Comments
Do we care more about the NHS or moats?
2009-06-04 00:21:23
I'll come on to 'vote Labour' in a moment, but first .... It's amazing how quickly your spirits can be restored if you get outside the noise of the Westminster media bubble.
I mentioned yesterday I was on my way to a mental health conference in Hull, part of 'Business Week' on Humberside. My event was aimed at persuading employers of the business case for tearing down the stigma and taboo which surrounds mental illness, and pointing out the risks of overlooking good and talented people who admit to a mental health problem. It was at the Hull Truck theatre, an impressive venue currently showing a play about the ups and downs of following Hull City.
I did my usual stuff, most of which will be known to regular visitors either from my 'Cracking Up' documentary (in the vlog archive) or from when I was helping to launch the Time to Change campaign. Copies of the 'World Without' report we did on great historical figures with mental health problems were lying around the place and I was introduced with the help of a short government ad suggesting Florence Nightingale would likely be rejected by modern nursing recruiters on the grounds of her own mental health record.
I did a q and a, in which almost all of the questions were about mental health issues. I then did interviews with about half a dozen journalists, mainly radio. Again, nearly all the questions were about mental health, just a couple added on the end about the current Westminster frenzy, and GB's future.
Ah, I hear the big willy journos from the nationals saying - local hacks, just don't get it ... Expenses and GB meltdown is the only show in town.
But is it? In the q and a one of the questions I didn't answer terribly well was my assessment of how well or otherwise I thought the Labour government had done in improving mental health services. It was the kind of question I would have been able to answer with a battery of facts and figures back in the days when it was my job to carry them around in my head or my briefing folders. So I blathered on a bit about how successive health secretaries 'got' the issue, Alan Johnson had made it a priority, Labour had provided the resources, the NHS had worked with the grain of reform and I thought things had improved.
But a far better answer came from the woman from the NHS who spoke after me and who could not have been clearer that the government had delivered huge extra resources for the NHS, and the NHS staff were making that money work to deliver real improvements. And as she spoke, I thought what a crazy world we live in - that Labour promised to 'save the NHS', has done so, with enormous consequences for people's lives and livelihoods, and there is a risk of the country voting in extremists and opportunists because Gordon is copping it for every MPs' expenses claim.
I've said from day 1 that the expenses story is a serious one, not to be sniffed at. But the way the media has allowed it to drown out all other news and debate has done a disservice to its role in democratic debate ahead of today's elections.
What, in the end, is more important? Improving the NHS or Douglas Hogg's bloody moat? But we're not angry about the NHS, the voices in my head (figurative ... relax, doctor) answer back ... We're angry about expenses. Fine, I say, get as angry as you like ... And don't blame me if you get angry and ashamed at the antics of the BNP if they get a foothold in the European Parliament, or you get angry at Lib Dems cutting council services they described as vital, let alone the anger you're going to feel if the Tories revert to type should they get their hands on the NHS again.
Like I said at the top ... Vote Labour.
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Tremors of Japanese political earthquake will be felt far and widePublish date: 2009-08-30 15:50:54
Pressure on Ed Miliband can help get a climate change dealPublish date: 2009-08-28 13:39:08
Why Tories and media cannot stomach GCSE success storyPublish date: 2009-08-27 16:03:34
Exposing the absurdity of Chris GraylingPublish date: 2009-08-26 13:20:19
Joy and beauty and a night of magicPublish date: 2009-08-20 10:55:11
Twitter NHS backlash good for ObamaPublish date: 2009-08-14 15:44:49
A lifetime's ambition fulfilledPublish date: 2009-08-08 16:59:02
Breaking the blog-a-day spell as warm up to holidayPublish date: 2009-07-20 17:44:49
No hiding place from Twitter, me on the bike, JP in DCPublish date: 2009-07-17 18:17:09
At last - something Obama cannot do wellPublish date: 2009-07-16 10:05:47
Will MPs take the lead in the debate on euthanasia?Publish date: 2009-07-15 12:30:01
Berlin brothel leads the way to a greener worldPublish date: 2009-07-14 10:57:25
A time for GB to explain the whole picturePublish date: 2009-07-13 12:37:54
All hail Monty, Jimmy and Collie!Publish date: 2009-07-12 20:06:36
First triathlon of the summer for me, education award for FionaPublish date: 2009-07-12 09:43:06
Of Burnley's friendly and Obama's wandering eyePublish date: 2009-07-11 12:38:52
Two great early morning momentsPublish date: 2009-07-10 10:27:07
Cameron had better be sure he's rightPublish date: 2009-07-09 11:06:22
Guardian scoop has big questions for press, cops and CameronPublish date: 2009-07-08 20:40:54
Divisive legend: Lance ArmstrongPublish date: 2009-07-07 10:38:23
First hug a hoodie, now grab a gayPublish date: 2009-07-06 12:57:09
Mail on Scumday's wonderful account of Lansley's kipperdomPublish date: 2009-07-05 13:14:51
Ecclestone undermines his own success with alarming views on HitlerPublish date: 2009-07-04 14:04:04
When the conmen move more quickly than the councilPublish date: 2009-07-03 10:19:52
Andrew Lansley done up like a kipperPublish date: 2009-07-02 10:10:52
A day spent interviewing footballers, then being interviewed by a transvestite comedianPublish date: 2009-07-01 14:47:40
When the power of black eyes fadesPublish date: 2009-06-30 09:24:59
Farewell to Henry HodgePublish date: 2009-06-29 20:41:12
Honouring the power of sport to do goodPublish date: 2009-06-29 14:49:42
Andy Murray is a winner. Is that why some Brits don't like him?Publish date: 2009-06-28 09:19:20
New Parliament will look very different. The younger the betterPublish date: 2009-06-27 17:34:26
Two nice surprises, sad end to dayPublish date: 2009-06-26 09:16:33
Apology from the Spectator on Iraq boosts Henry Hodge fundPublish date: 2009-06-25 19:57:26
Thanks to Mr Harper on mental health, rebuttal of Mr Hague on IraqPublish date: 2009-06-24 23:47:54
Glad to find Eric Cantona in a quiet cinema ...Publish date: 2009-06-24 00:46:23
By Dave's friends shall we know him?Publish date: 2009-06-23 11:30:20
The Speaker has to balance tradition and change - but defend ParliamentPublish date: 2009-06-22 11:58:44
Less a blog than an apology for not having done onePublish date: 2009-06-21 20:07:43
The day Lions skipper Paul O'Connell took my trousers downPublish date: 2009-06-20 11:48:28
On the Iraq inquiry, Independent article wrongPublish date: 2009-06-19 20:28:24
Thank you to three readers, now please get involvedPublish date: 2009-06-19 09:13:35
A tribute to a lovely manPublish date: 2009-06-18 17:19:40
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A plea for five-figure cyber-donationsPublish date: 2009-06-17 07:40:42
On two inquiriesPublish date: 2009-06-16 08:57:39
From India to Iran to Labour witPublish date: 2009-06-15 10:13:17
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A House Divided?Publish date: 2009-06-13 02:53:47
A humbling NHS experience, a media row and a good GB speechPublish date: 2009-06-12 10:48:46
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The shrinks awaitPublish date: 2009-06-10 09:44:16
As Obama fights for healthcare, let's celebrate the record herePublish date: 2009-06-09 12:52:55
Anger at BNP seats must be turned into activismPublish date: 2009-06-08 14:11:10
Can today be as frenzied as Friday?Publish date: 2009-06-07 10:31:04
Take heart from a win in LambethPublish date: 2009-06-06 18:46:40
JP is right there was no proper campaign but Tories still weakPublish date: 2009-06-05 13:47:20
Guardian of social justice or attention-seeker?Publish date: 2009-06-03 10:19:33
Who says Britain can't deliver the best?Publish date: 2009-06-02 08:08:38
Mainstream has a duty to vote against BNPPublish date: 2009-06-01 11:03:29
Let Diversity inspire a vote against the hate-filled BNPPublish date: 2009-05-31 12:24:20
White House whack at UK media well-timed but sure to be ignoredPublish date: 2009-05-30 13:41:00
Elvis has a plan to make MPs King againPublish date: 2009-05-29 12:09:44
At least there's a campaign on in ItalyPublish date: 2009-05-28 09:04:32
A blow to gay rights and a boost for Cameron's short-termismPublish date: 2009-05-27 11:27:41
It's my blog and I'll be a big kid if I want toPublish date: 2009-05-26 23:25:58
Highs feel better after so many lowsPublish date: 2009-05-26 10:13:12
Only one present countsPublish date: 2009-05-25 11:05:46
Contrast Cheney and BushPublish date: 2009-05-24 12:11:45
Sex (or at least the female form) obsessed BritainPublish date: 2009-05-23 20:49:57
Sport at both ends of the financial spectrumPublish date: 2009-05-23 09:57:23
Stronger together - whether Scotland or expensesPublish date: 2009-05-22 10:22:36
Back to Number 10, familiar faces, familiar argumentsPublish date: 2009-05-21 10:14:34
Speaking up for ParliamentPublish date: 2009-05-20 11:44:17
Peace in the Middle East - yes he canPublish date: 2009-05-19 09:37:35
Breaking news - one frenzy at a timePublish date: 2009-05-18 10:34:30
Getting a good look at Vince CablePublish date: 2009-05-17 09:36:55
How do you solve a problem like Silvio?Publish date: 2009-05-16 09:32:21
It was the internet wot won itPublish date: 2009-05-15 10:04:57
There now follows ... a good whack at CameronPublish date: 2009-05-14 17:21:28
They got their kit off - so you get your cash outPublish date: 2009-05-14 07:41:11
Expenses row must not obscure Tory intentions on minimum wagePublish date: 2009-05-13 16:12:08
We love you Burnley, we do ... what a nightPublish date: 2009-05-13 02:37:17
A tweet cannot express the wonders of TGVPublish date: 2009-05-12 08:48:31
It's Mind week - Get it off your Chest with me and Stephen FryPublish date: 2009-05-11 06:29:15
Hate the Mail, love ObamaPublish date: 2009-05-10 10:04:00
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MPs expenses - time for party leaders to meet againPublish date: 2009-05-09 09:50:19
Should happiness replace prosperity as national goal?Publish date: 2009-05-08 08:43:23
Musings from a sleepless nightPublish date: 2009-05-07 07:33:49
Darren Fletcher - an injustice that has to be rightedPublish date: 2009-05-06 09:52:29
Maggie's legacy not as great as she thinksPublish date: 2009-05-05 08:33:02
Here's hoping Cardiff is metaphor for CameronPublish date: 2009-05-04 09:38:30
More Mr Benn and Co pleasePublish date: 2009-05-03 10:03:00
Going Fourth with JPPublish date: 2009-05-02 18:25:41
Journalism - print first, think laterPublish date: 2009-05-02 09:10:01
In praise of two poetsPublish date: 2009-05-01 10:26:36
JP hits the road againPublish date: 2009-04-29 18:52:11
My night with Eddie IzzardPublish date: 2009-04-29 10:53:25
Explaining the 50p top tax ratePublish date: 2009-04-28 09:22:53
George Best and Martin McGuinnessPublish date: 2009-04-27 09:02:35
Cameron confused over indepdendence and impartialityPublish date: 2009-04-26 12:20:56
Guide ro Marathon running part 2Publish date: 2009-04-25 11:01:34
Good signals on coal and the OlympicsPublish date: 2009-04-24 10:45:28
Tips for the London MarathonPublish date: 2009-04-23 17:29:27
Missed the Budget, saw why it matteredPublish date: 2009-04-22 23:09:31
Football good, politics bad. AllegedlyPublish date: 2009-04-22 00:00:24
The Great Wall gets greaterPublish date: 2009-04-21 09:55:22
Two sides to police storyPublish date: 2009-04-20 11:39:54
Budgets, Balls, billionaires and Susan BoylePublish date: 2009-04-19 12:31:45
Do muscles have memories?Publish date: 2009-04-18 09:44:44
Bring back standing at footballPublish date: 2009-04-17 14:50:22
When Facebook friends fall outPublish date: 2009-04-16 12:29:16
Guardian sightings and the email and bath plug agendaPublish date: 2009-04-15 11:32:16
The spin is all in the prismPublish date: 2009-04-14 09:22:41
A setback, not a crisisPublish date: 2009-04-13 12:55:19
The real lessons from Damian McBridePublish date: 2009-04-12 10:49:47
Will English always be the dominant language?Publish date: 2009-04-11 10:02:02
On the pipes and what makes a ScotPublish date: 2009-04-10 11:06:20
John Prescott lazy? NO WAYPublish date: 2009-04-09 09:11:31
David Frost is seventyPublish date: 2009-04-08 08:48:38
The Speaker, BBC2, tonight and tomorrow 8pmPublish date: 2009-04-07 14:25:31
Obama, colds and being woken by Korean missilesPublish date: 2009-04-06 11:59:24
When a call matters more than protocolPublish date: 2009-04-05 11:33:42
Green Cities Champions LeaguePublish date: 2009-04-04 10:19:53
Could Cameron have delivered the G20 deal?Publish date: 2009-04-03 10:11:59
Of Benn and BonoPublish date: 2009-04-02 08:21:16
Memo to Sarko - allez vite a LondresPublish date: 2009-04-01 08:46:17
Happy April Fool's DayPublish date: 2009-04-01 01:44:05
Eurostar, Le Monde and a thought for the G20 sherpasPublish date: 2009-03-31 09:17:22
Why Kevin Rudd made an impactPublish date: 2009-03-30 10:24:41
Pre-G20 hype matters less than post-G20 processPublish date: 2009-03-29 13:17:28
The Damned UnitedPublish date: 2009-03-28 10:37:04
A hobby horse, a plug and a bit of sportPublish date: 2009-03-27 10:22:23
Cloughie - he had a lot to be big-headed aboutPublish date: 2009-03-26 09:38:36
A sad sight of the old fearing the youngPublish date: 2009-03-25 17:03:07
Post-modern, post-structural, or bullshit?Publish date: 2009-03-25 08:18:02
Learning the right lessons from ObamaPublish date: 2009-03-24 08:53:15
Lazy Dave needs to keep an eye on lazy KenPublish date: 2009-03-23 11:16:14
Farewell favourite restaurant, hello hometownPublish date: 2009-03-22 08:18:09
Dave, Danny and have the Tories really changed?Publish date: 2009-03-21 08:55:13
Life beyond Dover ...Publish date: 2009-03-20 10:11:21
My friends in The New Statesman - Fergie, Fiona, Tony, Sarah, Kevin, 'Dacre,' and a great GB idea for the G20Publish date: 2009-03-18 10:38:22
Iraq, Iran, GB, Obama and diplomatic chessPublish date: 2009-03-17 10:07:13
The Age of StupidPublish date: 2009-03-16 08:27:13
Is all change good?Publish date: 2009-03-15 10:00:06
The pressure of being a post-modern sex godPublish date: 2009-03-14 10:00:55
Cameron still hasn't sealed the deal with businessPublish date: 2009-03-13 09:21:49
Stand up for social workersPublish date: 2009-03-12 08:31:17
Surely Malcolm Tucker could have told Armando Ianucci ... You can't spin a spinnerPublish date: 2009-03-11 10:58:25
Start of a new approach from Labour?Publish date: 2009-03-10 09:54:12
A peace process still strongPublish date: 2009-03-09 08:21:05
Day of destiny for the real footballer of the yearPublish date: 2009-03-08 09:21:06
Private advice to Peggy Mitchell - the leaked note in fullPublish date: 2009-03-07 08:17:21
Boris, the Tories and the tummy-tickling poodle pressPublish date: 2009-03-06 09:49:37
A day in the life of the self-obsessed TV reporterPublish date: 2009-03-05 07:55:47
GB - good speech, well deliveredPublish date: 2009-03-04 19:31:05
Notes on the environment, a role in EastEndersPublish date: 2009-03-04 10:58:56
She may be my 'wife' but it is time to rebut!Publish date: 2009-03-03 10:52:59
Some speeches matter more than othersPublish date: 2009-03-02 12:04:45
Mental health and the Carling Cup FinalPublish date: 2009-03-01 09:08:17
Inside the chocolate factoryPublish date: 2009-02-28 10:23:59
GB on the G20, JP on Jeremy KylePublish date: 2009-02-27 09:14:36
Charity and the credit crunch, please give generously!Publish date: 2009-02-26 08:55:12
Why oh why are the Tories not home and dry?Publish date: 2009-02-24 09:44:59
Me, Dermot and ten top songsPublish date: 2009-02-23 10:02:19
Names round-upPublish date: 2009-02-22 08:43:39
What's in a name?Publish date: 2009-02-21 09:58:14
Editing the New StatesmanPublish date: 2009-02-20 11:42:36
Salute Peter M’s proper use of the F wordPublish date: 2009-02-19 09:58:58
Labour's communications challenge for the NHSPublish date: 2009-02-18 10:34:39
In praise of KeighleyPublish date: 2009-02-17 14:33:57
A night at the EmiratesPublish date: 2009-02-17 00:06:51
When marriage is testedPublish date: 2009-02-16 13:36:35
Spare me the myths and the whiningPublish date: 2009-02-15 13:29:50
Dave Cameron - is that all there is?Publish date: 2009-02-14 11:11:55
Boris Johnson: F is for ...Publish date: 2009-02-13 07:55:10
The Cameron vacuumPublish date: 2009-02-12 14:48:33
Lincoln, Obama, Blair and the 24 hour media culturePublish date: 2009-02-11 10:28:47
Eighteen interviews later ...Publish date: 2009-02-10 19:24:45
Time to talk about Time to Change on NewsnightPublish date: 2009-02-09 22:47:49
So that’s what they mean by online community?Publish date: 2009-02-08 12:12:51
First blogPublish date: 2009-02-05 15:23:57
Stronghold Barricades
2009-06-05 01:43:38I am a long term sufferer of the NHS, though not as a mental health patient, and attend a consultant at least every six months
I have got used to the ineptitude of the system, the stone walling by doctors who wish to preserve their budgets to comply with government targets
I would have to say that had I known that the NHS was this bad I would have chosen to go private because if something goes wrong someone is more likely to be held to account before I die, and I'm likely to get my money back
With the current NHS I've had to pay to endure the queues, the treatment, and the incompetence
There is nothing wrong with the NHS, the simple answer is there is no accountability, and no one is scared of losing their job by making a mistake unless it manages to get into the newspapers. Is that any way to run a service?
The people in the system know this, just look at their morale.
Labour has "updated" the NHS by paying doctors vastly more, increasing specialisation and reducing service availability. How else do you have a GP with a list of patients who he would struggle to see 10% of in a year let alone all of them if their was a disease outbreak just once.
Realistic targets
No reward for failure
CPW
2009-06-04 15:04:54Ah, Alastair, ever the opportunist. You know you're as bad as the Telegraph types at heart and that's what you are really inveighing against. It’s all self loathing when we get to brass tacks.
The people of Burnley - you know it well, your home away from home, remember - were angry about their NHS AE dept. closing quite recently. Little Miss Usher did her best, but alas, the artex on her ceiling was in the end really too much of a distraction. So the unsightly artex went. And so did the hospital.
Vote Labour - The Socialist Labour Party this Thurs.
betty curtis
2009-06-04 14:54:47Tories & the NHS don't mix.
Their record is abysmal ie seriously bad
During the Thatcher years Virginia Bottomley was Health Secretary----What a shambles to the extent of disarray and Filthy Hospitals because Cleaning was put out to Private tender.
During that time I had to take my elderly mother for Hospital tests and we wouldn't even sit on the chairs in the waiting room---To explain--The orange plastic chairs were black ingrained with dirt and when we looked around walls Floors and skirting's were so dirty we were shocked.A breading ground for germs that was the cause of Mrsa and other such bacteria that can kill vulnerable patients.
My mother had been in both Domestic & Nursing within the NHS for around 15years before she'd retired and was always proud of her work and told me how Matron always carried out daily inspections for cleanliness of Nurses & Hospital.
Matrons had been removed from Hospitals so nobody from these private companies was interested in the hygiene in our hospitals.---It was the cheapest companies to do the cleaning that won the Tender for the job.
It was after this that I backed Nurses & Hospital workers for better pay & conditions and took my kids and marched through Glasgow with unions who represented the Nurses.
I was distraught at what was happening to our NHS that had been the envy of the world. Things were really bad and Nurses left the NHS to go into private nursing for better wages & conditions.
Unless you actually know just how bad things were in the NHS before Labour got in you won't fully realize the amazing difference of improvement that we all take for granted now.
James
2009-06-04 12:57:08I'm afraid you're making my 'hypocrisy alert' flash red again - how can you one week complain about how the media trivialises issues, and then turn a choice between the main parties to one between 'the NHS and moats' - ie Labour is the only party that cares about the NHS whereas all the Tories care about is cleaning their moats? Yes Douglas Hogg was a twat to claim for his moat, but to imply or infer from that that the Tories would prefer "moats" over "the NHS" is distortionary, wrong and disingenous. I expected better.
I've got an alternative headline for you to show you what I mean:
Do we care about keeping manifesto commitments over income tax, or toilet seats?
Em
2009-06-04 12:46:47Thank God for the level-headed people who can see the forest for the trees and are voting Labour today. I applaud you.
The moat issue reminds one of feudalism and serfdom; the little people were born so that their toil should benefit those who won the lottery of the womb. Image-wise it is fertile ground.
I'm not surprised journalists focused on questions germane to the occasion since we are all concerned with health and mental health, but for Westminster journos, the narrative is developing in their favour. Shall I risk a metaphor about an anticipated insurrection that does not happen? Wouldn't the foreign correspondent be disappointed to have travelled halfway around the world only to find peace where she expected dead mothers and children on the streets? The troubles at Westminster may have terrible consequences for the people and government but the story is coming to a satisfying point in the journos' telling of it. They live for such carnage. Naughtie was all plummy-voiced and funereal as he was laying it on thick this morning...
Stuart McGowan
2009-06-04 12:44:48Alastair
For the first time in twenty years, I could not bring myself to vote Labour today.
Sadly, I just can't see any hope for the country with the current party leadership.
Labour still has several impressive talents in its front ranks but, until Gordon is made to realise that it is time for him to move aside, none of them are going to have the chance to take part in a proper leadership contest, where they can debate their own ideas for taking things forward once again.
Until that happens, we are just going to face a continual disintegration of what had been, during the Blair years at least, a strong, progressive movement. It is too important for the country that that is not allowed to happen.
My sincere wish is that Gordon sees sense and goes on his own and avoids the inevitable internal fighting within the party that would simply result in Labour facing another 18 years in the wilderness.
mary
2009-06-04 12:24:17Alastair,
Congratulations on carrying on with the mental health promotion. You are doing wonderful things for the most deprived people in society and I applaud your courage. You deserve the good publicity that is coming your way on this.
While I have no idea whether or not Mr. Brown listens to your advice on the expenses issue, I would say that if it is true that Robin Cook warned of this problem as long ago as 2002, then it is a crying shame that no one bothered to listen to him then. Allowing Mr. Speaker to challenge the Freedom of Information act as it applied to MPs' business was a dreadful mistake. Those Cabinet Ministers who didn't even feel the chill when Jacqui Smith's expenses were outed don't seem to have much political nous, now do they?
Chris Simkins
2009-06-04 11:55:27Alistair,
I voted Labour this morning, however....
When I consider the short and medium term future of the Labour Party I feel myself sitting in a valley devoid of any hope or inspiration.
In the short term, many are trying to get rid of Gordon Brown (and I can see why, even if I don't agree) but how do they answer the question 'Then what'?.
Whatever happens to Gordon Brown, there's surely no individual or collection of MPs who can perform the miracle required to turn around public perception right now.
So it seems Labour will live and die on policy. And unfortunately, that rarely seems to persuade the public without a big personality to sell it. Parties are almost pointless without personalities to inspire.
There seems to be an inevitiablity to Labour's next few years. The political circle of life almost.
How can you (and we) seriously respond to this problem and offer inspiration (and hope)?
AnnA
2009-06-04 11:32:22I might have voted Labour had anyone in my area spent any time at all campaigning and bothered to drop a leaflet through the door, let alone door stepped me!! The BNP and UKIP have made the effort, why not Labour? Seems to me that locally the party's just given up the ghost so today I'm voting Lib Dem. It pains me as a born and bred labourite and I really hope both locally and nationally the party pulls itself together and regains the backing of people like me for the general election. Sorry Gordon, but you've got to go and, for the good of the party, (much) sooner rather than later...
Craig, Oxfordshire
2009-06-04 10:58:15Alastair, the game is up I'm afraid.
I won't vote today. You see, I have a problem according to today's media - and that is that I am a Labour voter. But putting a cross next to the Red Rose where I live would be utterly pointless. My politicians wear cord top to toe, drive Land Rovers, support hunting and speak in a way I thought extinct. I think the Labour share last time was sub-10%.
You've blogged regulary about the right-wing media (especially print, which to my mind - The Mail, The Express, The Telegraph and now even the Times are to the right of even Fox News) being anti GB and now, it's come to fruition. There are no truths anymore. There's only what the media want you to think. Charlie Brooker made the point expertly on Newswipe recently - the story is always negative, it's always self-fulfilling for the media and it's always anti-government.
Labour are going to have the worst result imaginable over the next few days - and the worst general next year in living memory. I think what you're trying to say is - the public will get the government they deserve. But it's more to the point - the media will get the government they deserve. The only shred of light is... they'll give Cameron the shortest honeymoon imaginable. Because if they're not criticising the government of the day - they're not selling newspapers.
red_imp
2009-06-04 10:26:54I have to say all the Parties are as bad as each other thats not to say i'll go and vote an extreme party mind.
In the end I will vote for the Councillor that seems to be "seen"(actions speak louder than words) to have made an effort in helping the Local community no matter which party they are in.
And in the Euro's any party that wants to dump us straight into the Euro without a referendum won't get my vote simple as. Thats not to say Im against joining the Euro I just want to be given the choice and see both sides of the story.
paul canning
2009-06-04 09:44:52I know all this Alastair - I'm culturally Labour. But like a lot of gays in the US are getting with Obama, as an advocate for gay asylum seekers I can't get past what monstrous policies Labour has overseen regarding them. When you know the personal situations it's nigh impossible. Plus I can see the Tories being *better on this issue! Truly.
I understand politically why this has happened - why, in general, the Home Office has been left to deal so badly with the whole issue of asylum - but this just makes it worse and really is an utter betrayal of Labour's core values. Plus LGBT Labour have just ignored it, only now taking any interest.
I'm sure there are other previously loyal people who feel betrayed and it isn't good enough to just keep saying NHS! NHS! NHS! - it's marginalising and sending people to the back of the bus.
Locally I will (tactically) vote LibDem, in the Euros I will vote Green.
Ronald
2009-06-04 09:36:51Boudicca, I find your blunt "wrong" highly amusing, and although I am not a resident of Britain I am aware of Alastair's history with British politics. So before you attempt, although rather vainly; to cut down a very well written blog entry. Perhaps you should take into consideration the experience and knowledge your attacking.
Good Article, It is a shame that the expense claim scandal has taken up so much of the media energy in Britain. I wonder if the media are capable of handling any more than one major story at a time?
Helen Johnson
2009-06-04 09:26:08Oh, see you all over the weekend. And regroup.
Alan Quinn
2009-06-04 09:22:51The Labour flag in my garden, vote Labour placards are hanging from my bedroom window next to my union jack flag.
Helen Johnson
2009-06-04 09:19:50I, like Jane, shall vote Labour too, today and always. But Alastair, we want you back. Today, we shall be trounced. That is for sure. And, moving on, Westminster is behaving like a sixth form common room, when people who used to be prefects are prefects no longer. And have spent the last hour on the phone about it to various NW constituency people. There is no endgame in sight. If they had a thought in their head about what they were doing, I might feel more relaxed, as it were.
All best H
Mrs Clayton
2009-06-04 08:58:56Call me an old silly, but perhaps if Mp's from all parties could stop claiming for moats, helipads, hanging baskets and TV's that cost thousands, If they could just try and restrain themselves from changing house moretimes than most people do their bed linn and perhaps if a few more of them offer to pay back the expenses that may be allowable, but certainly not acceptable, then we could free up quite a bit of mone over the next few years to pour into the NHS.
Corrupt representatives syphoning off money for their unnecessariily lavish lifestyles can hardly be expectd to be trusted with yet more of my money together with the health of my family. I'm scared they might whip out a liver for a minister when I am in having my tonsils out.
Alina Palimaru
2009-06-04 08:57:04Recently, I saw Daniel Hannan bloviating again on Sean Hannity’s disgusting show about how horrible Britain is. Hannan…NHS… which reminds me how people gloss over the havoc that the Tories would inflict on national health care in the UK. So below is my response to Hannan’s outrageous comments that the NHS is a 60-year mistake. You can also take it as a warning for what the Tories would serve you on their silver plate.
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These deaths convey the sad stories of thousands of Americans who die yearly because of preventable hospital errors, tens of thousands more who die yearly because of lack of healthcare and millions more who suffer at the hands of a system accessible only through high costs, high insurance premiums, and even higher co-payments.
Yet, the frighteningly poor state of American healthcare did not prevent Mr. Daniel Hannan from praising it as a model of efficiency, excellent health standards and reasonable government spending. Appearing on Fox News in the United States several months ago, the Tory MEP cheerfully labelled the NHS as “a 60-year mistake” and cautioned Americans against socializing their current health scheme. Undoubtedly, Hannan’s support for this model indicates his penchant for failed experiments, but also signals the Tories’ ambition to reform British healthcare based on America’s malfunctioning system.
In his case against the NHS, Mr. Hannan complained primarily about what he perceives to be a discrepancy between the high level of government expenditures and the country’s poor health indexes. However, while Mr. Hannan is entitled to his own opinions, he is not entitled to his own facts.
According to a 2006 report by the World Health Organization (WHO), U.S. health spending levels are the highest in the world (15% of GDP and ,4,543 per capita) but overall performance only positions the U.S. as 37 out of 191 countries. The United Kingdom is in the top 20, with a health spending rate of just 6% of GDP and ,1,883 per capita. In addition, indices such as life expectancy, probability of dying, death by hospital error and infant mortality are significantly better in the U.K. than in the U.S. Finally, the WHO rates the U.S. health finance mechanism as one of the most unfair in the Western Hemisphere.
Oblivious to these statistics, the Conservatives persist in their advocacy for adopting the U.S. competition-based and consumer-driven health model, which would expose the NHS to the uncertainty of the free market.
One major change the Tories would make is to contract health services to private corporations. They want to allow commercial entities to have a financial stake in service supply, with the objective of reducing costs and improving quality. In the U.S. this strategy has achieved exactly the opposite, and the Tory experiment would fare even worse because of their poor understanding of free market principles.
They intend to make these independent suppliers compete for contracts at the NHS price. Nevertheless, depending on the actual market price, the NHS standard may fall below market equilibrium, which would trigger a shortage in supply, or above equilibrium, which would result in a surplus. Thus, health providers vying for contracts may be tampering with their costs of service to the detriment of quality.
Their proposed reimbursement system might also provide financial incentives to doctors and hospitals based on quantity of medical procedures and not on quality of patient care. The Tories describe this as a reward for “best practice and successful treatment outcomes”. But given the involvement of commercial interests, “best practice” will most likely be defined in terms of lucrative surgeries or expensive drug prescriptions as opposed to cheaper treatments or non-surgical alternatives that could be equally, if not more, effective.
In the U.S., where such a financing mechanism prevails, doctors are more likely to prescribe catheterizations for their heart-disease patients, even though these invasive procedures have been shown to be no less effective than healthy eating habits and exercise. But this preference pattern is reinforced by the government’s spending formula which generates hundreds of thousands of dollars in yearly profits for each interventional cardiologist.
Inevitably, rewarding providers this way will transform British health care into a supply-driven system at the expense of the taxpayer. You can expect the NHS to overflow with unnecessary medical procedures that will increase costs. In the long-term, the Tories’ financing scheme will also distort the supply of doctors, by providing an incentive to medical school students to opt for specializations with a potential for excess profitability. Thus, radiologists and cardiologists may outnumber general practitioners and pediatricians.
Mr. Hannan’s support for such an overpriced and underperforming model of health care is absolutely baffling. If the Tories are ever allowed to go through with their plans, the Josie Kings of the United States will become the Josie Kings of the United Kingdom.>>
Boudicca
2009-06-04 08:30:09Wrong. Gordon is 'copping it' because he is a useless Prime Minister who is so emotionally illiterate he manages to alienate pretty-much everyone: colleagues, opposition, the electorate, the Royal Family, foreign Heads of State.
He should do the decent thing and resign .... but he isn't a decent and honourable man. He IS a coward and a bully.
As for the rest and the final 'vote Labour' - hahahahahahahahahahaha. Dream on.
Jane A
2009-06-04 08:07:42Good work going off to do the mental health and stigma work again. Keep up the very good work.
It is hard sometimes to keep perspective about Labour achievements when all the noise about regicide and expenses dominate the airwaves. But when the expenses are paid back, reformed and set straight, the achievements of the NHS under Labour will still be there, via increased funding, Foundation Trusts, and drastically reduced waiting times, to name but a few. These improvements contribute to the health and wellbeing of millions of people. And that's what counts.
I shall vote Labour today, and always.
Charlie
2009-06-04 08:07:31The best interests of the Labour Party and Britain will be served by voting for anyone but Labour.
Tony
2009-06-04 07:25:18AC,
The problem is that great truism that the electorate takes previous achievements for granted, and only care about about what's going to happen next.
Without a good narrative of where Labour want to take the NHS next, all that's left is a (admittedly quite accurate) negative message about the risks of voting Tory.
Scare campaigns can work if they're accurate and there's a positive alternative to sell. Until both these elements are in play, I don't think Labour will be winning any votes on the NHS (or any other issue).
You've got to have a carrot as well as a stick.
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