The U.K. 2022

Mollygo

In France, according to the newspapers, their health system is having much the same problems as we are, shortage of doctors, shortage of hospital spaces, delayed appointments. I don’t know overall about energy costs, but our gîte owner was ver apologetic about the increase in costs.

In France, we may have to wait for a bit but we will get to see someone fairly quickly.

I saw my doctor, by appointment, 5 days after calling. That included a weekend. 20 minute appointments. It is possible to see him without an appointment by turning up to the surgery and he stays until everyone has been seen, well into the evening sometimes.

I have been suffering from pain in my shoulders and upper arms. I saw an osteopath and whilst he was asking me had I done anything different and when did it start, I realised that it had started after the 4th jab and not gone away. After he treated me he said that he'd dealt with many patients suffering from bad effects after the covid jabs.

I didn't get better in the jabbed arm but I decided I probably needed a different treatment because I realise that it is the muscles or tendons not working properly. Anyway, the doc gave me an ordnance for xray and echogram and one for the physio, whom I'm seeing this pm. He also gave me a letter for a rheumatologist and told me to make an appointment now, just in case because sometimes there is a long wait. I could cancel it if necessary.

We can book on line with whoever we chose and, having done that, the system will email if there is a cancellation that you could take.

For serious/terminal cases people are seen fairly quickly. One friend, who died a few months ago, wanted to die at home and so it was arranged that a nurse would come in 3 times per day. She didn't get that many because of covid but every day one nurse came to her home.

Being of a certain age both my DH and I are developing many aches and pains and some other problems but in our experience, although there are some shortages now, the system is much better than in the UK, I'm sad to say.

halfpint1

Maudie, not true in my region.
Some country villages in France have looked lijl

I'm in the Dordogne. Many of the villages have shops that are closed. We're lucky because we have an excellent baker and two restaurant/bars. Yesterday we had a delicious 3 course lunch, on a beautiful terrace, shaded with large trees and on the river. 17,50 euros per head. The day before we had another delicious lunch which was 14,50 euros for 3 courses, at a different brasserie.

Food has gone up in price, especially fresh food because of the long drought and the exchange rate will make a difference too.

My DH had a fall a couple of weeks ago. Ambulance arrived in 10 minutes, taken to A and E, treated immediately and home within a couple of hours. .
There are stories of problems in the French system, but these things are relative.
We can get a same day urgent GP appointment and one with our own doctor in three days. Hospital treatment is still very good. There are shortages of dermatologists, cardiologists (outside of hospitals) and some other specialisms but once you are registered with them it is easy to get regular check-ups.
As for shops being closed, well yes it is August. Everyone is on holiday. ?

12:06Fleurpepper

No British owned shops in Foy le Grande although the campsite owner was British.

Non food shops frequently close for a month in the holidays. Butchers, boulangeries, fruit shops etc take it in turns to close for two or three weeks. Our butcher had a sign up yesterday saying 8 sleeps until we close for the holidays. ?

Wheniwasyourage

It's just getting worse all the time, and we do not seem to have a government at all at the moment, as they're all away on holiday. Couldn't Mr Johnson have waited until September to go away?

How would that help??

True about shops closing for holidays in France. We saw posters on the windows of chocolate shops, boulangerie/patisserie, etc holiday closures starting 15th August for a week or a fortnight. Funnily enough, shoe shops are all open, with soldes or déstockage signs, needing not to be left with summer stock presumably. It was multiple boarded up or just empty, except for dead flies, cobwebs and dirt that we were faced with yesterday in what was obviously a thriving centre according to posts from 2020.

Mollygo Whereabouts are you?

Mamie, I only mentioned what I read in the French news re the French health system. I don’t suppose French media is any different at making things sound worse than UK. Media. I’ve got a UK hospital appointment 4 days after we get back.

In Italy August 15th is the start of Ferragosto when everyone goes on holiday. We always used to delay our holiday till September hen everything would have opened up again.

There were definitely small shops that closed down during the Covid epidemic Mollygo. We had a very local butcher and he closed because people were ordering food and collecting it from the "drive" facilities on the way home. We now go to our nearest small town which has three butchers.
On the subject of problems in the medical service - we had a group of friends here for lunch and after I explained about problems with ambulances, A and E waiting times and GP appointments they were shocked and said, "perhaps we are not so badly off after all".
As I said these things are relative.
It is also true in my experience that many French people like to complain. ?

FarNorth

Wheniwasyourage

It's just getting worse all the time, and we do not seem to have a government at all at the moment, as they're all away on holiday. Couldn't Mr Johnson have waited until September to go away?

How would that help??

Actually, it shouldn't make any difference, as we don't (in spite of how it seems just now) have a presidential system, so the government should be able to continue whoever is on holiday. All this "can't do anything until the new PM is in place" stuff is just so much rubbish. Even if every Cabinet post is filled with someone new, the machinery should still grind on and just be steered differently by the new lot, heaven help us.

It is also true………that many French people like to complain.

And also many British people like to complain. It’s the same the world over, people complain. Also the world over, the media always, without any exceptions, report the news putting the worst possible slant on it. It’s helpful in my opinion, to read both left wing and right wing press, and you might get somewhere near the actual truth.

Private Eye put this chart together to show the sheer waste and corruption

This is not the usual summer break, it is actually a national emergency and many in the country will not be able to feed themselves or their children, cook, or heat their houses as the weather cools.
I do believe that a responsible Prime Minister should be taking the initiative at this time, whether he is leaving or not. That is the point of having a head of government, and probably why some running the country during the pandemic pleased themselves. They had no authoritative leadership.

WWM2 Thanks for that chart. And thanks to Private Eye. I'd no idea that it was so bad.

What’s wrong with Britain? Let’s start with the monarchy

The Royal Family’s archaic-seeming rules and customs obscure its deep connections with modern global corporate power

www.opendemocracy.net/en/opendemocracyuk/whats-wrong-with-britain-lets-start-with-the-monarchy/

The British monarchy stands for corruption, greed, immorality, theft.... You name it. They have a part in it.
The British RF is another form of the Mafia.

FORMER BRITISH MINISTER: ‘THE ISRAELIS THINK THEY CONTROL THE FOREIGN OFFICE. AND THEY DO!’

The recently published diaries of former foreign minister Sir Alan Duncan provide an unprecedented window into the influence the Israeli government and affiliated pro-Israel lobby groups have over the UK Foreign Office.

declassifieduk.org/former-british-minister-the-israelis-think-they-control-the-foreign-office-and-they-do/

Energy companies should be nationalised and utilities It is very popular nationally

Why not Labour Where is Starmer

Agree Whitewavemark, just because someone has left wing views it doesn't mean that their comments are without validity. I think the level of political awareness and intelligence of posters on Gransnet means that we are able to look beyond Wikipedia and whether because someone allegedly advised Corbyn their views are biased. To be honest I don't think Corbyn could have made more of a mess of this country than Johnson and I am NOT a Corbynista !?

Grany

What’s wrong with Britain? Let’s start with the monarchy

The Royal Family’s archaic-seeming rules and customs obscure its deep connections with modern global corporate power

www.opendemocracy.net/en/opendemocracyuk/whats-wrong-with-britain-lets-start-with-the-monarchy/

The British monarchy stands for corruption, greed, immorality, theft.... You name it. They have a part in it.
The British RF is another form of the Mafia.

FORMER BRITISH MINISTER: ‘THE ISRAELIS THINK THEY CONTROL THE FOREIGN OFFICE. AND THEY DO!’

The recently published diaries of former foreign minister Sir Alan Duncan provide an unprecedented window into the influence the Israeli government and affiliated pro-Israel lobby groups have over the UK Foreign Office.

declassifieduk.org/former-british-minister-the-israelis-think-they-control-the-foreign-office-and-they-do/

Energy companies should be nationalised and utilities It is very popular nationally

Why not Labour Where is Starmer

No wonder Liz Truss wanted to abolish it ;)

So despite a high level meeting today between the PM and chancellor

Nothing was decided.

And I should have added the energy providers

maddyone

Richard Murphy is a very left wing person who has advised Corbyn according to Wikipedia, so it could be argued that he has an agenda.

For the record, I've been following Richard Murphy's blog for years and he isn't left wing. He was very critical of Corbyn when he was Labour leader. He's on record as saying that he doesn't support any political party. If anything, he's more Green than anything. He does, however, have a very good understanding of macro-economics. He's a Quaker and is passionate about social justice.

Thanks growstuff. I was never a Corbyn fan but, the fear of ‘the left/extreme left’ seems to far outweigh the fear of the ERG or those old white men in the shire counties, who are about to chose our next PM. They want Truss because they believe (I agree with them), she will do their bidding.
I never imaged saying this but I’d prefer Sunak. He’s clever and has ideas

I have also followed Richard Murphy’s blog for years and am very impressed with his ideas and can endorse what you say growstuff. I first heard of him on here from Maizie I think.
He is part of The Green New Deal Group which seems more sensible than ever in present times.
At a group I was at yesterday the consensus was similar to you Iam ABT. Anyone but Truss!

Is Citizens Advice left wing?

www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-62509970