2015 Election - antidotes?

Thought Ed Miliband got severely trounced today on the subject of the NHS by Cameron ! On PMQ's. Poor old Ed looked dejected.Him and his 'weaponise' LOL.

Yes, I'm not arguing that point, durhamjen.

Just pointing out that the employers of the 71% of households in this country in receipt of tax credit who are working may not all be being subsidised by the taxpayer.

Ana, 20% of those working part time in the UK would work full time if there were jobs for them. That's over a million people. (Figures from OECD.)

He's antidoting - is that a word?

Hope he is OK.

Where is papaoscar?

We need one of his updates on the Archers thread.

So who can you trust with the NHS?
Sorry, wrong thread.

Antidotes: A glass of or and chocolate.
Some earphones and lovely music.
Or go abroad for a few months.

papa may have different suggestions

Sorry if that is not serious enough, just answering the OP title.

Eloethan oh yes, he was a supporter of Aneurin Bevan et al. They lodged with us (well, that's how it seemed!).
I think he lost heart when Sunny Jim was in charge.

Mogette1 Why is there such an expectation that we should not wait for years for our medical care? because the last Labour govt raised those expectations.
Sorry, I thought you would be aware (perhaps not) that the Labour Party is in charge of the NHS in Wales!! If not, I am sorry for merely inferring it in my previous post and not making it plain.
One of my friends was waiting nearly 3 years for a knee replacement in Wales.
Two other friends have given up in despair waiting for hip replacements in Wales and have spent their retirement savings going privately.

rosequartz Around what period did your father support the Labour Party? I guess it was before it became "New Labour"?

Agreed, Mogette. It's not as if the number of elderly came as a surprise to anyone.

I've been wondering why Alan Milburn has suddenly started talking about the NHS, and disagreeing with his Labour colleagues. I think I've found out.

"In 2013 Milburn joined PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) as Chair of PwC's UK Health Industry Oversight Board, whose objective is to drive change in the health sector, and assist PwC in growing its presence in the health market."

It is not my intention to criticise anyone for making comments on a political blog, I was just puzzled but perhaps I should be delighted that so many want to be engaged in discussion.

Of course the LP has made mistakes and I haven't forgotten it was the Labour government which first started using the private sector to get waiting lists down. There is a difference between buying in services to save patients from dying from their heart condition and selling huge contracts to the private companies. And yes PFI was a mistake but like I said, you don't always get what you want. The whole NHS (and education) estate was in a dire state of disrepair.

Why is there such an expectation that we should not wait for years for our medical care? because the last Labour govt raised those expectations. Why are there no outside toilets in our schools now? because the last Labour govt made it so.

I have a long list of achievements by the last (imperfect) Labour govt which made some headway in to putting right 18 years of Tory meanness and deliberate diminution of local control. After 5 years of Cameron, we are once again at risk of having no state to support those most in need. See tonight's news that care of the elderly is seriously underfunded.

Or it could mean that at least some of the householders in question are working part time (by choice).

Mogette, this is a letter from the Guardian about the Greek elections.

www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jan/26/people-of-greece-have-chosen-hope?CMP=share_btn_tw

I was surprised to find out that Oxfam was set up to stop the Greeks from starving after the second world war.

For anyone interested in the tax system, 71% of households in this country in receipt of tax credit are in work. That means there are an awful lot of employers being subsidised by the taxpayer.

Mogette1 I don't think the NHS under the Conservative government has a monopoly on mistakes.
How Andy Burnham can stand there and criticise the NHS is beyond me. He must think people have very short memories. However, some of us do not and for very good reasons.

I do hope your hip replacement is successful and that you do not have to wait too long, unlike those people in Wales enduring such a length of time on the waiting lists.

Surely we do not have to be avid political animals to be concerned about what happens in our country and overseas and how it affects our lives and those of our DC and DGC.
Surely anyone is allowed to make a comment on a thread even if we do not have a proven political history.

I compare today's Labour Party to the one which my father supported and despair.

I have much admiration for the work you have put in to support what your believe in and challenge what you feel is wrong Mogette.

You, like me, are obviously not a fan of the Conservative Party and in particular its attack on the NHS.

I wonder how you feel about Labour's efforts so far? Personally I feel it has to date been fairly lacklustre and seems to be offering "austerity light" rather than a real alternative. I realise that anything which strays from the austerity agenda will be jumped on by the largely right wing press, but is it a possibility that even though many people are nervous of what The Sun, et al, call "the loony Left", they might have more respect for a party that has the courage to present a real and principled alternative?

I hadn't heard of the Oliver Stone film. It sounds very interesting. I agree with what you say about Greece. The US will be gunning for the new government - it wouldn't do to show that there may be an alternative to punishing the poor in order to protect and enhance the position of the rich.

I've been busy coping with health issues for a couple of months so I am catching up. Some observations on the NHS and politics.

It is strange to me, an avid political animal that people who are cheesed off with politics would follow the 'politics' thread and deplore the coverage of politics from now until the general election. I would like to make comments on politicians.

I was inadvertently elected in 1995 as a local government Cllr. I had said I would stand as a 'paper' candidate in a ward which had always been Tory. That year Labour had a landslide and I was elected. I was a Cllr for 12 years before the electorate decided to have a change. During that time I was a wife, mother and nurse. I firmly believe that I did not lie once in my dealings with my constituents or the public. I did the job to the best of my beliefs and ability. I didn't always get what I wanted, sometimes I lost the vote. Once, on a planning committee the tension and emotions were so high, I had to run out and vomit. I did not always claim every expense that I could but that was because with a decent job and a well-paid husband, it was sometimes more of a pain, however, expenses are essential so that ordinary people can do the job without being out of pocket. Many politicians pay for stuff out of their own pockets. So, when I hear politicians being scorned and rubbished it hurts. Of course there are some scoundrels but that is the case in all walks of life. A wunch of bankers comes to mind.

This is probably the most crucial election of our times if we want to stop the NHS being sold to private companies. Make no mistake, the private sector only wants the easy jobs. While I was nursing I knew of patients who were told by consultants not to use the private sector for their complicated conditions because they would not get the care needed.

I recently had occasion to use the choose and book system for an appointment with a consultant with a view to a gastroscopy. I unwittingly chose what turned out to be a contract with the private sector.

First, they got my name completely wrong, a potentially risky business. I had to attend one centre for the initial appt, another centre for the gastroscopy and a third different centre for the follow-up discussion. Meanwhile, although nothing was found to be wrong, it was proposed to send me for a barium meal as well. Why? An unnecessary procedure which would have cost the NHS another packet of cash going to the pockets of shareholders under the contract system. I refused and the consultant agreed that it was not needed.

In my Labour party branch we have 40+ members who deliver leaflets to houses. Not so many like to knock on doors or do cold calling by phone. When we do knock, many people don't answer the door even though you can see them watching TV, so it is a thankless task at times but when you persuade one person, especially a young woman to vote, it can seem worthwhile. We have a woman candidate.

This will be my last general election I think. Waiting for my second hip replacement, I do computer work and organising .... and talking to Gransnet.

Lastly, watch Greece. Be afraid for them. If you haven't seen the Oliver Stone series 'The untold story of the USA' buy it and watch all 10 hours of CIA interference in democratically elected governments. Shocking even to an old lag like me.

Good point that nothing is being done about inequality.

Good point that the over wealth can stay in families.

I think the country has gone far enough.
I would like the top to care more.

rosequartz The problem is that although they can't take it with them they can - and do - ensure that it remains with their families. I believe the statistics indicate that a substantial percentage of wealth is inherited wealth.

Anyone else think that hotel in Davos looks just like an old fashioned straw beehive?

Sorry, I wrote that before I clicked your link, roseq.

"Nothing, though, has been done to reduce inequality. Indeed, the trend has been in the opposite direction. In both Europe and a lesser extent the US, investment has fallen as a share of national output, harming productivity growth. Jobs have been created, but far too many of them have been low paid. What’s more, QE has done far more to boost financial assets than it has to boost real economic activity. The real beneficiaries of central bank activism have been the undeserving rich.

As usual, there was plenty of hand-wringing in Davos about the need to do something to reverse this trend. As usual, there was a failure to contemplate what this might mean, apart from the motherhood and apple pie of education, training and skills. It actually means a repudiation of austerity. It means the willingness of governments to take advantage of low interest rates to borrow for public investment. It means closing tax loopholes and tax havens so that governments can afford to invest more in education and training. And it means stronger trade unions. Business leaders have a choice. Understand that less inequality equals stronger, less debt-dependent growth. Or watch as secular stagnation takes hold."

From an article by Larry Elliot in the Observer.

Thanks, loopy. I have googled it, but wanted to know how many had heard of it.
It is supposed to do joined up work on behalf of health and social care, but does not seem to be doing a very good job, if that is the case.
If they were doing their job and chasing up care companies, the NHS would not have such a problem getting the elderly out of hospital beds.

Roseq, I bet they are all at Davos.

Sorry, here it is:
www.theguardian.com/business/2014/jan/20/oxfam-85-richest-people-half-of-the-world

Just 85 people own as much wealth as the bottom 50% according to this report.

It's not the people who have paid off their mortgage and include their pension fund and modest savings, soontobe, it's this lot.
What on earth do they spend it on? Thank goodness they can't take it with them.

And no, I didn't Google it, I used to attend the meetings and speak on relevant topics to my line of work.

durhamjen the Health and Wellbeing Board is a multiagency strategic forum in each Council area. It includes Heath, Social Care, voluntary sector, Council and Healthwatch representatives.
Anyone can attend their meetings and usually details can be found on your Council's website. You can ask questions of the Board and their remit is the development, delivery and evaluation of health and social care services locally.
Usually meet regularly and can be very interesting to hear the debates.

The UK has about 2.3 million people who qualify.
Surprisingly Japan has 4 million.
USA about 7 million.