O/T:- The NHS strike - for or against?

[Elite_Pie]

Well, it's been interesting and quite amusing catching up on this thread! It seems a few spent part of their Christmas Day making stuff up again, so let me correct them:

... little elite playing his usual silly games of trying to divert some of the really constructive content. Some hardy lefties in denial that the NHS needs fundamental change.

Really, or did you just make that up? I have never denied the NHS needs fundamental change, because that's obviously just what it needs.

I care about British business and workers and I care about our environment, unlike you who couldn't give a sh*t!!!

Again, not remotely true. I was pointing out the British business has to be competitive to win contracts, that's how business works. You couldn't be more wrong about me not caring about the environment, I believe climate change is real and have always supported green causes on here. That's why I wasn't happy with "farmers destroying 1000's of miles of hedge rows and all it's habitats".

Well not long now till 2024 when Labour will make everything in the garden rosy. I am sure they have all the answers, and it will make a nice change to be run by honest, caring and upstanding folk.

I've never suggested that Labour are the solution. I said that we need to get rid of this Conservative government because they are dragging this country into the gutter. I also said the the best alternative I can think of in the short term is a coalition government.

[Elite_Pie]

The bit that made me chuckle was the picture of the Brexit leaflet! We all know that the whole Brexit campaign was fought on a pack of lies and scare stories from both sides, so what came true and what didn't? The leave campaign promised more money for the NHS, taking control of our borders, great new trade agreements and a better economy for starters.

So what's happened? The NHS is in turmoil, illegal immigrants are still coming here in their thousands, trade with Europe has reduced, and the economy has been trashed with higher prices and rampant inflation. I did warn you that "taking control of our own destiny" would lead to things like this, when that control was placed in the hands of a bunch of corrupt arseholes.

[magpie_mania]

I think in the main they have, but those who have talked about food banks etc have done more harm than good.

Sadly comments like that tend to get newspaper headlines.

While they continue to make them, the newspapers will continue to print them.

Sorry, but they only have themselves to blame for that.

[Elite_Pie]

While they continue to make them, the newspapers will continue to print them.

Sorry, but they only have themselves to blame for that.

Agreed. It's a bit sad that sensationalist headlines (from whatever side) get the attention they do.

[GranthamPie]

and sorry, I nearly forgot…. DON’T VOTE FOR THE FCUKING TORIES!

[PedroTheFisherman66]

and sorry, I nearly forgot…. DON’T VOTE FOR THE FCUKING TORIES!

and even better well said !!

[GranthamPie]

Lol…. I think you’ve missed your vocation in life UTM!

Reality is though… most of us have spent enough time on hospital wards to realise that old age isn’t going to be any fun. A one way trip to Switzerland becomes more appealing as the years go by.

[jackal2]

So what do you think should be done about it??? Pretty much shows that throwing endless cash at it isn't going to sort it out. The NHS is no longer and hasn't been for a long long time been sustainable in it's current format.

Labour just use it for political points scoring while offering zero ideas!!

I'm not convinced either of the two major parties have the bottle to implement the scale of reform needed. They're both hopelessly compromised, albeit in different ways.

There are private and public sector interests using the sheer size of the NHS to milk the organisation for their own benefit, relatively unchallenged. Probably the only way to prevent/manage that - and it would take a lot of time, persistence and incredible political will and resilience - is by breaking the NHS down into much smaller and more manageable units.

It's a brave politician or party that even suggests trying to do so because, when the vested private/public sector interests sense that their 'jam today' meal ticket is being threatened, they are usually very successful in mobilising public opinion to 'Defend the NHS', and the public are generally gullible enough to buy that narrative, so the would-be radical reformers (if they even dare to raise their heads in the first place) tend to water down or back away from doing anything radical enough to make the NHS the truly great entity it could be.

If the NHS carries on more or less in its current form - which is likely in view of the above stalemate - then it will eventually collapse regardless of which political party is in control or what they're spending on it. In that scenario, everyone loses eventually.

[BigFatPie]

I'm not convinced either of the two major parties have the bottle to implement the scale of reform needed. They're both hopelessly compromised, albeit in different ways.

There are private and public sector interests using the sheer size of the NHS to milk the organisation for their own benefit, relatively unchallenged. Probably the only way to prevent/manage that - and it would take a lot of time, persistence and incredible political will and resilience - is by breaking the NHS down into much smaller and more manageable units.

It's a brave politician or party that even suggests trying to do so because, when the vested private/public sector interests sense that their 'jam today' meal ticket is being threatened, they are usually very successful in mobilising public opinion to 'Defend the NHS', and the public are generally gullible enough to buy that narrative, so the would-be radical reformers (if they even dare to raise their heads in the first place) tend to water down or back away from doing anything radical enough to make the NHS the truly great entity it could be.

If the NHS carries on more or less in its current form - which is likely in view of the above stalemate - then it will eventually collapse regardless of which political party is in control or what they're spending on it. In that scenario, everyone loses eventually.

Lol.

[Elite_Pie]

I'm not convinced either of the two major parties have the bottle to implement the scale of reform needed.

I'm not convinced either, but we do know this.

One party might fail.
One party has failed.