Monthly Archives: January 2016

NHS in crisis :: Caroline Lucas urges Labour to back bill to repeal Tory NHS reforms

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Image of George Osborne asking where is the money to be made in the NHS

Caroline Lucas urges Labour to back bill to repeal Tory NHS reforms

The Green party MP Caroline Lucas has called on Labour to support a bill that would reverse much of the Conservatives’ NHS reforms, and was previously backed by Jeremy Corbyn.

The private member’s bill, named the NHS reinstatement bill, received cross-party support when it was first introduced to parliament in July, and was signed by Corbyn, the Labour leader, and the shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, when the pair were backbenchers.

The bill would reinstate the secretary of state’s responsibility for the health of UK citizens, something the Health and Social Care Act removed. It would also abolish bodies such as NHS trusts, NHS foundation trusts and clinical commissioning groups, allowing commercial companies to provide services only if they were essential to patient welfare and the NHS could not do so itself.

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Wealth distribution / tax avoidance and austerity :: prelude

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I originally intended to concentrate on UK wealth distribution and tax evasion. That works well since UK wealth distribution and tax avoidance are inextricably (cannot be detangled) linked. We are (I am?) concerned with reality here and the reality that is becoming increasing clear is that UK wealth distribution is about wealth inequality, tax avoidance but also the austerity agenda.

As a prelude or preamble, a vid by 38degrees about TTIP (the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership). I would urge people to be active in the democratic process because democracy needs active participation. You can join political campaigns like 38degrees or change.org, start a political blog like my own or even be a shouty man or woman ;)

1.50am ed: Apologies, I forgot again. I wonder if there’s a sadistic element to it. The bedroom tax and the withdrawal of tax credits for the most vulnerable is so nasty – is it not also sadistic? Forcing people to leave their homes of many decades and forcing people into more extreme poverty are the issues here.

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NHS in crisis :: review

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Image of George Osborne asking where is the money to be made in the NHS

The short NHS in crisis series of the past week or so went fairly well. We’ve learned

There are plenty of resources for further research e.g. there’s plenty on what junior doctors are and do at youtube.

I’ll be watching and reporting NHS news. Current NHS news is that the BMA have cancelled an intended 48 hour strike by junior doctors next Tuesday. I’m sure that everyone welcomes that news. Kent CCG (Clinical Commissioning Group) has also signed a deal with a hospital in Calais to treat NHS patients. Far from ideal? barking?

 

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Nuclear weapons – let’s dump them

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The essential ed:thing about nuclear weapons is that they kill millions of innocent people.

C’mon let’s get rid of them and employ all these people in developing renewable energy, promoting insulation, etc.

ed: You have children? Even if you don’t have children, do you really want to kill everything? Do you really want to kill the Earth?

Come to think of it children are not really important – they’ll just burn like the rest of us. But at least you’ll have jobs, eh?

Is it about time for a Socialist revolution?

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