Now, I am more than a little right of centre and have little love for the current labour shambles BUT I think we are being led by the media yet again. The Prescott story is, IMHO, a non event. If anything, it will improve his popularity with the great unwashed.
My wife works in the NHS and it really does need a pullthrough with a christmas tree. An example: In her ward there is a very clever device for lifting patients out of bed, thus removing the risk of dropping or nurses hurting their backs. To use it all staff were required to attend a half day course. It stands in my wifes ward gathering dust because the nurses and assistants refuse to use it. The reason? They want more pay for operating it. Also, certain of the old guard regard 'sick leave' for bad backs caused through lifting part of the job spec. OK, one small example but there are many others. Some of the reforms coming in are overdue and they are working. Not surprisingly, one that is flourishing is the recruitment of more managers. The local authority now has a dentist commissar? My biggest bproblem with the Health Secretary is her snide, condescending attitude. Hopefully, she will be a little more humble after last week.
Ref Clarke and the Home Office. This has not just started nor is it a year old. This goes right to the core and has been going on for years. Instead of hounding the Minister, we should all be focussing on the entrenched Civil Servants at the senior and middle management levels. These low achieving jobsworths are the real cancer in the system. They rise to the top by way of PC initiatives and generate not wealth but beauracracy by the lorry load. Instead of seeing the Minister walk I would like to see a few coachloads of these cretins ferried to the job centre. Their replacements should be left in no doubt that they are not only responsible BUT acoountable too. Shape up or ship out.
Finally, why the hell should we suddenly get all worked up about foreign criminals being realeased to disappear and reoffend? We do it with our home grown ones all the time. Life means a few years at best and how often have you heard some released criminals referred to as High Risk? If they are high risk they should be in prison or am I missing something. The whole justice system needs a root and branch overhaul and the media need to stick to reporting the news, NOT setting the agenda and suggesting the response.
Rant over.