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Post by Deleted on Dec 20, 2023 22:53:48 GMT
While I normally just lurk on here now (but the weather outside is frightful), I don't remember steve ever "defend[ing] the coalition".
It's normally helpful when people avoid making things up. Defence through DENIAL is what I detest. I STAND by my accusation. I will never forgive the Lib Dems. Happily, nobody gives a fuck.
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Post by jib on Dec 20, 2023 22:54:12 GMT
]No as I'm not a Lib dem though I believe they will be an important weapon in helping to destroy this government. I'm just acknowledging odd behaviour. Unless appropriately deferential behaviour is demonstrated to you, I suspect you judge most human beings to be "odd". Happily, nobody gives a fuck. I'll trust the electorate with that decision sunny lad. x.
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oldnat
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Post by oldnat on Dec 21, 2023 0:48:10 GMT
As a point of context to the various decisions, it should be remembered that the Barnett formula is more favourable to Scotland than Wales. Quite true - and it was the result of the Scottish polity having more political power within the UK - especially when most of Ireland did the sensible thing and left the UK Union, leaving the Goschen formula (itself never fully defined) in tatters. Wales had no locus in that, being administratively subsumed into England, and the allocation of resources from the UK Treasury to Scotland and NI became a matter of negotiation rather than formulaic.
With the prospect of devolution in the 1970s (though that didn't occur, due to the rebellion within Labour ranks) Barnett produced his arbitrary proposals for how the UK Treasury should support public services in Scotland, NI and (to an extent) Wales. As an interim measure, it was never properly thought out. The core assumption is the dominance of England in the determination of public spending. If the (largely) English electorate chooses a government that increases spending on English services, the devolved administrations get a proportionate rise. If they choose an austerity government then the devolved administrations get less.
I quite agree that Wales has been disadvantaged, compared with Scotland, in the amount of their taxes being returned to them (UK taxes aren't just "English"), although they do fare better than areas of England, where there is no convention as to the public spending in their part of the UK. Consequently, when those in the North of England vote Labour or Tory (reliant as these partiers are on votes in the most populous parts of that fair polity) they get shafted worse than anybody else in the UK.
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Post by moby on Dec 21, 2023 1:35:16 GMT
He did less well at Tottenham though where his tenure was unsuccessful and short lived, although working for Levy can often be a thankless task. I think Nuno will need a fair bit of time at Forest, and money, to get the quality of players on board to make a real fist of it. I think he'll steer you well clear of trouble though. The current Bottom 3 look nailed on to go down for me. I've got a good deal of time for Nuno as well and I think that Forest will, just, stay up. We are, after all two games away from half-way through the season. What has surprised me is why Burnley have not done better than they have so far. Not as surprised as I am as to how my team the toffees have improved despite being docked 10 points! Never a dull moment being a toffee.
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steve
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Post by steve on Dec 21, 2023 7:28:03 GMT
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steve
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Post by steve on Dec 21, 2023 7:44:13 GMT
pjw1961 I should clarify that I am fully supportive of increased training resources for the health services, but it simply won't on its own solve either the recruitment or retention issues. What would help massively is the restoration of pay during training for student nurses, currently student nurses in England are required to devote 46 weeks a year to their courses unlike the 30ish common for most university students, they work an average 40 hour week during their courses. Consequently there's no real opportunity to earn extra money and routinely student debts of £60,000 are accrued, this for a job which up to charge nurse level only pays around the UK median income.It makes it an impossible choice for career change and an unattractive degree option. Similar impact occurs for medical students , while the yearly time commitment is shorter the extra two to three years, if there's a pre med year makes it just if not more expensive, the difference is that the rewards on qualifying are greater , but this doesn't help while taking the course and accounts for the propensity of public school entrants relying on the bank of mum and dad. If nursing and medicine are to be retained as degree only entrance then adopting the system now used in the police service of a paid trainee degree with an income at least just about sufficient to live on would help. Combined with excusing all current student debt this would help recruitment and retention far more than promises of extra training capacity, welcome though that might be. It's liberal democrat policy to fully restore the student nurse bursary,this doesn't remotely go far enough but it's a step in the right direction.
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Post by crossbat11 on Dec 21, 2023 7:53:42 GMT
I'm surprised there isn't a "Ready for Rishi" badge on the back too. Or "In Liz we Truss". 😅
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Post by crossbat11 on Dec 21, 2023 8:19:00 GMT
steve
The received wisdom about the NHS, particularly on the right of British politics, but not exclusively so, is that spending more money on it is the equivalent of pouring money down the drain because the model is broken. This is convenient politically as well as economically because it plays into the public bad/private good narrative and derides an essentially socialist institution and principle. Unless it's "fundamentally reformed" it has no future is the assumption.
It's obvious that an organisation that provides free at the point of use healthcare for over 60 million people will have examples of waste and inefficiency and will be in need of continual modernisation and adaptation. Not least because of medical advances and a growing population with ever more complex health issues. Prevention better than cure and treatment; Streeting is spot on with that shift in emphasis.
But it seems to me that we often miss an obvious truth that we should have learned during the Blair and Brown years. If you spend more money on healthcare, outcomes improve. Not spend more as in meeting rising costs, but lifting the amount you spend as a proportion of GDP to effect transformational change in outcomes and patient satisfaction. Through the Thatcher years, and as now, we lagged way behind other equivalent nations in terms of what we spent on our health service as a proportion of GDP. Blair and Brown, once they freed themselves from the shackles of sticking with Major and Clarke's inherited spending plans, lifted spending on the NHS to historically high levels. It improved accordingly. Not to idyllic faultless levels of performance, but to levels that improved millions of people's lives.
I think Starmer and Streeting, should, they make it into power next year, will have to find ways to inject vastly more resources into healthcare if it is to be improved. Private involvement is not a bad thing in itself, but the service is now chronically under-resourced. Staffing, pay, equipment, infrastructure, IT etc
They mustn't go down the right wing rabbit hole that argues that the NHS is failing because it's an inherently bad model of healthcare provision. It isn't. It's been nobbled by a governing party, in power for thirteen years now, who suffer it unenthusiastically and don't really believe in it.
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steve
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Post by steve on Dec 21, 2023 8:37:27 GMT
Suicides of asylum seekers in Home Office accommodation have doubled in the last four years A total of 23 people are thought to have killed themselves since 2020, with 176 deaths from all causes.
Similar huge increases have been seen within the prison estates.
If our regime choose to lock people up in whatever form and deny them the ability to work it becomes responsible for their welfare health and safety.
This basis principle is totally lost on this regime obsessed as it is with demonizing refugees and cutting essential services.
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steve
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Post by steve on Dec 21, 2023 8:40:20 GMT
Elon Musk’s X back online after global outage Thousands of users reported being unable to access social media platform for about 45 minutes on Thursday
The question for twitteres must be X, Y?
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steve
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Post by steve on Dec 21, 2023 8:42:46 GMT
Not sure if this one has already been noted.
Election Maps UK @electionmapsuk · 21h Wellingborough Nowcast Projection (Existing Boundaries):
🌹 LAB: 38.9% (+11.4) 🌳 CON: 35.1% (-27.1) ➡️ RFM: 11.4% (New) 🌍 GRN: 7.4% (+3.9) 🔶 LDM: 6.5% (-1.4)
Changes w/ GE2019.
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steve
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Post by steve on Dec 21, 2023 8:49:15 GMT
New polling that might indicate that the situation regarding the presidential polling isn't actually reflective of the likely outcome. In polling yesterday by the New York Times 25% of republican supporters think the traitor should be prevented from standing if he's found guilty of a crime, he's indicted on 91 and 20% of republicans think he should go to prison if found guilty. Only 60% say they would vote for him in these circumstances down by a third since July. The majority think his prosecution is politically motivated they are of course correct in The sense that prosecution of an insurrectionist an overtly political act is of course a political act. Doesn't mean it shouldn't happen though. youtu.be/ZB6xyva9i_s?si=sPE3EccaDzFfj0OI
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Post by crossbat11 on Dec 21, 2023 8:55:22 GMT
New polling that might indicate that the situation regarding the presidential polling isn't actually reflective of the likely outcome. In polling yesterday by the New York Times 25% of republican supporters think the traitor should be prevented from standing if he's found guilty of a crime, he's indicted on 91 and 20% of republicans think he should go to prison if found guilty. Only 60% say they would vote for him in these circumstances down by a third since July. youtu.be/ZB6xyva9i_s?si=sPE3EccaDzFfj0OIOne of the reasons why I think Trump hasn't got a cat in hell's chance of winning a Presidential race next year. Assuming that he even makes it on to the ballot paper, that is. Still a big assumption in my book. Interestingly, there is some polling evidence emerging now that other Republican candidates like Nikki Haley are closing on him in some of the state primary opinion polls. I have a hunch that his bid may well collapse quite quickly.
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Post by hireton on Dec 21, 2023 10:04:47 GMT
Final Savanta ComRes poll before Christmas:
Apparently it should read Cons (+1).
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Post by leftieliberal on Dec 21, 2023 10:10:15 GMT
European Court of Justice hand down ruling that says Uefa and Fifa were wrong to ban Super League. www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/67783970The report said that when new competitions are "potentially entering the market" Fifa and Uefa must ensure their powers are "transparent, objective, non-discriminatory and proportionate".
The report adds: "However, the powers of Fifa and Uefa are not subject to any such criteria. Fifa and Uefa are, therefore, abusing a dominant position.
"Moreover, given their arbitrary nature, their rules on approval, control and sanctions must be held to be unjustified restrictions on the freedom to provide services.This is a ruling that blows club football wide open, because it means that, let us say, a country like Saudi Arabia which has already done this for golf (LIV) could decide to sponsor their own club football tournament(s) which could include the teams in the aborted Super League.
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steve
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Post by steve on Dec 21, 2023 10:13:34 GMT
Keir Starmer travelling to Estonia to offer support for our troops there and NATO partners. Remarkably it's possible to travel overseas not by air farce one, Maybe someone should tell Sunakered. Yes that is the next prime minister in row 2 on ryan air. Attachment Deleted
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Danny
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Post by Danny on Dec 21, 2023 10:20:07 GMT
Covid nasal spray vaccines have, so far, disappointed, Would those be the ones you reported on here as exciting and promising whenever it was? Do you actually run a medical supply company?
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Danny
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Post by Danny on Dec 21, 2023 10:24:27 GMT
The article says a 40% increased risk at christmas, but no extra risk at new year. "Most penile fractures occur in unconventional scenarios, such as during extramarital affairs or when sex is performed in unusual locations,” said Pyrgides, adding that such scenarios were possibly more likely when men were approaching midlife." So thats sex under the christmas tree?
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Danny
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Post by Danny on Dec 21, 2023 10:26:35 GMT
Gov.uk; "Londoners will enjoy smoother and safer journeys, as the government today (20 December 2023) announces how London boroughs will benefit from £235 million in extra funding which has been redirected from HS2 to resurface roads across the capital over the next 11 years." Do the Tories even know where the Red Wall is? Or have they just given up and are just taking the p*ss? Isnt there a risk this sort of news is counter productive, because not having potholes all over the roads is so much a core part of government good management, that this simply admits they have totally failed thus far?
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Danny
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Post by Danny on Dec 21, 2023 10:38:45 GMT
I had a email from Wes Streeting (i.e. from some minion working for him) that reads slightly less like it was written by a right-wing management consultant. "Now to the plan - Labour will pull every available lever to get patients seen faster, including using spare capacity in the private sector. Dont we do that already? And isnt it for the most part the same doctors who work in both the NHS and private medicine, so more time in one is less time in the other? Well yes, but scanners are increasingly important and I cant help thinking this is on the NHS to-do list anyway? Difficult one for con to steal. Its already very efficient, so how? If he means introducing part pay schemes, that does generate more money but its still taxpayers money doing the funding, just taking away some of the 'insurance' aspect that you dont have to pay when you need the help. Good luck with that! The NHS has for 30 years been amalgamating services and GPs into bigger and bigger units serving wider areas. The reason, to cut costs. If it is possible at all, restoring local services will add cost without adding to number of patients processed. Forcing patients to travel was a way to pass some of the costs on to them, and probably also to make some of them not bother going. Persuading the nation to stop smoking has caused enormous strain on the NHS as people live longer. I wonder if abolishing the wealth gap in society would simply itself reduce mental strain and so help people?
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Danny
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Post by Danny on Dec 21, 2023 10:42:58 GMT
pjw1961That is undoubtedly true however more than half those applying for nurse training since 2015 have now left the profession and over half of those qualifying in 2010 have now left. Same pattern as teachers. Pay just isnt attractive. Did Starmer mention pushing up all their basic pay to make the jobs more attractive, which while it might stem shortages isnt going to get a single extra patient treated in the short term? Which is presumably why con are steadfastly refusing to meet pay claims.
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Danny
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Post by Danny on Dec 21, 2023 10:44:28 GMT
You have to start training people sometime steve. I'm pro-immigration, but we don't want a health service that is solely dependent on stealing the rest of the world's staff. . Only that plan is also failing, there arent enough coming. And its possible this isnt just about pay, but about the numbers of people willing to leave their home countries at all, while world demand for them keeps rising.
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Danny
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Post by Danny on Dec 21, 2023 10:55:02 GMT
And the coalition you defend made things worse. While I normally just lurk on here now (but the weather outside is frightful), I don't remember steve ever "defend[ing] the coalition".
It's normally helpful when people avoid making things up.Its likely true the liberals mitigated the worst policies con would have implemented if they had a majority alone. And in 2015 when the lib vote collapsed, the beneficiary was significantly the conservative party, so the option might have been if the libs didnt exist, it would have been a clear con majority throughout with unfettered policies.
However, on the minus side once rid of the libs con did what they wanted to anyway. Plus the libs were a convenient excuse for con for not doing things they didnt want to, and to explain why their policies had failed. Libs made an utter fiasco of getting any sort of electoral reform which should have been their paramount goal to secure a future for themselves. Under FPP they split the opposition vote, enabling tories, and ultimately proved themselves to be tory light, so not really a useful alternative anyway.
It could be argued one reason we have had a series of long periods in office for one party is because of the several smaller parties dividing opposition voters.
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Danny
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Post by Danny on Dec 21, 2023 10:56:46 GMT
I STAND by my accusation. I will never forgive the Lib Dems. But you voted for Brexit! (people in glass houses throwing stones, and all that)
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Danny
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Post by Danny on Dec 21, 2023 11:00:11 GMT
It's a sad fact, but completely true. Those who rage against 'lockdowns', or indeed, any attempts to initiate sensible precautions against infection, fail to understand that by their own actions, they have consigned several hundred thousand of their fellow citizens to what is in effect, permanent lockdown. Thats total Bollox. Anyone who has to shield now for fear of severe covid because they are immune compromised also has to shield for fear of catching all sorts of other illnesses which would be just as bad. Covid makes no difference.
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steve
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Post by steve on Dec 21, 2023 11:01:23 GMT
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Post by alec on Dec 21, 2023 11:10:32 GMT
Danny - "Covid makes no difference." No, that's completely wrong. Apart from the proven fact that covid is substantially more severe in it's health impacts that other circulating viruses (paper just out detailing the far higher risks of death and complications from covid vs flu, even after vaccination) the other fact that you are missing is the prevalence of covid. In mos countries, covid infection rates have barely fallen below 1% at any point in the last couple of years, whereas other infections like flu and RSV are distinctly seasonal. You get a huge amount of this wrong, but I'll still wish you a happy Christmas and hope that your New Year resolution will be to fact check your posts beforehand.
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Danny
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Post by Danny on Dec 21, 2023 11:13:32 GMT
I think Starmer and Streeting, should, they make it into power next year, will have to find ways to inject vastly more resources into healthcare if it is to be improved. The problem is they will inherit a situation where EVERY government service is under funded, and has been increasingly so for 14 years so overall past investment is also reaching critical situations (for example, the collapsing schools we had this year, and the road potholes). At a point national debt has been reaised to record levels (excluding wartime) by the party of sound finances! And we just ditched our by far most important trading partner, which is still feeding into economic decline. The situation is far more difficult than Blair inherited, or than Cameron inherited.
The difficult choices are to tax more and use more of that to invest in national infrastructure as well as making up public pay. To cut the wealth gap. To slash house prices. To cut back on people going to university, but sort out problems in secondary education. To rejoin the EU. To increase defence spending. To reshore industry to the Uk, which given a shortage of workers has to mean somehow increase investment in mechanisation. Raised minimum wage to a living wage.
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Danny
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Post by Danny on Dec 21, 2023 11:17:55 GMT
Keir Starmer travelling to Estonia to offer support for our troops there and NATO partners. Remarkably it's possible to travel overseas not by air farce one, Maybe someone should tell Sunakered. Yes that is the next prime minister in row 2 on ryan air. View AttachmentBut supposing instead of being a photographer behind him, that had been an enraged constituent (since these seem to be the most likely killers of MPs, I doubt Russia would see any reason to get rid of him, or Sunak)
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Danny
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Post by Danny on Dec 21, 2023 11:22:52 GMT
other infections like flu and RSV are distinctly seasonal. How do you know? Whoever has actually conducted mass public testing to find out the true off season prevalence of flu, etc? No one? Covid is unique in being the most tested for illness ever.
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