What immediate changes will the new Labour government make?

MaizieD

Baffles me, too, maddyone. But there was a lot of fuss about out of date PPE during the crisis.

I can only assume it was to do with the sterility of the products.

They do have best before dates on them.

Ona different note they take between 100 and 400 years to decompose in landfills.

Baffles me, too, maddyone. But there was a lot of fuss about out of date PPE during the crisis.

MaizieD with regard to rotation, GG13 it was the emergency pandemic stocks ‘managed’ by a private company that hadn’t been rotated

I was in agreement with you that the stocks should have been rotated as routine pre-pandemic.

Still don’t understand how plastic aprons or masks go out of date. I’d have thought out of date ones better than none at all which is what my daughter had for a few weeks after it all started. She just wore scrubs and washed them everyday. I know, I washed some of them for her. She was/is a GP.

Casdon

I think the issue with the PPE wasn’t about it being over-ordered, or not rotated, it was that it wasn’t up to standard. The use by date is quite long on masks and aprons for instance but if they don’t meet UK standards they can’t be used.

The news report said that it was up to standard, Casdon. This was an experienced NHS supplier of 20 years standing. The mystery is why it wasn't used. when the NHS was desperate for PPE. No blame attaches to the supplier (though I do wonder what their profit margin was)..

With regard to rotation, GG13, it was the emergency pandemic stocks 'managed' by a private company that hadn't been rotated. This happened before the pandemic.

Germanshepherdsmum

How right you are Cherylrov. All those extra teachers, doctors and nurses will come out of the cupboards in which they have been patiently waiting, the queues in A&E and waiting lists will vanish overnight and the National Debt will be repaid.

Of course.

Germanshepherdsmum

How right you are Cherylrov. All those extra teachers, doctors and nurses will come out of the cupboards in which they have been patiently waiting, the queues in A&E and waiting lists will vanish overnight and the National Debt will be repaid.

There was an article on Ch4 News last week that said there were many locum doctors that couldn’t understand why they couldn’t get work so they are out there. And my daughter says she’s prepared to go back to teaching when conditions improve under a Labour government.

Nothing to do with politics, but I still don’t understand how a mask or a plastic apron can be out of date. That idea defeats me. Not up to standard I can understand, or think I do. Obviously a mask with only one string wouldn’t be up to standard. Or an apron with only one tie. Otherwise I’m unsure how such simple items can not be up to standard. This puzzled me during the pandemic. As I said, not political at all, just curiosity.
I must be a bear of very little brain, like Pooh Bear.

I think the issue with the PPE wasn’t about it being over-ordered, or not rotated, it was that it wasn’t up to standard. The use by date is quite long on masks and aprons for instance but if they don’t meet UK standards they can’t be used.

The PPE should definitely have been rotated to ensure it was within its use by date.

In the Governments defence, the whole world was looking to source PPE, China has had a monopoly on the manufacture and supply of PPE and medical equipment for far too long.

We had to move ours out of our warehouse and would be thieves, we were being charged a much higher rate overnight with a wait time of months as opposed to the usual overnight delivery.

It really was a dog eat dog scenario.

Sadly, there’s no guarantee it wouldn’t have happened whichever party had to deal with something so unprecedented.

One of the main reasons that it happened was because the emergency stocks of PPE which were supposed to be ready for a pandemic of any kind, had been handed to a private company to manage by the tories and when it was needed much of it was found to be out of date and useless.

Some people's memories may not go back further than 4 years but they can put two and two together...

It 'might' have happened under Labour, too, but, on the whole, Labour governments aren't so keen to hand everything to the private sector.

Wyllow3

I am. I had to re-negotiate mine in that time. 😡

And others have their pensions permanently lower because of Gordon Brown’s raid on private pensions. Some of them are on GN.
Winners and losers in everything.

I have no problem with the money spent during the pandemic

Neither have I.
Re self employed people, our neighbour was one who lost out, so I’m aware of the short comings of the scheme.
But many people appear to have forgotten that energy support, cost of living support, and furlough cost a lot of money and are complaining about the national debt.
Like I said, short memories.

I am. I had to re-negotiate mine in that time. 😡

I think anyone with an ounce of sense will know that the damage done over 14 years of conservatives government will take a long time to repair. Just look at the damage done by Truss in a matter of weeks, how many people with mortgages are still affected by her lunacy?

I agree. People tend not to think about that.

Vintagewhine

I've just read the BBC report on the PPE. It's just scandalous, the waste, the profit made by individuals and the lack of transparency is sickening. We were being governed by idiots.

I agree about the PPE.
Sadly, there’s no guarantee it wouldn’t have happened whichever party had to deal with something so unprecedented.

😂😂😂

How right you are Cherylrov. All those extra teachers, doctors and nurses will come out of the cupboards in which they have been patiently waiting, the queues in A&E and waiting lists will vanish overnight and the National Debt will be repaid.

Presume they will be waving their magic wand and all well be wonderful ! (Joke)

Very prescient I think.

Just seen this on X

I have no problem with the money spent during the pandemic on support for workers and employers, *maddyone'. It is what any sensible government would have done. Though don't forget that 3million self employed people got nothing, and that Sunak has refused to chase up fraudulent claims by businesses which amount to a few £billion or so.

Likewise help with energy costs, though why a price cap wasn't introduced is a mystery to me.

But although the amounts involved seem enormous to us, they aren't in the context of the 'debt' which the tories have accumulated over 14 years.

I hope I can make it clear that 'debt' doesn't worry me unduly, it's what it is spent on that matters.

maddyone

vegansrock

AverageObserver
6 hours ago
17

When the next Tory apologist says that Labour 'left a note in 2010...', they need to be informed that the Tories have made that very much worse.

National debt in 2010: 70.0% of GDP
National debt in 2023: 100.3% of GDP

Why’s that?
Oh yes, furlough. That cost the exchequer a mere 70 billion pounds.
Then £400 given to every household in the country to offset energy bills. Over nine billion in energy support during the energy crisis. Pensioners received more support the following year for their energy and households with low incomes received cost of living support of £300 for three years.
I don’t care for this government but please don’t ignore the cost of what has been done.
Too many short memories.

👏👏

Cossy

Primrose and by stating they are ripping up their trans policy that means that they will be pushing it? I think not! Maybe the DoE might like to pull its finger out and sort out the RAAC issue in schools pdq and the backlog of SEN assessments, then teachers like my poor daughter wouldn’t be teaching 4/5 year olds in a class of 33, with 7 SEN children and 1 LSA!

No it means since I posted that Labour changed their mind. Presumably because they had a lot of complaints.