcome contracts with US companies without considering the risks and consequences of total dependency in the years to come are undermining the raison d’etre of the NHS, argues Dr JOHN PUNTIS

“SOME things just stick in your mind,” as Vashti Bunyan sang all those years ago.
As I packed my bags yesterday for Durham, where I’ll be spending the weekend at the Big Meeting, I couldn’t help but think of a speech I heard there four years ago, when I was attending the Miners’ Gala for the first time.
Tosh McDonald, then president of train drivers’ union Aslef, spoke of the historic connection between the railways and the coal industry.

CONRAD LANDIN offers a guide to the diverse shows at Edinburgh Art Festival