Thursday 10th February 2015

[rebeccariots2]

Channel 4 News ‏@Channel4News 7m7 minutes ago
"You've become something of a hate figure - how does that feel?" - @jonsnowC4 to @Jeremy_Hunt #juniordoctors

I imagine he's intensely relaxed about it.

[mbc1955]

Andrew Foster
‏@andrewkfoster
@sanjaysastry The letter we supported was a different one to that published today.

Says it all about Unt.

It says as much as need be said about the depths this country has sunk to that there is not a single member of this Government who can support a single policy with the truth, and that they can only lie, cheat, lie, misrepresent, lie, distort, lie, lie, lie, lie, lie about everything and everyone. They don't represent me, they will never represent me and quite frankly I regard anyone who voted for them as creatures from another country, an alien country, who should be struck down in the streets if they ever dare claim to be British. They are not countrymen of mine.

[StephenDolan]

Andrew Foster
‏@andrewkfoster
@sanjaysastry The letter we supported was a different one to that published today.

Says it all about Unt.

It says as much as need be said about the depths this country has sunk to that there is not a single member of this Government who can support a single policy with the truth, and that they can only lie, cheat, lie, misrepresent, lie, distort, lie, lie, lie, lie, lie about everything and everyone. They don't represent me, they will never represent me and quite frankly I regard anyone who voted for them as creatures from another country, an alien country, who should be struck down in the streets if they ever dare claim to be British. They are not countrymen of mine.

It's how I feel. And anyone who voted that way that moans to me will be requested to stick a bacon sandwich where the sun doesn’t shine.

[rebeccariots2]

Informal talks between Plaid Cymru, the Lib Dems and the Greens on electoral pact fall apart
http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/polit ... u-10872214" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

... Informal talks were held between Plaid Cymru, the Welsh Liberal Democrats and the Welsh Greens on a failed attempt at an electoral pact, it has emerged.

Sources told ITV that representatives of the three parties had discussed the idea of working together to present a united alternative to Labour.

ITV reported that those involved believed the group could have won as many as 22 AMs through the pact.

It was thought that this, if Labour lost ground, may have given them the opportunity to put together a government.

The talks were reportedly started by Plaid, but fell apart when the Welsh Lib Dems called them off.

Alice Hooker-Stroud, leader of the Wales Green Party, said: “Our electoral system in Wales needs a good shake up. Progressive voters regularly have to hold their nose and vote for another term of a Welsh Labour government that has run out of ideas and has nothing left to offer but more excuses.

“Representatives of the Wales Green Party were approached to explore whether we could form an alliance as an alternative to our tired, inert one party state. People want real change, and we were looking to from alliance with parties who share common ground with the Wales Green Party to see if we could offer them a chance to vote for it.

“The electoral math was there, but the political will wasn’t...

Disappointed by this. Be good if the Welsh Green party thought about what they could do with Labour - as well as others if need be.

We don't yet have a one party state in Wales. That might be on the cards though ... perish the thought.

Editing to add: Not quite sure what more could be done with the electoral system that needs a shake up according to this quote ... we already have PR.

[seeingclearly]

Did we have this? my apologies if we did. It evoked a lot for me, of which I will mention in a mo.
So hang on this is a double cut and paste, and I am useless at it.

Jeremy Hunt co-authored book calling for NHS to be replaced with private insurance
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/po ... 65306.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


Anyway, the reason I have returned to this article is because whenever there is any challenge to the changes we are living with there is this tissue of lies that accompanies the justifying, and even the reportage, mostly. And all sorts of sincerities invoked and the clearest of motives offered, while nearly everyone knows absolutely that none of it is true. I have to say I have met no one, absolutely no one, who believes in it all, though I have met a few very selfinterested types who had no qualms, survival of the fittest types mainly, who would eat their grannies if they had to.

Anyway to be clearer all this brought back to me the time immediately following the elections in 2010, that patch of uncertainty, and a feeling that what happened then would change everything. It was quite a graphic moment, one of those total recall ones that capture the mood and expression of everything. I knew things were held in the balance and not in a good way, because at the time it mirrored some event I had seen at the cinema where some one was ousted and a much worse person took over. A coup d'etat in fact. So I have always equated it with that. Today I wonder if the goal was in fact a bigger one, so I am tossing the idea to you, and don't particularly need a response. I also read today an article by, of all people, George Soros. Putin apparently is more dangerous than ISIS. Anyway it has been an odd day. But I can't help being unable to shake off a feeling that the intent of the referendum was to get us out of the EU and perhaps to provoke its breakup/dissolution/whatever. Perhaps because I can't and never did see a real reason why they would offer the previous referendum. Which could only ever have resulted in the dilemma we now have, what to do about England. So they must have wanted this, even when they were washing their hands of it, something it occurs to me they seem to do a lot of. Well there it is, my lucid but slightly incoherent moment of the day. There is a link to the amazing publication I mentioned in the link article. Among the co-authors Dan Hannan and other suspects. Who I stumbled on around 2007, and who made me feel very uneasy while watching the post election events play out in 2010........

The same feeling has been mounting again, though oddly it wasn't there last May. But maybe gut feelings are nothing, just a bit of indigestion, but I have only ever suffered from the metaphorical version of that.

[rebeccariots2]

Sky News Tonight ‏@SkyNewsTonight 51m51 minutes ago
"If you were to buy the junior doctors' acquiescence, all the other clinical staff" would strike too - Ken Clarke MP

[rebeccariots2]

Senior Plaid AM refuses to rule out a deal to make a minority Tory Welsh Government possible
http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/polit ... e-10863971" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

So one minute they're in talks to form a 'progressive alliance' against Labour.

The next they're refusing to rule out a deal with the Tories.

Progressive my arse.

[seeingclearly]

Sky News Tonight ‏@SkyNewsTonight 51m51 minutes ago
"If you were to buy the junior doctors' acquiescence, all the other clinical staff" would strike too - Ken Clarke MP

The inverse is also true, if you can impose it on the junior doctors you can impose it on the lot of them, nurses, specialists, everyone. It is, I think, quite an important moment.

[PorFavor]

Sky News Tonight ‏@SkyNewsTonight 51m51 minutes ago
"If you were to buy the junior doctors' acquiescence, all the other clinical staff" would strike too - Ken Clarke MP

Would that be "Cuddly" Ken, perchance?

[RogerOThornhill]

Sky News Tonight ‏@SkyNewsTonight 51m51 minutes ago
"If you were to buy the junior doctors' acquiescence, all the other clinical staff" would strike too - Ken Clarke MP

So they're changing all other clinical staff contracts too?

[rebeccariots2]

Beth RigbyVerified account
‏@BethRigby
Guardian: editorial headcount (now at 925) 2b cut by over 100 & management might have 2 introduce compulsory scheme More in @thetimes later

[rebeccariots2]

Sky News Tonight ‏@SkyNewsTonight 51m51 minutes ago
"If you were to buy the junior doctors' acquiescence, all the other clinical staff" would strike too - Ken Clarke MP

So they're changing all other clinical staff contracts too?

That would seem to be the intent ... how could there be a true '7 day NHS' without them there?

[HindleA]

http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/doc ... 67886.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Doctors, eh? You can’t find anyone more selfish in society

[PorFavor]

Beth RigbyVerified account
‏@BethRigby
Guardian: editorial headcount (now at 925) 2b cut by over 100 & management might have 2 introduce compulsory scheme More in @thetimes later

Got a bit confused there - I was thinking 2b editorial staff was a bit steep and I also had trouble with the arithmetic. I think I'm back on track now . . .

[HindleA]

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfre ... P=soc_3156" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Liverpool football fans have shown why we need a moral economy
Martin Kettle

[RogerOThornhill]

So they're changing all other clinical staff contracts too?

That would seem to be the intent ... how could there be a true '7 day NHS' without them there?

But then a lot of clinical staff are already on 7 day contracts already -midwives certainly are!

[PorFavor]

Liam Fox tops poll to be next Tory leader?!?

http://www.totalpolitics.com/blog/45664 ... ader.thtml" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Admittedly, poll of Tory activists, but still

Perhaps it's on the "buy one get one free" principle.

[RogerOThornhill]

Liam Fox tops poll to be next Tory leader?!?

http://www.totalpolitics.com/blog/45664 ... ader.thtml" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Admittedly, poll of Tory activists, but still

They don't even get a vote until the choice is between two so largely irrelevant.

Perm any two from Boris, May, Osborne.

[ohsocynical]

Sky News Tonight ‏@SkyNewsTonight 51m51 minutes ago
"If you were to buy the junior doctors' acquiescence, all the other clinical staff" would strike too - Ken Clarke MP

The inverse is also true, if you can impose it on the junior doctors you can impose it on the lot of them, nurses, specialists, everyone. It is, I think, quite an important moment.

There was a Tweet from a consultant saying [roughly] that they'd have to step up to the plate.

[ohsocynical]

Liam Fox tops poll to be next Tory leader?!?

http://www.totalpolitics.com/blog/45664 ... ader.thtml" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Admittedly, poll of Tory activists, but still

Perhaps it's on the "buy one get one free" principle.

Hah!

[Tubby Isaacs]

Did we have this? my apologies if we did. It evoked a lot for me, of which I will mention in a mo.
So hang on this is a double cut and paste, and I am useless at it.

Jeremy Hunt co-authored book calling for NHS to be replaced with private insurance
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/po ... 65306.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I wouldn't take the insurance bit too seriously. It's an unnecessary distraction, and would be hell to play.

Better to think of it like schools. Nobody much thinks having a pure fee paying system would work, even with vouchers. But what you can get away with, as they are, is having schools funded from tax income but provided privately, with only enough state provision to underwrite the privatization.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Some mistake here?

http://www.theforester.co.uk/article.cf ... hyear=2016" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

THE resignation of Kirsten Harrison, headteacher at Newent Community School, has been followed by an allegation the school is about to lose academy status and be taken back under local authority control.
A parent who gave her name but did not wish to be identified said: “Mrs Harrison is leaving Newent Community school in one month.
“The school is also being taken back into local authority control and losing academy status as it is out of control.
“We are desperately concerned about our daughter’s GCSEs as what the school says and the reality of what happens is very different indeed.”

The message the head posted is very odd. Sounds more like a pupil than a headteacher.

Newent is a wonderful school and I am really going to miss it,” she said.
“Teachers believed in me and helped me to do better than I ever thought I would.
"They helped me understand what I had to do to improve – and told me when I could do better.
"They wanted me to be the best I can be.
“Their ambition was infectious.
“I am sorry to leave but I have built friendships that will last forever."

Of all the LAs that would even want a school back, Gloucestershire must be pretty low on the list.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Sky News Tonight ‏@SkyNewsTonight 51m51 minutes ago
"If you were to buy the junior doctors' acquiescence, all the other clinical staff" would strike too - Ken Clarke MP

Would that be "Cuddly" Ken, perchance?

They're likely to have a few strikes anyway, surely?

If it's anything like it was 20 years ago, there's going to be a fair few people with tons of TOIL clocked up...

[Tubby Isaacs]

Newent Community School

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newent_Community_School" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Notice Mark Harper stopping being a governor once he got elected.

[Tubby Isaacs]

The school went from Inadequate to Good in 2014. Now the headteacher's leaving mid term?

Sounds like a football club or something.

[seeingclearly]

http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/doc ... 67886.html

Doctors, eh? You can’t find anyone more selfish in society

Thanks, A, I loved the Mafia paragraph because I can't be the only one who has made the mental comparison, especially relevent to Montalbano fans who know theres a difference between street gangsters and the real ones. All that good living mainly, vineyards and all. But also the 'kidney envelope' made my day. Brilliant! However do they get away with the guff?

So as a thankyou, heres a prediction, Dave will beat JC around the ears with Trident at every available opportunity, with a winning smirk. The way to go out while seeming to go in.

Gosh, I'm starting to feel like Lurkio.

[RogerOThornhill]

Some mistake here?

http://www.theforester.co.uk/article.cf ... hyear=2016" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

THE resignation of Kirsten Harrison, headteacher at Newent Community School, has been followed by an allegation the school is about to lose academy status and be taken back under local authority control.
A parent who gave her name but did not wish to be identified said: “Mrs Harrison is leaving Newent Community school in one month.
“The school is also being taken back into local authority control and losing academy status as it is out of control.
“We are desperately concerned about our daughter’s GCSEs as what the school says and the reality of what happens is very different indeed.”

The message the head posted is very odd. Sounds more like a pupil than a headteacher.

Newent is a wonderful school and I am really going to miss it,” she said.
“Teachers believed in me and helped me to do better than I ever thought I would.
"They helped me understand what I had to do to improve – and told me when I could do better.
"They wanted me to be the best I can be.
“Their ambition was infectious.
“I am sorry to leave but I have built friendships that will last forever."

Of all the LAs that would even want a school back, Gloucestershire must be pretty low on the list.

Unlikely.

Newent is a converter (Sept 2012). Far more likely that it will be taken over by a MAT. It'll lose its autonomy.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Looking at the academies nearby in Gloucester/the Forest.

Doesn't look like an embarrassment of riches. Prospects were there (shut down).

[Tubby Isaacs]

Another academy, in Lydney.

http://www.theforestreview.co.uk/articl ... hyear=2015" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Got their hands full with that, by the sounds of it.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Another local academy. More hands full.

http://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/inspection ... ELS/136199" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

This is, to be fair, a tough area.

[seeingclearly]

Did we have this? my apologies if we did. It evoked a lot for me, of which I will mention in a mo.
So hang on this is a double cut and paste, and I am useless at it.

Jeremy Hunt co-authored book calling for NHS to be replaced with private insurance
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/po ... 65306.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I wouldn't take the insurance bit too seriously. It's an unnecessary distraction, and would be hell to play.

Better to think of it like schools. Nobody much thinks having a pure fee paying system would work, even with vouchers. But what you can get away with, as they are, is having schools funded from tax income but provided privately, with only enough state provision to underwrite the privatization.

Their headline, not my concern. How they deliver isn't the issue is it, we've seen enough u-turns to know they aren't invested that way. They don't really do detail, fag packet stuff mostly dressed up to look like something viable, so you have to pick up the corner of the rug and see what is underneath. To my mind it has been there all along, its just not quite identifiable. Delivering the NHS as a hugely profit making market, now thats a different thing. Ask me sometime how a fifty pence shot can cost the tax payer anywhere between fifty and 75 quid. And then think about what that means for more complex procedures. The only place in this that they CAN cut is HR. And it was always planned that way. It is written on everything, so what you call it doesn't matter, NI will disappear and something else will appear. Those of us with pre existing won't figure. It will still be called the NHS, to our ever lasting shame. And everyone will be pedaling a lot lot faster, except those who cannot, but likely you won't be able to see them, so no worries.

[mbc1955]

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfre ... P=soc_3156

Liverpool football fans have shown why we need a moral economy
Martin Kettle

Somehow, without even reading this, I suspect that Kettle hasn't come up with a single idea that doesn't depend on the Government being transformed into people who understand morality.

[RogerOThornhill]

Another local academy. More hands full.

http://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/inspection ... ELS/136199" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

This is, to be fair, a tough area.

That one was part of Prospects - remember I wrote about them!

http://flythenest.freeforums.org/the-ri ... t1226.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[PorFavor]

I posted this earlier today, but I think it bears repeating -

Professor John Schofield, president of the Hospital Consultants and Specialists Association which is the union for senior doctors said it showed a lack of respects for the entire medical profession.

It will steel consultants and other senior specialist grades... in their dealings with government over the impending new consultant contract.

We fear that senior doctors, who are the government’s next target, will increasingly vote with their feet alongside their juniors rather than wait around to be used as target practice by politicians in whom they have now totally lost faith. (Politics Live, Guardian)

[martinson]

I've just received this and know that I must share it;
Dear reader. There have been lots of descriptions and explanations of the proposed junior contract, but I have seen none better that this one from a ‪#‎militantdoc‬ below. Posted with permission.

Imagine you and your friends are all sat around a table eating chips.
Suddenly Jeremy Hunt comes along….
JH: Oooh, those chips looks nice, mind if I have a taste?
You: Er, okay I guess.
JH: Hmm, I’m not sure about these chips. I think I had better piss on them.
*unzips flies*
You: WTF?! NO! GET LOST.
JH: No really - I’m in the government, you can’t stop me.
You: If you c ome near these chips 98% of us are going to stab you with these forks.
JH: Okay, okay, fine. Let’s talk about this.
You: What’s there to talk about? Pissing on my chips is bloody stupid.
JH: I’ve read a paper that says that 11,000 people will die if you don’t let me piss on your chips. Chips taste 20% better with piss all over them. Come on, please let me piss on all of your chips?
You: What paper? That sounds like you just made it up!
JH: This paper here.
*produces paper, you read it*
You: No it doesn’t come to that conclusion; in fact the author in the paper specifically states that interpretation is misleading.
JH: What about the rest of you on this table, don’t listen to this guy, he is clearly a deranged militant and he is lying to you. So come on, don’t listen to him, you can trust me, pass me your plates so that I can piss on your chips.
Everyone: NO - GET LOST YOU LUNATIC!
*brandish fork at him*
JH: Those forks are completely unnecessary, my door is always open for negotiation:- How about I go to the chippy counter and get some more chips. You can each have 11% more chips, and in return I get to piss on them.
You: No, we already told you to get lost! Stop trying to piss on our chips!
JH: You drive a hard bargain, how about I only piss on half of the chips on your plate? The other half will be piss-free.
You: You’re still pissing on my chips, this is NOT a workable solution.
JH: Hold on I’ve got an idea How about I just piss on your plate. We’ll define chips that were there before the piss as being protected for up to three years.
You: But even if you define my chips as protected, will they still be sitting on my plate… in a pool of piss?
JH: Yes, you see isn’t that the best solution for all concerned?
You: No, because however you look at it I’m still getting piss-covered chips.
*the chip shop owner comes over*
Owner: Jeremy, how about you go to these customer toilets and use those while these nice people eat their chips in peace.
You: Finally someone who talks sense. Let's all agree to do that shall we?
JH: NO! I AM THE LAW!!!! I VETO THIS AGREEMENT! I must stick to my manifesto commitment for crispier cod in all chip shops by 2020.
Everyone else: WTF has crispy cod got to do with pissing on our chips?!
JH: 11,000 of 20% of 11% crispy cod piss-chips. That are a facts from serious robust research science!
(you notice a little bit of froth bubbling from Hunt's mouth as his eyes diverge somewhat)
You: That sentence doesn’t make the slightest bit of sense. And (sigh) what "research"?
JH: It hasn’t been published, but my mate told me about it so it must be the truth. Now that you’ve heard this overwhelming evidence you must understand why I need to piss on everyone’s chips.
Everyone: NO - GET LOST!
*Jeremy turns to the public*
JH: SEE? SEE! THEY ARE BEING TOTALLY UNREASONABLE! THEY JUST WON’T NEGOTIATE PROPERLY ON THIS. Time is running out, I need to impose piss on these chips before they go cold...


Sent from my iPad

[Tubby Isaacs]

Thanks, Robert.

Of course, the silly thing is that you don't always abolish strikes by shifting people with leverage into the private sector. See rail.

[ohsocynical]

I found this on a Facebook page.

Rich Bowman
11 hrs · Birmingham ·

Last night I was the sole doctor on site caring for over 100 patients who were acutely unwell with complications from their cancer. Some couldn't breath, some were fighting overwhelming infections with literally no immune system, one had bleeding in their head, one had a blockage in their bowels. If I made a mistake because I was tired, any one of these patients could've died.

Every cancer patient in the south birmingham region has a direct line to call for advice or help. 11 new unwell patients arrived and I assessed and treated them too.

There was not a single manager in the whole hospital. Last night, I ran the oncology service for the whole south birmingham region from inside the biggest teaching hospital in Europe.
Apparently I have no transferable skills to find a different job.

And then I stood on a picket line in the cold to save our NHS. But my shift wasn't during the strike, it was just what countless other junior doctors do everyday.

I am 27 years old. I work 60 hours a week, for the 48 that I'm paid for, I earn £18/hour.
Apparently I lack vocation, I'm overpaid and I need to work harder.

Screw you Jeremy Hunt. We never asked for thanks. All we do is for our patients, how dare you try and turn them against us. All of this is your government's fault. Well you've picked a fight with the wrong crowd.

Go on, announce imposition, and just see what the most resilient, driven, passionate, intelligent group of people in Britain do next. Bring it on.

[rebeccariots2]

Aarrrrrggghh.

Hunt on Newsnight - slimy, slimy, slimy - but, almost even worse, he also says 'gonna'. 'If we're gonna create the kind of NHS' .... blah, blah, blah.

It's 'GOING TO' - you lazy patronising eliding twit.

What is it with these overprivileged powernuts that think they will sound more convincing if they drop a few hs and lose their ts? The school of Osborne doesn't fool anyone.

Right that's my Male Online rant over.

[HindleA]

RR2 thankyou for expanding my vocabularly.

[rebeccariots2]

From the Badger Trust today - good news from Wales again. My red line for any political party in Wales will - once again - be their position on animal welfare and wildlife protection ... and their stance on a science led to control bovine tb rather than badger culling. I won't support any party that supports culling or reneges on a previously stated policy not to cull.

Government report confirms badger vaccination is working and a year break will not result in any increase in TB in badgers
The Badger Trust has welcomed a report by the Animal & Plant Health Agency for the Welsh Government on the success of its badger vaccination project.

The report was commissioned after the decision by the Welsh Government to temporarily halt badger vaccination due to a global shortage of BCG TB vaccine. The work was performed in order to determine the most likely effects of not using the BCG vaccine for badgers in 2016, after successfully using the trap and inject approach with BCG for 4 years between 2011 and 2015.

The analysis simulated a variety of different badger vaccination strategies to manage bovine TB within the Intensive Action Area in Wales. It used a current badger and cattle bTB model that has been repeatedly peer reviewed and published in the scientific literature used for reporting to DEFRA, Welsh and Northern Ireland Governments.

The report found that 4 years of continuous badger vaccination has substantially reduced the prevalence of TB in badgers and this decline would continue over a ten year period although the benefit of each later year of vaccination was less than in earlier years.

Due to the group immunity effect, a 1 year interruption in badger vaccination in 2016 was not found to result in any increase in the prevalence of TB in badgers.

Commenting on the findings of the report the Chief Executive of the Badger Trust Dominic Dyer said:

“We are delighted to see confirmation that badger vaccination is leading to a substantial reduction in the prevalence of TB in badgers and that any temporary halt while the global stocks of BCG vaccine recover, will not lead to an increase in the spread of the disease in badgers.

I am disappointed to see the Farmers Union of Wales calling for an end to badger vaccination in the Intensive Action Area in Wales on the grounds that the cost of £700 per badger is a ‘waste of public money’, when DEFRA is spending over £7,000 per badger on a disastrous badger cull policy in England, without testing any of the badgers killed for TB.

Badger vaccination is scientifically proven to work and has huge public and political support in England and Wales. It plays a key role in bringing conservation and wildlife protection groups together with farmers and landowners in a spirit of mutual trust and confidence. It’s a perfect example of David Cameron's "Big Society" in action"

The Chairman of the Badger Trust Peter Martin said

"Rather than attack the Welsh Government for vaccinating badgers against TB, the Farmers Union of Wales should be celebrating its success. They should be calling on DEFRA and the NFU in England to follow the Welsh example of reducing bovine TB by focusing on improved cattle testing and movement controls. New incidents of bovine TB in cattle are now down by 28% in Wales with a 45% cut in the number of cattle being slaughtered. This now leaves 94% of the Welsh herd TB free, without killing any badgers.”

[rebeccariots2]

RR2 thankyou for expanding my vocabularly.

I'm not sure I've expanded anything much expect my stress levels HindleA. Well no actually - that's down to Hunt.

I've seen some tweets saying he looks knackered. Not knackered enough IMO. Not nearly enough.

[seeingclearly]

The thing is with shifting things this way is that the end user, whatever the sector, still has to have a way to pay for it. And a lot of it won't come out of his / her weekly wages, or not directly because it is too much, so there are a few ways of doing that. We already have savings for kids to go to uni, sometimes this is started at birth! Insurance, savings whatever, it is all part of the financial/ banking sector, and not HMRC. But the latter is arguably better value. The former locks everyone in to an economic framework all to do with money, and not to do with useful productive work. So the human input becomes diminished or devalued. Frankly, with the direction things are taking, and looked at objectively it is a model for catastrophy, and anyone in the least bit interested in sustainability will tell you that. If you don't already know. But there will be nice clean desk jobs aplenty administering it all and forms to fill before your child gets a prebirth place in school or you get that nasty gash on your head attended to, and you won't even read the fine print anymoren, and no one wonders where all those tiresome homeless people* went or the disabled ones either.

* Recent experience.
Friend: And we don't have any roadside beggars any more.
Me. (astonished) you don't? Where did they go?
Friend. I don't know, the government made it illegal.
Me. but it was illegal before and they were there....
Friend. I don't know, I never wondered what happened to them. Perhaps they got housed somewhere.
Me. Did the government say that?
Friend. (with perplexed face) No. But war amputees are allowed to, just not to live on the street.
Me. Hmmm, its a difficult question.
Friend. (very quietly) yes.

We drove up past the huge new showpiece lotus shaped conference centre her PM and mine had spoken at recently as heads of state, and headed home.

edited to say: I should have said ex-pm, theirs not ours, a personal friend of mr bushy tail and mr weracity

[HindleA]

In terms of creating deliberate fear of the NHS being unsafe at week-ends alone he is an irredeemable bastard that should have been nowhere near the position he holds.

[seeingclearly]

An office full of nurses and no antiseptic wipes.

http://scottishunemployedworkers.net/20 ... ptic-wipe/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[mbc1955]

I found this on a Facebook page.

Rich Bowman
11 hrs · Birmingham ·

Last night I was the sole doctor on site caring for over 100 patients who were acutely unwell with complications from their cancer. Some couldn't breath, some were fighting overwhelming infections with literally no immune system, one had bleeding in their head, one had a blockage in their bowels. If I made a mistake because I was tired, any one of these patients could've died.

Every cancer patient in the south birmingham region has a direct line to call for advice or help. 11 new unwell patients arrived and I assessed and treated them too.

There was not a single manager in the whole hospital. Last night, I ran the oncology service for the whole south birmingham region from inside the biggest teaching hospital in Europe.
Apparently I have no transferable skills to find a different job.

And then I stood on a picket line in the cold to save our NHS. But my shift wasn't during the strike, it was just what countless other junior doctors do everyday.

I am 27 years old. I work 60 hours a week, for the 48 that I'm paid for, I earn £18/hour.
Apparently I lack vocation, I'm overpaid and I need to work harder.

Screw you Jeremy Hunt. We never asked for thanks. All we do is for our patients, how dare you try and turn them against us. All of this is your government's fault. Well you've picked a fight with the wrong crowd.

Go on, announce imposition, and just see what the most resilient, driven, passionate, intelligent group of people in Britain do next. Bring it on.

Thank you for posting this. I wish there was a hope in Hell that anyone with any power or responsibility on the Government side would even read this.

[rebeccariots2]

Claire Phipps ‏@Claire_Phipps 2m2 minutes ago
John Kerry says there has been agreement for ceasefire in Syria within a week

Hope.

[seeingclearly]

Shan't say what I really think, Ohso, I know the place well. My closest friend, who didn't quite make it through last year went through the hands of young people like this many times, as an emergency patient, and they rescuscitated and revived her and she was able to do many things she wanted before she passed away peacefully at home. They hold things together no matter what day of the week it is, but it is clear that things are not right there. It is an amazing hospital and the medical staff are great, but you have never seen such understaffing as you find in what I think is called the clinical decision unit, thats the bit you are put in if they decide you are to be admitted. Unless you need resuss then you go to ICU. Theres not a word the writer said that seems debatable, it rings with truth. I can't imagine what it is like elsewhere when this showcase hospital and centre of excellence is seeing such things.

edited for clarity.

[Hobiejoe]

Apropos nought in particular but very much in honour of the timing of the nocturnal postings of the much missed Lady C, I give you the hilarious assemblage of blatant music biz puffery in the article itself, coupled with some outstanding BTL comments and truly Herculean efforts with the "recommend" button.

Ta-Daa!

http://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/f ... lease-2016" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Hobiejoe]

And another late night thought - whither DFH? Has his "useful idiot" status whithered to mere "idiot"?

Good night all.

[tinybgoat]

Apropos nought in particular but very much in honour of the timing of the nocturnal postings of the much missed Lady C, I give you the hilarious assemblage of blatant music biz puffery in the article itself, coupled with some outstanding BTL comments and truly Herculean efforts with the "recommend" button.

Ta-Daa!

http://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/f ... lease-2016" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

21 pages btl, so far,
it's like a (mostly one-sided ) obituary for Marmite.