I'm scared to stand up in case the SNP take my seat

Well it is the day after the night before.  I will be up front and say that I did not (and doubt I ever will) vote Conservative.  This brought memories of 1992 back to me.  The polls said that Labour were going to win and instead the Conservatives won with a huge number of votes.  

I got my first idea that things had not gone well for the country at 2200 when the BBC published an exit poll that showed that David Cameron was going to be ten seats short of a majority.  My wife asked how accurate such polls were and a quick Wikipedia search depressed me as they had been quite accurate since 1992.  But I, like most of those watching, forgot the "Shy Tory" effect, that being many people were to vote Conservative but we're too ashamed to say so.  And as we now know, things got better for the Tories.

So David Cameron now has a majority and now can go ahead with the electoral reform he wants to bring in.  Disenfranchise the Scottish vote making English laws to be voted on by English MP's playing into the hands of the SNP who want to destroy the Union.  The justification being that Scottish MP's have no power on certain issues thanks to the Scottish Assembly while London MP's can vote over issues that the London Assembly has power  Bringing in Union reform to only allow a strike to go ahead if 50% of total union members (note, not voting members) vote for strike action when most MP's who will vote for this are not voted in by 50% of the electorate in the seats they represent (see the Alternative Vote) and of course, reform of electoral boundaries, again to favour the Conservatives.  And that is not counting the harm that they have caused the NHS through underfunding.  While they have increased funding (not always in real terms though) it has not kept up with health inflation, this being higher than normal inflation due to costs of new drugs and treatments that become available.  I may not agree with not increasing funding, but if you are to slowly starve the NHS of money be honest and do not wonder why those doctors, nurses and other health care professionals who can, leave.  The UK will always attract health professionals from abroad to work here, but when those who have the skills sought by other nations find out that they can earn more for less work, do not be surprised if they leave.  Still, I would be surprised if the NHS is allowed to get much worse as then it will not be able to be hidden from the public as well as it has.

Anyway, congratulations to the Conservatives as they have managed to use Wales to bash Labour over how the NHS is 'better' under the Tories as well as helping the right wing press to smear Labour and Not-Red-Enough-Ed (in my view on austerity) to hide the increase in food banks, those on Zero Hour contracts, falling Police morale, an Education policy that fails the most disadvantaged and rewards those more able and a weakened Armed Services when we face an aggressive Russia that 'has not invaded Ukraine' just like it was 'not partially responsible' for the accidental of flight MH17 over rebel held airspace in Ukraine. 

I suspect that many of those who are to be affected by the planned cuts have not voted and while I can probably survive five more years of a Conservative government, there are many who are disadvantaged who are going to suffer even more, much more than me.  The heartless cynic in me says that they will get what they deserve for not voting, but many of them did vote and they are to face the effects of the planned "efficiency savings" as well.

 

In five years time we get to decide again but it may be without Scotland and we may have a reformed electoral system that favours the Conservatives.

Should addicts who do not work have benefits removed?

My answer on this is yes and no.

I am not for cutting benefits for those with addictions but unless they are engaging with treatment I see no reason for the health system to sign them off work.  Put it this way, you would not give a suicidal patient the paracetamol to top themselves with, so why should an addict be funded to engage in the addiction?  Of course things would be easier if the same government that proposed this acted on a fat tax and took more action on cheap alcohol.  And things would be even better if narcotics were legalised & REGULATED as the war on these drugs that ruin so many lives is being lost.  

So, yes I am in favour of addicts who fail to engage not being signed off due to medical reasons, but I think it is far more important to act on alcohol pricing and bringing in a fat tax to aid healthy eating.

So the man who sang, "I believe in miracles," has died. Which is a bad omen for Ed Miliband.

There is an election tomorrow.  Vote.

I hope you find the videos on this of interest. And just in case you can not be bothered to read any of them, vote.

Roses are red, violets are blue, if you love Star Wars, may the force be with you.

Well, today involved a trip to Legoland for May the Force/4th.  Woke up early, did not leave as early as we were hoping and got there after the place opened, but all in all, had a great day.  The kids though, I think may be growing too old for Legoland as both now appear used to the rides.  This means that this may be our last trip there, but it is a place full of happy memories, and if we do return, it is somewhere that I am sure the kids will still love.

The more of them I see, the more convinced I am that IKEA employees were once shoppers who just got lost.

Well, this bank holiday weekend has been fun. I had to work on Saturday, but was home in time to read the kids a story and out them to bed.  And that was before we had some guests round as my amazing wife served up a fantastic meal for the night.  And the best bit is that there are leftovers!  Today has been a slow day as my wife has not been as well as we would like (not alcohol related) so the kids and I had a Nerf war and spent a relaxed day together.  Unfortunately, there is not much to say other than the kids are almost back to full health, though that is a fortunate occurrence and one which I am grateful for.

RIP Keith Harris. KFC Orville.

The Daily Malicious has been telling half truths again.

It seems to have been offended about a drive to ask patients about what preferences they have for care.  Under guidance from the Department of Health, through NHS England, GP's in England have been encouraged to arrange care plans for people who are more likely to have to go to hospital than others.  These care plans document issues like next of kin, medications, allergies, the place where a person would like to be looked after when unwell, and to the apparent horror of the Daily Malicious asking people what views they have on resuscitation.

It appears that there are those who consider this to be encouraging euthanasia which is sad.  It is a view shared by many in healthcare that attitudes against discussing things like this are bad for patients.  It is bad enough that the Liverpool Care Pathway was abandoned.  I am not going to say that there were no issues involving it, but this was with people who were not following it properly, forgetting that the aim of it was to allow people to die with dignity.  The solution then was not to get rid of it, but rather to train healthcare professionals to use it properly.

And now it appears that there may be a campaign against helping people be involved in healthcare decisions.  Dying Matters, it happens to us all, and working in healthcare, I have seen many horrible deaths.  It is my aim that no one else should have to see those deaths, that the families do not have to live with the guilt that a loved one was not allowed to pass away in peace and most importantly, that someone who is to die, has a say in passing away peacefully, if that is what they want.  Discussing matters like this takes time, if a GP surgery is to do this and still provide the care to patients they are meant to do, then they will need funding to hire the extra staff needed to meet this extra work.

And just in case anyone forgets, euthanasia is illegal in the UK.

I gave my phone number to some girl the other night and she said that she'd call me just as soon as she gets home. I'm guessing that she's homeless.

We are the house of ill this weekend.  All four of us have the plague, or if you want to be literal, a flu like illness.  My daughter, who is never tired, has on several occasions taken herself to bed.  My son, who like my daughter, should be on the St Georges Parade in Colchester today thanks to rest, has more energy, but I am just waiting for the coughing and sneezing snot monster that he is, to crash.

Right now he is working how to use his Nerf Retaliator without it jamming.  Once this is done he is going to want a Nerf War, but at the moment, this looks like it might not be for a while.  Right now, my daughter is in bed reading Harry Potter again.  I suspect that this might have something to do with me proving that Harry Potter dies in the last book and it has rekindled the love that she has for the books.  A love to be fair that I have but one that we have yet to get my son into.  He loves the films, those that he can watch that is.  We have watched Indiana Jones recently, the kids have loved the first two films.  Admittedly, we stopped my son from watching what happened after the Arc of the Covenant was opened.  It has not been that good for my daughter this month, a sprained foot, then on Wednesday, when using the scooter on the way home from school (I forgot not to take it) she fell over and injured her hip, and now she is not able to do that much without running out of batteries.

This week in school, my son has had two reading assessments, but on asking him what the fun thing he did at school, he told me that he can not remember and said that everything was boring.  My daughter was able to take part in a quiz where she realised that not everything I say needs to be ignored as some of the stuff that I rant about came up!  My son has started to take an interest in football, and may watch the Arsenal-Chelski match with me later today, though I am not sure if that is safe as I have a tendency to swear lot when watching Arsenal.  I am hoping for a win, fearing that yet another defeat is on the cards, but would accept a draw.