I’m really sorry to hear the young Mum cherub mentioned has died. I’d read her story last week. I’m hoping the new governement will be a breath of fresh air and I’m feeling optimistic, I think, I hope, the 2 parties will work well together.
Hi
I have been following the election and this thread with interest. I really hope that the parties will be able to work together and find ways to deal with all the problems facing the country but one thing is really bugging me this morning - where are the women? T
The election campaign focussed on the party leaders - 3 men. The negotiating teams following the results for all the parties - men. The cabinet jobs so far allocated or the possible names being discussed - men.
If this is going to be a balanced government we need women there and I don’t mean one token female!
Rant over.
Joss
Spot on Daisyleaf. Cherub I think you may have a problem with public sector non jobs as you constantly keep mentioning. I work in the public sector and I certainly don’t consider my job to be a “non job”. I think people need to be a bit more respectful.
I guess what you consider a non job to be depends on your viewpoint. I work in the public sector - in the NHS and technically, mine could be termed a non job, because I am employed to treat people with gum disease and the majority of people with dental disease (fact) are from deprived backgrounds. So if these people took better care of their teeth, they wouldnt need me. In fact, an article in the Telegraph scoffingly referred to a person employed to teeth children to brush their teeth in a nursery in Scotland (where dental disease is rife) as a non job. The fact that these simple skills may prevent or reduce dental disease was totally overlooked. Yes, most of us on these forums would know how to teach our children to look after their teeth, eat properly, take exercise etc without the need for the public sector to actually pay for anyone to do so. But most of us will have had a decent education, have access to resources such as the computer, books etc and know how to access treatment and advice when needed. Those from low socioeconomic backgrounds and some ethnic minorities who English is not their first language do not have that luxury. Therefore, non jobs such as Sure Start that the labour government set up are put in place to help these people help themselves by teaching them basic life skills. Getting rid on these non jobs is so short sighted because we will end up with a community full of unhealthy, ill educated, unemployable people (far more than already).
Incidentally, (and this is me just being cynical)watching all that pomp and ceremony at the palace yesterday, there must be many there who could be considered to be in non jobs and if they were sacked, the money could be much better used!
I totally agree with you Cathy and I do worry for the likes of Sure Start. Certainly true about the pomp and ceremony.
I Agree with cherub and Belinda am actualy feeling very optimistic This is New Politics , 2 Parties willing to work together in the interest of this country,and we may well be seeing History in the makeing here, it is certainly a breath of fresh air thats for sure, as i say again the country made their choices, and however a bitter pill it is to swallow ,they rejected Labour,
Of course there will be a few who will pooh hoo the new government, but at the end of the day the Lib Dems seem to have done pretty well from where im sitting in all this , so they should be very pleased with themselves that they are now in a government which for decades have been so far out of their reach. Lets not forget the Lib Dems needed 75% of their parties vote on this deal and they got it unanimusly!!.
Lets be honest here too, Labour certainly didnt try very hard to form any kind of coalition deal with the Lib Dems did they,they were never realy very serious about it ,quite a few Labour ministers admitted openly that they were not interested ,and had already admitted defeat saying that they should go , they oviously knew they were on a looseing battle, the maths just didnt add up and it would have been a joke to even try to form a government under those circumstances.
There will be CUTS, there has to be to get this country back on track, we dont yet know the true extent of the mess we are in , but dont be fooled into thinking that there wouldnt have been drastic cuts from Labour too, it was already begining to happen.
I hope at last that we WILL get Britian working again ,get this country back on track,and prove all the doubters wrong,its a new day,new government,new begining.
Linda
Lindiloo - your last line could be the title of a nice song! Lets hope for the good of everyone that it does all go well. I think whats happened is the best of a bad job and LIb Dems have done well and will add another dimension to the Tory thinking, hopefully. I like most of us, am glad that its all over!
Hi Cherub - no, no probs with George Osbourne’s real name, just surprised he doesn’t use it. I think its nicer than George, to be honest - and I have uncle and cousin in Bavaria called Gideon. I call him Gideon out of sheer naughtiness. I called Tony Blair ‘smiler’. Don’t see it as party political, but given my posts, wouldn’t be surprised if anyone else did lol.
There will certainly be a few who pooh pooh this new govt, - a few millions, I should think.
Projects like SureStart and the other ‘non-jobs’ will be sorely missed if they are removed. They are predominantly preventive services, safeguarding services etc. The cost of removing them will be far more than having them in place, in the long run. And thats the problem - its all short term fix politics. Thats why (sorry to hark back for those of you who are uncomfortable with it) all the damage done by the last Tory government took so long to put right. I’m talking whole industries - coal mining and shipbuilding, in my part of the world.
Of course there will be cuts, both NHS and Local Government (I work across the two) have been working to reduce costs all the time I’ve been employed (since 1981), tightening up and improving processes. What changes is where the cuts are, and who loses out to them. All the preventative projects set up for long term benefits (both well being and costs) are in the front line for being dropped. Then everyone will be surprised when needs for services rise in 10-15 years time.
People who are articulate, well educated and able to make their point are not the ones who need representation, its those who are vulnerable who need it.
I do hope this government can get it together and do a good job, I just don’t think its a go-er.
Do hope that wasnt a touch of sarcasum there Cathy? we cant all always agree can we, thats why it is called a Democracy.
So glad its over too!!
I don’t actually think its over, I think there will be fall out and shenanigans for some time to come.
I’m obviously bored because I’m finding it all addictive. Need to get out of the house!!
I have loved this discussion thread- don’t like it when it gets terse, as I don’t think thats necessary, very happy to argue the toss with others of a different persuasion who are passionate and articulate. Its entertaining stuff.
Your right Monica ,i have enjoyed this discussion too and dont like it getting terse either , definately not nessessary, am also bored now with it all, so will leave you all to the debate.
linda
Lindiloo, it certainly wasn’t meant to be taken as sarcasm - not at all! Just thought it sounded quite catchy!
PS I love this discussion and welcome views from everyone as its the only way to learn about how our country is run.
I saw James Caan interviewed briefly the other day & he said a coalition government can be a really positive thing as no one party can push anything they like through, in effect it forces there to be checks & balances.
This is my own feeling, so let’s hope he & I are right.
Daisyleaf, I also call Tony Blair ‘Smiler’.
it looks to me like we could be seeing the start of the end of the NHS as we know it with the white paper.
we have ‘talked’ at length about diets and stress and different treatments etc etc, but we all need to think seriously about how we will manage if the NHS changes fundamentally - and how that will impact on each of us.
I know we will all have different perspectives, but I would urge everyone to check out the white paper and to contact your local MP and tell them how you feel about the governments plans. Its out for consultation until October.
I’ve spent some time reading it - a lot depends on how you feel about your GP, at this point…
monica
Divvy1 - I see no evidence whatsoever that the Lib Dems are preventing the Tories doing everything they have ever dreamed of. See my thread “Am I the only one who is angry about this?”
Ann
The same applies to me was reffered by Gp End of May by 1st june had appt 10 june was dx 25 pre op and op was 9july it was really so quik had no time to dwell on it. Thang God for NHS
Well Ann04, I only said I hoped a coalition government might operate in this way, I didn’t even specify it should be a Tory/Lib Dem coalition, so, sorry, but I don’t feel it’s my fault.
Just a quick and non-political comment: I think it’s interesting that I got a date for surgery quicker on the NHS than privately - this time. At first, the date they offered was JUST in the time-frame allowed: 31 days from diagnosis. But when I enquired about having it done privately, they found me a date for the following week.
The NHS really is a fantastic institution, warts and all. There are many inconsistencies and inefficiencies and medics whose competence I would question, but I remain extremely grateful to it for everything it’s done for me.
Divvy1 - I really wasn’t implying it was your fault and I can’t really see how you thought I was, or how it could be.
Ann x
Ooops sense of humour breakdown