Ambulances: something the elderly better learn to do without
The plaintive cries of ‘bosses’ of ambulance services are featuring at the top of today’s compilation of the MSM print-edition front pages (link). Let’s start with those reports. Apologies if they make you feel sick – I am beyond feeling sick and outraged.
Since it graces the top spot in Auntie Beeb’s compilation, let’s look at the DT first. Under the headline “Elderly who fall at home unlikely to get an ambulance during strikes” we read:
“Elderly patients who fall at home face being left without an ambulance when paramedics and 999 call handlers go on strike this month, NHS sources have warned. Unions have announced nationwide industrial action at ambulance trusts for Dec 21 and 28 – their largest strike for 30 years.” (paywalled link)
As you know, I’m a cynical old cow, so I wonder how much difference this strike will make, given the many reports in the Red Tops about elderly patients having to wait for up to seven hours after a fall, some even having to lie on the street where they fell. Scroll down a bit in the report in the DM for a photo (link), a report on ‘ambulance bosses are begging the unions to protect heart attack patients’.
This and the DT’s report just go to show that the triage system, the system already used by NHS emergency call handlers, is geared to ‘protect heart attack patients’ anyway, letting fallen elderly linger at the back of the queue:
“Emergency calls deemed to be category one – people with life-threatening illnesses or injuries – or category two, emergency calls, are expected to be prioritised. Patients in category three, usually how falls are classed, and category four are unlikely to be sent an ambulance during the strikes.” (paywalled link)
Why then these crocodile tears about the elderly having to put up with a no-attendance by paramedics? It’s happening anyway, strike or not. The report in The Times is a bit more clinical:
“Lower-priority patients, such as elderly people with broken hips, are likely to face long waits in pain as health chiefs accept that only immediately life-threatening conditions are likely to be dealt with as normal. However, there is still no agreement over emergencies that could pose a risk to life if not treated quickly, with acceptance in the health service that delays to such care are likely to lengthen.” (link, paywalled)
Yes, well, let them die later, is that it? I find it extremely odd that these reports seem to make it look as if ambulance services and indeed A & E departments have been working perfectly, that there have been no ambulance queues, that ‘patients’ had experienced no difficulties whatsoever getting an ambulance, never mind the countless reports of certain groups of the population using ambulances as free taxi service to get taken to hospital.
I also find the dates of strike actions of nurses and ambulance paramedics a bit intriguing, with “up to 100,000 nurses walking out” on their second strike day, the 20th of December as the Ambulance strike is taking place on the 21st. Surely there’s no concerted action between those two trade unions, surely not!
Let’s also not forget the RMT, striking on two days in the next two weeks, and also from 24th to 27th December. Now forgive me if I’m wrong, but weren’t trains not running from Christmas Day to New Year’s Day anyway because important rail maintenance work was taking place? Didn’t we have reports of ‘outrage’ because those works often were not finished by year’s end?
There’s more to those strikes though. We knew, didn’t we, that the Trade Unions finance Labour. I also seem to vaguely remember that “B.T.”, i.e. ‘before Thatcher’, trade union membership in certain industries was, let’s say: ‘mandatory’ if one wanted to work. And wasn’t there a kerfuffle a few years ago when some trade union members did not want part of their membership fee to go automatically to Labour? So now see this:
“[…] new data published by the Electoral Commission showed that Labour received over £1.6 million from unions in the third quarter of this year, including from Unite, Unison and GMB, who represent striking ambulance workers.” (paywalled link)
I dunno if Trade Union members still have to give a percentage of their pay to their ‘bosses’ or if it’s only a fixed sum. It is interesting though that those employed in the public sector, paid for by us out of our taxes’, are demanding more money which ultimately comes out of our wallets which will enhance further the ‘income’ of Trade Unions now geared to get Starmer into No 10. Next, see this:
“Mr Zahawi said: “Spineless Keir Starmer refuses to condemn militant strikes wrecking Christmas because he’s in hock to his union baron paymasters propping up the Labour Party’s coffers.” (paywalled link)
There’s also a report in the DM where we read that, in addition to the £1.6m, “Sir Keir Starmer’s party has declared more than £4 million from Unite, Unison and the GMB in the past 12 months.” (link) – a knave who thinks that strikes will garner more nice additions to the battle chests of Labour!
I’ll finish with an outstanding example for weasel words coming from Labour – something we better get used to, especially once Labour and their supporters in Westminster ‘win’. No wonder this is hidden in the belly of the DT report on the elderly having to grin and bear it during the ambulance strike (my emphasis):
A Labour spokesman said: “The Labour Party has a broad funding base, with the largest proportion coming from our members and small donors. Labour doesn’t support industrial action that disrupts the public.” (paywalled link)
For ‘small donors’ read ‘enforced contributions’. Also note that Labour doesn’t support industrial action etc. Indeed not: their MPs are made to keep quiet and not join picket lines while Starmer hopes to get heaved into No 10 on the backs of striking workers whose union bosses give money to Labour rather than help them out when their strike actions means they’ll face financial difficulties – not that we’d read about such things in our Westminster MSM!
We better prepare for a gloomy Christmas. Inflation and fuel costs have already meant we have no extra money. Now we be extra careful so as not to become ill or have accidents, especially when ‘elderly’. Visits from relatives and family might have to be scrapped because the trains ain’t running while car travels have become unaffordable for many.
But then again – we’ve already been ‘trained’ in gloomy Christmases, we’ve already been trained in not relying on ‘Our NHS’ when we need it, thanks to the lockdown years. Take good care of yourselves!
Heard the German police tapped on a few doors today
Did that include anybody called Schwam
Heard he is plotting to take over the Globe
i have joined the REFORM PARTY as a lukewarm member untill a senior female supporter of female rights and childrens welfare is appointed as a serious leader in her areas. Otherwise she’ld be just another subserviant Tory Placeman, positioned to prevent any ‘ difficulties ‘
TG Spokes………so you have joined a dictatorial party where nobody gets a say as to who the leader is or should be and what policies if any are formed. Should be right up your street, there being no committees or NEC to make things difficult for those at the top of the leadership tree. No party should be promoting reform within the country without first putting their own house in order. Democratic, it most certainly ain’t. Just saying…………
Yup. Lots of wiggle room. Isabel Oakshot for Leader. Just say . Perfect. Stakeholders . Some workers have a stake in the business.!!!!. Have another look at the poorly named Common Law . We desperately a new look at everything. Set a thief to etc.
And now for a bit of good news?
Probably a straw in the wind, but I read in my purchase of the Daily Telegraph yesterday ( yes I know it`s just as evil as all the rest, but if you are not prepared to subscribe on line, you`ve got to get some news, no matter how tainted and I have been a DT reader since birth – my parents took it ostensibly for the crossword!)
So here`s what I read
“Support in NZ for Ardern sinks as murder exposes crime surge”
Apparently she (Adhern) cleared off on a visit to remote Chatham islands, rather than comforting the victim`s family of a friend who was stabbed to death in a convenience store during a robbery – and got a bad press
The report in the DT pointed out
“New Zealand`s media, which had been largely supportive of Ms Ardern, now had the Prime Minister in its sights, with the nation`s No 1 talk show host branding last week as ” the government`s worst.”
Broadcaster Mike Hosking said the government was facing “an avalanche of bad news, upset, anger, protest and disbelief from one end of the country to another- and I haven`t even got to the recession yet”
Ms Adhern admitted it had been a bruising few weeks
“There is no question thst, right now, we are as a country going through some particular issues that rightly and understandably are of interest to voters, she said.
Some of the dissatisfaction with Labour stems from the handling of the pandemic and the draconian measures it imposed.
A Royal Commission of inquiry into New Zealand`s strategy was announced yesterday and will get underway next year”
Also mentioned was the centre right National party and the Act party had both increased their support, placing them in a strong position to form a coalition government at the next election, which is expected to be held within the next 12 months
As I said maybe a straw in the wind – but I don`t think this is a DT squirrel!
Read this from the NZ Herald and this is doing the rounds on the alternative media.
“Baby blood donor vaccine battle: Judge rules in favour of Te Whatu Ora, child placed under court’s guardianship for surgery”
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/baby-blood-donor-vaccine-battle-judge-to-deliver-high-courts-ruling-this-evening/WG7T6AWM4BHU5PHZL37X2ZI374/
The case of baby Will that needs lifesaving heart surgery. When the parents asked that only unvaccinated blood be used for transfusions, the authorities applied to have the child made a ward of court so they could use vaccinated blood, they were afraid that people would think that the vaccines are unsafe which they are. This has now happened and the surgery will go ahead and vaccinated blood will be forced on the child even though there were unvaccinated donors available. Heart breaking!!
Ardern wasn’t popular at the last election in NZ but it looks like the election was no fairer than that of the last Brazilian and US elections. Ardern and her government are puppets of the World Economic Forum and evil through and through but unfortunately so are National and ACT that can’t wait to get their noses into the globalist trough.
Too many are subservient to the WEF. Cutting off the head(s) is the only solution but who has the means and will to do it?
Angus ”Windy McWindbag” Robertson has resigned as Commons SNP Leader. New punter at PMQs today.
He is 8/5 to become SNP Leader to replace the Wicked Witch of North Britain. Same tune, different singer.
Crossed lines? Easily done with identikit politicians. It is Ian Blackford who just resigned, under pressure from SNP MPs, as leader of the SNP in the Commons. Angus Robertson was the previous Commons leader of the SNP until 2017.
But he obviously believes you can’t keep a good man down. He, Angus, a former Deputy Leader of the SNP, was re-elected elsewhere and became Cabinet Secretary for the Constitution, External Affairs and Culture in the other talking shop, the Scottish Parliament in May 2021.
Yes, bad pennies keep coming back.
Robertson styled himself the “foreign secretary of Scotland” and discussed his party’s independence plans during overseas visits. it was claimed during a House of Lords debate … using his official position to promote the SNP’s drive for independence could constitute an unlawful use of taxpayer’s funds. And from the horse’s mouth: [He] told business leaders, during an SNP conference, that he planned to champion independence worldwide if a referendum next year was blocked (Mail on Sunday.)
Now if this had been a Tory, it would have been ‘sleaze’, front page news and a barrage to resign.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2022/12/04/snp-minister-accused-using-trips-taxpayers-money-promote-independence/
PoS- you are dead right. My mistake – the only thing to say is snp all spout ‘identical we want out’ dialog – hard to differentiate one from another – as you say identikit politicians!
I thought Blackford was the leader who resigned………
In other news Biden sticking his unwanted nose into our affairs. Let’s hope that Sunak phones him and tells him to keep his nose out of our business. Somehow I doubt that happening:
https://savebritain.org/biden-prepares-for-major-brexit-intervention-appoints-special-envoy-for-uk/
Two years ago millions of sheep were out clapping for the NHS – bet they won’t be clapping for them this winter.
If we are to live in a society in which basic services are suspended then enduring that needs to be to some purpose such as taming the unions – again – and deep reform of the NHS. Meanwhile, health services will be on a par with rural areas of India – i.e. barley existing – and it will be a risky time with some tragedies that could have been avoided. My fear is that the government will eventually capitulate and the suffering of many will have been for nothing.
May I remind readers of an earlier post quoting from Neema Parvini’s ‘The Populist Delusion”:
“This is a book about the realities of power and how it functions, stripped of all ideological baggage. It has at its core a thesis, which absolutely contradicts the democratic or populist delusion, that the people are or ever could be sovereign. An organised minority always rules over the majority. Perhaps as a testament to that fact, a recent empirical study showed that public opinion has a near-zero impact on law-making in the USA across 1,779 policy issues.1 In fact, my thesis goes further than that to suggest that all social change at all times and in all places has been top-down and driven by elites rather than ‘the people’. Those movements which have the appearance of being organic and bottom-up protests—for example, the 1960s Civil Rights movement in the USA or the Russian Revolutions of 1917—were, in fact, tightly organised and funded by elites. Those attempts to drive change from the ‘bottom-up’, which is to say, in the absence of elite organisation—we might think of the events of 6th January 2020 in Washington DC or the recent Yellow Vest movement in France—will amount to little more than an inchoate rabble. This principle holds true regardless of the size of the political unit, be that a small company of twenty people, a large organization of thousands of people, a nation of millions, or even the entire world. It holds true not only in terms of hard political power—the ability to capture and hold office—but also in two other crucial respects. First, there is the question of logistical power—simply the ability to execute orders—for it is possible to capture office without achieving the ability to execute, as Donald Trump showed. Second, there is the question of the ‘soft power’ of discourse, of information flow, and of opinion formation.”
While I hope to see increased civil disobedience, and will play my part, it will probably come to nothing, so far as it occurs at all, for the reasons Parvini cites. There is no longer any elite leadership for UK populism. (UKIP’s heyday was 2014 to 2016 and single issue). It won’t be allowed to happen again. I have no realistic hopes. When everything falls away or is taken away, one’s self-respect is all that is left and so I will go down swinging.
“There is no longer any elite leadership for UK populism. (UKIP’s heyday was 2014 to 2016 and single issue). It won’t be allowed to happen again”.
I laboured under the view that UKIP really was a grass roots political party not an elite funded party. Vote Leave which distanced itself from UKIP certainly had some rich backers.
In conversation with people who claim there is ‘no one to represent my view’ I tell them that there is ; centre Right challengers and ask why they are not members. Most look at the floor or look the other way, mumble something and drop the subject. If they are not prepared to actively throw their lot in with the only hope we have of a fightback against the current and future authoritarianism surely they shoulder a fair amount of the blame themselves for the current and future travails we will all suffer as a result of this lethargy.
It’s a tarnished brand which will take years to correct if ever. I’m still a member of UKIP. It has the best manifesto of any party.
I am really delighted to hear that you are a member of a centre Right party.
Regarding the brand being tainted, I presume you relate to the Tommy Robinson association and Gerard Batten’s publicly aired views on Islam. Yes, a huge mistake – despite the fact that both of them were telling the truth! Farage distanced himself from the party after that and UKIP has struggled to regain its lost support. All credit to the team at UKIP for keeping the ship afloat and still enthusiastically batting on the front foot. The recent conference in Skegness that I attended was most enjoyable with a wide range of speakers including Ann Marie Waters!
Jake………..yes, held in the backroom of a pub in Skegness with 50 attendees present if that, whereas in UKIP’s heyday pre 2016, the annual conferences were held in large halls with a large stage and attendees numbering in the high hundreds, if not more. That was also in the days when they had a decent party chairman in the form of the very able Paul Oakden, who in my opinion would have made an excellent leader.
UKIP became unstable the moment Farage stood down (rubbishing the NEC as he did so), closely followed by Crowther and Nuttall, with no succession planning. In October 2016 Woolfe and Hookem had a set to with Woolfe resigning from the “death spiral” party. A death spiral, allegedly, in 2016. Various attempts to grab the helm failed to stabilise the ship often making it more unstable. The subsequent comedy of Nuttall and Bolton did much to reduce the party, aided by Anne Marie Waters flouncing out when she did not win a leadership election and taking a number of members with her to the now failed For Britain. By the time Batten took over a tipping point had been reached which he puritanically pursued regardless. When Richard Brain as leader refused to attend conference and went to an alternative ‘conference’ in a pub – a gathering of sulks – the party was finished.
Except Hamilton and Walker rescued the party from bankruptcy and have done the job that should have been done all along. They worked with the NEC (as mandated by the constitution) and produced a manifesto worthy of a general election. I had let my membership lapse a few years ago because of the clowns, and seemingly only clowns, running the party, but rejoined in 2021 after two NEC members I was friends with lured me back.
I was at Skegness (and Worthing the year before) and was very surprised to see AMW. She had not come to apologise (but should have in my view). I joined Walker and her in the bar after her very good talk and I made the point that single issue parties do not win elections about domestic issues as she now realises. Walker had invited her because politics was too serious for grudges – time to forgive and unite – but she would not rejoin UKIP. I suggested she could at least mention the party from time to time and try and raise its profile now that For Britain had been wound up.
You didn’t mention Lembik Opik who also gave a very entertaining talk and was the life of the gala dinner. A party animal in every sense. HIs implacable opposition to the scam of climate alarmism was to his credit as was turning up at a UKIP event along with Father Calvin Robinson. Steve Laws was good at Worhting.
It is sad that UKIP now has quality speakers, a good manifesto at last, and is finally well run, but is tarnished in the public mind.
Tice and Oakeshott were on TalkTV recently (clip is on twitter) and appeared to swallow wholesale Fulani’s account of her meeting with Lady Susan Hussey. Tice is a cowardly wet rag, a follower of which way the wind blows and not a leader. Farage called the Fulani debacle a set up and there appears to be a divergence at the top of Reform. Farage has not even put in an appearance at two conferences even though he is president of Reform UK. With only 2 point something per cent in a by election, when the protest vote should have been 20%, I doubt Reform UK will save the country.
If only Heritage and UKIP could unite,
I agree with you SY at 1.26pm. The regular updates seem to indicate that they do have their heads screwed on the right way. They will never get away from the constant accusations of racism and far-right blah blah blah but I just don’t care.
Talking to an acquaintance last week who was at a coffee morning I attend monthly, who is Labour through and through, (a huge fan of Jeremy Corbyn), but we agree on just about everything. Her face was a picture when I told her I was a member of UKIP. A very pronounced sharp intake of breath.
Stout Yeoman……everything you have written above is factually correct, whereas what Jake said is not correct which is a bit worrying because he is allegedly still a member of UKIP. Unfortunately, Farage did criticise the NEC, but he was one of those who drew up the constitution as far as I know, so you can’t have your cake and eat it when things don’t go your way. Every party worth its salt has a governing body called an NEC or whatever it might be called. It is there for a purpose to prevent the leaders from making the wrong decisions and keeping them in check, and more importantly these NEC’s are comprised of fully paid up members who are elected to those bodies, so they are not just made up of anybody. The exception to all this of course is Reform UK which has no governing body and never likely to by all accounts. Richard Tice has absolutely no idea whatsoever how to run a political party and it unfortunately it shows to anybody with a smidgen of common sense. If it is ever to proceed from this point on and gain the wider support of the electorate and gain seats in parliament he most definitely needs to step down and allow someone who is less politically naive than he, and who has a bit of savvy to take over.
I’m merely letting off steam here for what it’s worth rather than offering anything constructive.
But I get very angry that according to the criminal media and their gullible punters, every damn mistake UKIP or any alternative party ever made was never tolerated: their every fault is a monstrous crime blown up out of all proportion.
Their shortcomings were very minor indeed compared to the enormity of the crimes of mainstream parties, the Globocap fixers under a government of occupation, who regardless always win the elections: treason, murder and GBH through jabs, child abuse, constitutional vandalism, taking a wrecking ball to Britain, and corruption that stinks to high heaven, The personal history of many/most of them would surely make your hair curl. The Blair creature in particular sold Britain to Soros I understand around 1996, shortly before it became Labour “leader”, making Britain Soros’ plaything; yet it looks horribly like that same Soros- controlled Blair creature might soon be “leading” Britain again through its proxy Starmer. This crew plans further , as Viv pointed out yesterday, to complete its destruction of Britain including abolishing the House of Lords.
If an alternative “centre right” party had been in charge all these years, or the whole nation elected “none of these,” we could not possibly be in a worse mess.
Jake………..hold on a minute. The United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) was certainly NOT a single issue party as you put it. It had a whole manifesto of well thought out policies and the manifesto document, was at least 100 pages long. The economic policies had even been costed unlike some mainstream parties like Labour who used to make it up on the hoof. The statement that you have made above is not a true statement of fact in the circumstances. The likes of Suzanne Evans and more latterly David Kurten, put a lot of hard work into drawing up the UKIP manifesto in its heyday, and election candidates like me fought our campaigns on it. So, Jake old chap definitely untrue…..
Colin, Constitution change in ukip requires a 95% majority. Making ” Leadership ” a sham. Putting all power in the hands of a Committee. Like the EU. . No wiggle room .
Jake……..Of course Vote Leave distanced itself from UKIP because it was a ‘Conservative’ led organisation which was well funded with very good management. UKIP in my opinion should have led the campaign to leave the European Union, but instead affiliated itself to Leave.eu largely because it was thought that the campaign should not be fought along party lines. I was a constituency organiser for a branch of Leave.eu and when it started it seemed that it would do the business and supply us with all the leaflets that we needed to deliver to residential addresses in addition to other back up information for street stalls etc but instead it ended up being thoroughly disorganised and lacking the necessary finances. This wasn’t the case with Vote Leave which was infinitely more organised than Leave.eu and always gave us sufficient resources to do the job, and never quibbled about the cost and were delivered what we wanted within a couple of days. When Vote Leave won the nomination from the Electoral Commission to lead the ‘Leave’ campaign those of us in Leave.eu moved over immediately to Vote Leave, and I became an Area Coordinator for them and we never looked back. The Electoral Commission certainly made the right decision in that case…..
Take good care of yourself is indeed good advice, too many have yet to wake up to the fact that the public services are failing particularly the emergency services and when it comes to it, when you need help there will be a slow responce a poor responce or even none at all. The lack of knowledge displayed by the general public and so called journalists about the Ambulance Service is breath taking and many have forgotten the last Ambulance Strike which was 30 years ago and lasted a full year, the same issues about life saving and so were reported then, in many cases it made no difference and despite what the MSM purports to know there have not been ‘Ambulance Drivers ‘ following its’ total reorganisation after the strike. Emergency Ambulances and High Dependency Ambulances are crewed by highly trained Paramedics and Emergency Medical Technicians which makes it all the more worrying that professional staff as such would strike for whatever reason. As for the resilience of the general public apart from the few exceptions most will do as they always so which is moan and do nothing . My guess we haven’t seen anything yet let’s hope we have a mild winter and ‘Gaz and Lecky’ remember them don’t go out.