harking back a page or two, I’d like to add my twopennoth that I find this one of the most interesting and moving discussions I’ve read on this forum. My heart goes out to those of you who have had to witness loved ones die in such degrading circumstances.
I’m still waiting to hear whether I’ll be able to vote next week - I’ve been a little um disorganised :-/ I very much hope so, as I’ve never before missed an election in my life. I’m still undecided on my (potential) vote, and I’m reading all your opinions and reminders of recent history with great interest.
I’m afraid I can’t remember who it was posted yesterday about whoever gets in this time is stuffed because they’ll never bring things round in four years. That’s a very interesting point, and throughout the past couple of years of Brown-bashing I have often considered that whatever his merits or failings, how do people expect anyone else would have done better? The whole world has been in economic meltdown! How did they expect us to be magically immune?
em
Divvy1 - I do agree that wherever we live in the country we should all have the same level of care - particularly with regard to drugs. Problem is that devolution opened a real can of worms and when one side is arguing for less centralisation and one side is arguing for more - well, it is hard (but not impossible) to reconcile the two.
As I said earlier - these are the questions we should be putting to candidates who come knocking on our doors in the next few days.
All in all I am a big fan of more patient advocacy - get off our backsides and make a noise. It is OUR NHS after all.
I have found a great website for anyone still undecided who to vote for - its gives a brief outline of each parties main policies, select which is most important to you, and only afterwards does it tell you which parties policies you chose - its very interesting, give it a go.
Carly x
Ooops - the web address is voteforpolicies.org.uk
xx
Oh help, my vote is split equally between 4 parties !
Thank you also from me msmolly.
linbob, i was stunned and shocked to read your post,and i must say i found your comments extreamly insensetive, offensive and upsetting, as others have said on this thread, we are talking about current issues /hot topics here ,of which the General Election and the NHS are one, if you find any post "boreing " please move on, but dont cause offence to others.
Im sorry you found the accounts of some of us on here boreing, it would be respectfull for you and your friend to remember that cancer alone doesnt hold the monopoly on pain and suffering.
This has been a healthy debate and i think we have all learned something from it. I hope it continues too.
Linda
Well Done Carly,
It is little things like that, that put a smile on my face!
Sandra x
Oh dear - tried out the survey and it was very good, but my result was a bit of a surprise - not totally because I had a feeling I was a bit of a closet supporter! Won’t change who I vote for, though but very interesting! At least I didnt vote for one BNP policy - I would be worried then!
Hello
wanted to add how enjoyable this discussion has been - grown up and respectful, robust and honest. I would guess we have all learned from each other.
If the NHS isn’t a valid subject for discussion within days of an election of this significance, I don’t know what is!
Linbob, I’m sorry you don’t find our experiences stimulating, since they are part of the adults we are. As others have suggested, perhaps you’d be best avoiding subjects like this and sticking to the areas you are interested in. I think the rest of us on here are enjoying what we are doing.
vive le difference!
Ive just took the survey too , and the results come back 50/50 lol, not one Labour though ,so not too surprised , ummmm mabe i should toss a coin? no think ive made my mind up ,but who knows still almost a week to go !!
Thanks for the Link Carly it was interesting.
Linda
Carly thank you for that link - what brilliant fun!
I am sending it out to everyone I know.
I think some people I know might be surprised by their choices!
xx
Divvy you are going to have to toss a few coins!
that was really interesting, thanks Carly
its good to have your eyes opened and focus on policy
Like Linda, had some variations but not surprised at outcome - but in a different direction I suspect lol
whoshouldyouvotefor.co.uk/
Here is another one to double check with.
I got the same outcome so at least I am consistent!
And this is a really easy way to compare policies.
de-mob.co.uk/topics/health/
Well said Monica,
I know you have worked very hard to improve our elderly care/treatment in the NHS today, it must must make you feel very sad and angry to hear of some other places that are still failing .
The future of the NHS and future treatments is so important to all of us, for me living in cornwall my oncology center was funded and built for by the people of cornwall, not the government, it still today heavily relies on funding from the public to keep it going, the staff are wonderfull and dedicated and they work hard to make sure we all recieve the best care their is,
Down here we only have 1 major hospital RCH Treliske, and it covers the whole of cornwall, the present government wants to move cornwalls cancer care and services to Dereiford some 2 hrs away, this would cause great hardship for all cancer patients down here and we are fighting continualy to stop this from happening.
In my town we only have a very small hospital (2 wards) used now only for convalesence, it does have a minor injuries unit but only opens from 8am-8pm so frankly if you injure yourself or break a limb after 8 your bu----erd and would need to travel 12 miles to Treliske for treatment which is already so over streached,if you dont have a car the taxi fare is £25 each way so not cheap, we have the Air Ambulance thankfully for more serious accidents/heart attacks ect but that is also funded by the people of cornwall not the government and relies on the funding to keep comeing in to keep it going. I often think cornwall is forgotten about by those in power at westminster and i dont think its fair at all, if they do manage to remove our cancer services where does that leave me??
Its good to be able to debate all this stuff on here and to air all our different views and perspectives.
linda x
Thanks msmolly too for the link,
Just tried that one also and got the same results lol.
Good fun!
Thanks msmolly for that link. Now I’ve only got 1 answer, & I’m glad to say it’s the way I had almost definitely decided to vote anyway.
Oh my goodness , just did the survey and got the exact opposite to what I thought ! Hang my head in shame !!
Jackwagstaff, you shouldn’t hang your head in shame. I think the more we actually think about the policies the better. I also think there is a huge tendency to vote always the same way, based on how we perceive the party, rather than taking into account the things they will actually do/have done. You know the sort of thing I mean, when you hear people saying things like ‘my family has always voted this or that way’. I think we should try to be more open minded about these things - if you have it firmly fixed in your mind that you vote for a certain party, that party could in theory change its whole idealogy without you even knowing.(Obviously, when I say ‘you’ I don’t mean you literally, I should have said ‘one’.) Different things also become more/less important to us at different ages/stages in our lives, & our opinions may change with age & experience.Unfortunately we are all at some stage in our cancer journeys, & so the NHS is of enormous importance to us, but I will readily admit to not knowing an awful lot about many of these issues before they affected me, just assumed it was there for us all.
I think what you say is so true Divvy1, i think a lot of people vote XXX because we always have done, i think its mabe even imbread in some of us, you know," my family has always been XXX so ,so am i.
I know i voted like that in the past because it was instilled in me that this party was “best for the working class” and the other “only looked after the well off”,
This time ive taken a much more proactive view on it all, looking at the things that matter the most to me personaly, Ive tried to look objectivly at all the parties , ive read all the manifestos, ive listened to the debates, and i emailed my MPs for responses on the things that i care about.
I think when you expierence different things in life , you views change on those things that matter, which mabe never mattered to you before.
Cancer and the NHS is a huge concern for us all oviously , but i also have views on the econemy , immigration, welfare benifits , our soldiers in Afganistan, our soldiers have been let down also by this government,the lack of equipment , basic supplies ect. A while ago i started sending shoeboxes filled with toiletries to some of our soldiers in afganistan cos at my OHs work there was a plea for basic things such as soap/tooth brushes/ sanitry wear/ pot noodle snacks ect , a lot of our soldiers are not getting these things and have no family to help out,the soldiers write letters back , and are so greatfull for these small things that mean such a lot to them , things like this break my heart.
I think many more people now are taking a lot more interest and putting a lot more thought into where their X will go this Election and that is good.
Linda
Lindiloo
That is so shocking that our soldiers are having to have stuff like that sent to them. Little luxuries I could understand but sanitary protection ! That is just awful.
We may have all come together through our experience of illness but it doesn’t stop us having interest in other things.
Personally I find it quite refreshing to be focussed on something other than my SE’s for once.