Dispatches on the NHS Funding Cockups - Mon 26 Feb

Lone Wolf "An explanation is not the same as an excuse. "
Posts: 4352 Joined: 01-03-06 Location: E. London UK
Submitted by Lone Wolf on 27 February, 2007 - 04:38.

Hi peeps

Did anyone else see this??? You should have done seeing as how it was my POTW.. wink

I missed the first 20 mins (delays getting back from the supermarket - oh the glamour!! ) - did i miss much??

And loved the grilling of Hewitt at the end -that is one wicked selfish woman. Reminds me a bit of Thatcher - similar self-seeking arrogance and total empathy lack.

Love

LW X

Steven. ""Best hair at Unison conference""
Posts: 1899 Joined: 27-06-06 Location: London
27 February, 2007 - 12:03

It was boring so we watched Whose line is it anyway.

Joseph K. "the thinking man's idiot"
Posts: 8618 Joined: 14-03-06 Location: Brighton
27 February, 2007 - 12:15

saw a bit of it i think. he just kept repeating 'the NHS is a really complicated bureaucracy', in case the audience were too thick to get it the first, second or third times ... was it any good then? what did he grill hewitt over?

zobag "eurocrunk"
Posts: 2896 Joined: 19-09-03 Location: London
27 February, 2007 - 14:09

I was going to watch this but I work silly late so missed it. Saw the advert for it on the TV at work (I work in a hospital) and there was an instant chorus of "there's no money cos there's too many bloody managers doing nothing", which was nice to hear. And then everyone started talking about how they ought to be cutting posts at the top of the ladder, not the front line staff. Seems like everyone at work knows what's going on, just doesn't really feel like there's much we can really do about it.

magnifico "rehabilitating"
Posts: 1331 Joined: 29-11-05 Location: Rasalhague
27 February, 2007 - 15:17

Was quite good, had a guy at one point demonstrating all the different ways in which the 'purchaser-provider split' (Labour's version of the 'internal market') can work which made it look appropriately ridiculous, though unfortunately it didn't challenge the concept of an internal market per se. If it had they could've drawn attention to the ridiculousness of different parts of the NHS invoicing each other (apart from in Scotland)and all the accountants who must be making a mint out of it - that's certainly where a lot of the money is going.

Also they could've made it clearer that a lot of this money which is supposedly being pumped into the NHS is actually being spent by PCTs in private hospitals/treatment centres - so it's not going into the NHS at all, but rather into shareholders' pockets.

Good bit about PFI where they interviewed Allyson Pollock - I'd recommend anyone to read some of her stuff on the NHS.

John. wrote:
It was boring so we watched Whose line is it anyway.

This is the problem, it's hard to explain this stuff in a way that doesn't send people to sleep. I'd love to start producing MWR-type stuff for NHS workers but I can't work out how to talk about 'purchaser-provider splits' and stuff like that in a lighthearted piss-taking way. sad

Joseph K. "the thinking man's idiot"
Posts: 8618 Joined: 14-03-06 Location: Brighton
27 February, 2007 - 15:42

infer patricia hewitt's a paedo?

Steven. ""Best hair at Unison conference""
Posts: 1899 Joined: 27-06-06 Location: London
27 February, 2007 - 15:48

you mean imply?

mag - i might've watched it if i'd thought the conclusions would be good. but i didn't.

The NHS is different to mcdonalds anyway, so some things won't apply the same - the encouragement of shirking, sabotage, etc.

Joseph K. "the thinking man's idiot"
Posts: 8618 Joined: 14-03-06 Location: Brighton
27 February, 2007 - 15:56

goddamnit. i wrote imply, then edited it because i was afraid of your pedantry. the Big Other has a name sad

magnifico "rehabilitating"
Posts: 1331 Joined: 29-11-05 Location: Rasalhague
27 February, 2007 - 15:59

Yeah i meant more the humerous tone, but when you're explaining complicated structural changes rather than just saying 'our bosses are wankers, let's fuck them over' it's harder to be funny.

Patricia Hewitt is a fucking right shitty bitch. That CW cover with her on was well good cool

Steven. ""Best hair at Unison conference""
Posts: 1899 Joined: 27-06-06 Location: London
27 February, 2007 - 16:06
Joseph K. wrote:
goddamnit. i wrote imply, then edited it because i was afraid of your pedantry.

But why I would I prefer you write it wrong??

You could make your NHS thing funny, just get wayne to write you some gags.

Joseph K. "the thinking man's idiot"
Posts: 8618 Joined: 14-03-06 Location: Brighton
27 February, 2007 - 16:10

But why I would I prefer you write it wrong??

you wouldn't, but the thought of your pedantry psyched me out sad

magnifico "rehabilitating"
Posts: 1331 Joined: 29-11-05 Location: Rasalhague
27 February, 2007 - 16:33

John, if I told you that Cristiano Ronaldo has no 'h' in it would that annoy you enough to edit it out of revol's thread title? It's getting on my tits slightly, but I wouldn't want to point it out myself as I am sensitive about being labelled a pedant, whereas you have embraced your pedantry and so can stand up for the rest of us.

Steven. ""Best hair at Unison conference""
Posts: 1899 Joined: 27-06-06 Location: London
27 February, 2007 - 16:37

I like it cos it makes it look like he actually doesn't know anything about football and just put it there to look proley.

magnifico "rehabilitating"
Posts: 1331 Joined: 29-11-05 Location: Rasalhague
27 February, 2007 - 16:44

haha fair enough.

Though I think it's more likely that he actually knows that that's not how you spell it, but thought it would look more proley if he pretended he wasn't aware of the unusual spelling and so deliberately spelt it wrong. Which is also funny.

Steven. ""Best hair at Unison conference""
Posts: 1899 Joined: 27-06-06 Location: London
27 February, 2007 - 16:47

Like class war used to do.*

* Allegedly according to a former member, back in the day.