Blair is certain to face a stormy week in Manchester where I hope Unison and others will continue to heckle and demonstrate fiercely in protest at the destruction of our NHS.
Of course, it will all fall on deaf ears, Blair only wants to hear what he 
wants to hear. Did he listen to doctors, nurses and NHS staff, as well as the electorate?
Do you remember the farcical Big Conversation? How much did that cost taxpayers? What difference did it make? Did anyone really want to hear?
Not according to Marc Tyner who tried unsuccessfully to post a comment on the Government’s web, and that critical comments were carefully vetted.
And someone reminded us that big conversations should take place over the ballot box; and surely our MPs are there to represent our views.
I wonder what angry and disappointed NHS Logistics staff make of Blair’s attempts to communicate with them as they stood in the pouring rain with their banners today protesting against privatisation. One striker on the local news had this message for the Government:
“This is the beginning of the end of the NHS”.
A GP told exactly the same to my friend – he warned her that privatisation would lead to the “annihilation” of the NHS within five years. Nobody wants it except Blair. But as far as he is concerned, it’s a one-sided conversation.
You can have another bash, if you wish, there is an opportunity to ask Patricia Hewitt about the future of our health service by contacting her here. Do let me know how you get on.
Must say I liked your blog much more when it was still on Blogger. It has gone down hill a bit recently.
Chris, If you read my other posts, lots of people say they really like it, but you can’t please everyone.
Sorry, I didn’t mean the content! – just the design bugs me. I liked your old blogger template, but yes, you’re right, not everyone can be pleased.
Thanks for the clarification, I was trying to think what I was doing that was so different to justify your comment
I’m a big fan of Blogger too, but I love the extra flexibility of WordPress. Don’t give up on me, please, it might grow on you.
I think that politicians should leave the running of the NHS to those best equipped to do that. Frankly, what do these politicians know about anything? Most of them had never even had a job with any sort of responsibility before they went into politics, and suddenly they think they have the answers to the problems of the NHS.
That the NHS needs some change in structure is not in doubt. The question is, what change, and how best to effect it without compromising the most important thing, ie healthcare provision.
The NHS workers have every right to be aggrieved. They are told one thing by the Government, only to see something different happen in practice.
What I would really like to see is a full and informed debate, across the political spectrum, on the future direction of the NHS. Such a debate would not be complete without addressing our expectations as users, with a view to discovering how our expectations have changed, and what should be done, either to meet these new expectations, or encourage us to revise them.
PS. Ellee, I sent you an email.
Bel, We should use this opportunity to ask Patricia Hewitt a question or two, quite a few come to my mind, I am in the process of whittling them down to 2 or 3, maybe you would like to do the same.
Quite frankly, if we didn’t have BUPA through my husband’s work, I would be terrified of having to depend on the NHS for my family’s healthcare.
Btw, I have replied to your email.
Ellee, it’s true that Blair only hears what he wants to hear. Hecklers are usually taken out by minders so that everything looks fine.
By the way, I disagree with Chris. Though I never saw your old blogger, I think the Word Press version indeed gives you a lot of flexibility. I would love to have my Journal on this.
When a Labour Prime Minister out-tories the tories on everything, it is time to act. I sincerley hope that this idea fails but when did Blair ever take notice of wide-spread public opinion?
The politicians are doing exactly the same with scientific research funding.
They are listening to a couple of “key aids” – who want the funding biased to their own research fields. So the new funding model, post 2008, will not measure research output at all, just input. This means, high output research (experimental results, number of articles, quality of research etc) will be ignored, but high input research (number of people involved, money spent, previous income) will be pushed to top priority.
Result of funding increase = Productivity decrease. Just like the NHS. Labour really don’t know how to engage their brains, do they?
I like the style of this blog.. it suits the subjects. Blair does not seem popular down here. (Australia). Seems weak. i understand he will step down in april-june 07?
Simon, The pressure is on Blair to step down asap from his own party. Next week’s Labour Conference should be interesting.
On the design of the new blog: miles better. On the content: miles better. I’ve yet to see another blog as professional and with as many diverse posts.
Daily Pundit, if only you could see my big smile, many thanks.
uk daily pundit, I agree. This blog covers almost every human interest angle, and that is why I like it. It doesn’t restrict itself to ‘hard’ politics, but in covering all these issues, it recognises that everything is political. I learn something startling and something new every time I come here.
Bel, very many thanks to you too. I do try and search out quirky stories that other bloggers are not covering, rather than us all write about the same issues of the day.