NHS waiting lists

Today another strike is affecting the NHS.  The media have been interviewing people who have had operations cancelled due to the junior doctors strike. This same media have not paid as much attention to the way that NHS waiting lists have risen since the reforms which were made during the years of the coalition government.

NHS staff are leaving.  The can have a better work-life balance outside the NHS.  I know one person who left medicine and entered the restaurant trade because it was less stressful!  In the surgery I work in, many doctors have left the surgery to work for more money and better hours elsewhere.

Before 2010, I knew one GP who moved to Australia because it was hard to get a job, there were so many GP's then.  Now, the surgery I work in has had a vacancy for months for a GP. 

The government say that they are making things better for those working in the NHS, but the facts are that loads of NHS workers are voting with their feet and leaving the NHS, many to work abroad instead. 

And then there were two

My daughter has come down ill as well.  I do not know the symptoms, but things are not looking good for us going on holiday.

Ill before our holiday

I am a bit nervous.  My son was come down unwell, runny nose, feeling awful.  He had been out earlier today, but came back feeling awful.  We have our holiday next week and I am hoping that he has not come down with the plague.  So far, his COVID test is negative, but I am in favour of encouraging him to social distance in his bedroom...

The UK is not a soft touch for refugees

I am disgusted at the quality of reporting when it comes to how our nation is dealing, or failing to deal with refugees.  Listening to journalists who should know better, they do not mention several things. 

1- The European nation with the largest number of refugees is Germany.  When the migrant caravan happened, most refugees went to Germany, not to the UK.

2 - France (which has more refugees than the UK) has offered to stop the boats by allowing refugees to apply for refugee status in a legal manner.  In addition to this, action has taken place in France to stop them using ports and the Channel tunnel to get to the UK.

3 - The safe and legal routes that we do have for refugees from Afghanistan have left too many in danger.  

And now we want to house asylum seekers in a barge that is considered by many to be unsafe...

Arsenal and the quiz

Two unexpected results yesterday.  Arsenal won the Charity Shield, a result I will be honest and did not think would happen.  In fact, in order not to get depressed, I did not watch it.  I should have had more faith in the team.  

Also, we scored our highest ever score on the pub quiz that we go to on Sunday nights.  I also got four of the literature questions right.  It made no difference to the score, as others knew the answers as well, but they were not too sure about one of them.

We went to The Red Dog for brunch earlier in the day and later, while I ironed and watched The Witcher with my daughter, my son earned money by mowing the lawn.  Now both kids have done it, though they have to be pain.  My son had initially agreed to do it for £20, thinking that is what his sister had been paid.  For some reason, my wife thought that she had been paid £45, but it turned out she realised later that it was £25.  I doubt that I will get the kids to mow the lawn that often, but getting them to do it will help me on days when I have not been able to do so.

Needless to say, yesterday was much dryer than before which was why the lawn could be mown.  It is nice to see the sun again.

Our August Monsoon

It is looking sunnier today.  Yesterday was a washout.  Both walks with Leia involved the rain and on both occasions, she wanted to get back as quickly as possible.  In fact, last night, I walked down the road, where she had done her wee and then poo, and as we walked past the house, whereas normally on a dry day she would be happy to continue to walk, she wanted to go back home!  It has been a while since that happened.

Climate change, Labour and new drilling

We only know of one planet that sustains life in this galaxy.  And we appear to be ruining it. Our government, which should be leading the world in green energy has decided to work towards pumping more carbon dioxide into our atmosphere by allowing more fossil fuels to be taken out of the ground.  For those who wish to deny the link between fossil fuels and climate change, remember that our planet was a lot hotter before plants sucked carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and the carbon was stored in the crust of our planet.  

If the government is to be believed, this will make things better for UK consumers, but the fuels will be sold on the international market which will not benefit the customer, but will give money to the government, so will help a bit with the taxes that the electorate pays.

We should look to the future.  Our nation, in the past, had the greatest empire on the planet.  It created that by looking to the future, not by looking inwards.  That ambition and drive that is still present in the nation, can be used to leading the world when it comes to green energy and the fight against climate change.

We can lead the world in this, or we can follow it.

Saying that, I do think that Labour has to honour this deal. Not doing so will cause the party a huge amount of harm with economic credibility, but I do also hope that it sticks to its promise not to had out more licences.  And on that, I disagree with Novara media.