Woke watch

[arsene york-hunt]

"There is a very good section on GB news where the ludicrous idiocies of Wokeness are looked at I thought we would should have one for WHO. I'll start with Baptiste on BBC: In Hungary,an ambassador's family are kidnapped by Islamic terrorists and carry out atrocities. At the end of the last episode Baptiste finds out that it is a false flag operation and conveniently, the real culprits are white supremacists who want to stop all immigration. Coronation Street ITV a gay black footballer is stopped by the police, because he is driving an expensive car. He is pushed to the ground during an altercation, and damages his leg threatening his career. Could have been written by Dawn Butler or a BLM activist."

[SurfaceAgentX2Zero]

Fifth I suspect we are both right. It's a step in the right direction shrouded in a way that can mean anything.

[Fifth Column]

"Surface Their policy forum met a couple of days ago and obviously discussed this and there has been a clear change in policy. It's sort of sitting on the fence rather than being ""trans women are women"". They've got grief off all the ""Trans rights"" people calling them fascists as a result. So I honestly don't think it's sophistry. In policy terms it's still not enough for me but it's a step forwards."

[SurfaceAgentX2Zero]

"Fifth Column 9:33 Wed Jul 26 'Did you see that the Labour Party changed its position on all the trans lunacy. Now Starmer has said ""a woman is an adult female""' Pure sophristy, mate. Unless he is prepared to define what he thinks a female is as well, that's just a glib cop-out intended to continue avoiding the question.."

[BRANDED]

Fifth For me it depends on where we have common ground and where we might be divided. I guess we've found a whole load of new ways to divide ourselves. Some would say the internet and that would certainly allow minority groups to band together in a way that would have been harder in the past. I'm for redistribution of wealth but its clear we've redistributed huge amounts to the East in recent decades so even that seems more complicated than a simple bit of taxation. I'm convinced huge parts of the culture wars are mostly fashions and will move on to the next thing as the current lot grow up a bit more. That said they may just stick with their current beliefs for ever and we will be divided by these new lines. Mostly its people jostling for power and relevance.

[ironsofcanada]

"Fo the Communist 8:02 Wed Jul 26 Appreciated the response. My mom spent last summer in the hospital (ultimately why we came back) and now recieves regular treatment (dialysis) that would be very expensive. A lot of treatment she recieved was amazing, some wasn't. She is slightly older than a babyboomer so we all know that many like her are coming. Not sure everyone is going to get that soon. The idea of ""two-tiered"" elicits a huge emotional response here and can be thrown at anyone who suggests certain reforms, often with huge electoral consquences. Tough one for me. We are very near the States and I have a lot of cousins that settled there. The system treats them well but there are still others with dual ties that come across to have babies, for instance. I will say there is massive progranda running against the NHS and the States system, from those that favour the other side. So often hard to judge unless you have lived it. When I lived in the States I was young and wasn't going to the doctor come hell or high water. So paying less taxes seemed great. As I said, appreciate the response, I really don't have any actual answers myself these days."

[Fifth Column]

"Did you see that the Labour Party changed its position on all the trans lunacy. Now Starmer has said ""a woman is an adult female"" and promising to protect women's rights etc. I had been hoping that he was playing the ""long game"" on this to keep the loons in the Party as quiet as possible."

[Fifth Column]

"Branded That was my whole point. I haven't changed my view on a lot during my life in terms of politics. I think the state should provide a safety net, that it should support children in particular with significant interventions where parent(s) are shit. That governments should intervene and regulate private companies significantly. And I still feel that gay people should have rights in civil law that everyone else does. That abortion law at 24 weeks is about correct. That we shouldn't demonise single parents but that the nuclear family is what governments should try to support because it brings about a happier, more well adjusted society. That racism exists and should be fought and that no-one race is inherently better or worse than the other. I thought that 25 years ago and I still think it now. But all that second paragraph, now lots of people who call themselves ""leftists"" would describe what I said as ""right wing"" or even ""far right"" because I don't think blokes in dresses are women, I don't think the rainbow flag being used everywhere in society, constantly in your face is a good thing and I don't think only white people can be racist and that I don't think abortion should be legal up to birth. The whole meaning of ""left"" and ""right"" have changed completely. I haven't changed."

[Willtell]

"Cabbage Savage do not worry - you have no teef old man ----------------------------------- I don't worry Nurse because I haven't lived in England for 17 years now. And I do have all my teeth. Except for my wisdom teeth obviously, because I'm talking to an idiot woman...."

[Crassus]

"Mike Make you right if you are Starmer or a Guardianista metro type of MP Not quite the risk for a proper Tory, indeed a vote winner in both traditional and Red Wall seats"

[Mike Oxsaw]

"Crassus 8:47 Wed Jul 26 I've always saud...well, at least since our .com days...that you could strip out one layer of NHS administration and neither costs would increase or delivered quality of service deteriorate. I'd amend that statement now to 3 layers and neither costs or patient care would suffer, but there'd be an awful lot of entitled Henry's & Henrietta's scrambling about for a new job. Maybe that's why the government is happy to have a bloated NHS administration - the other option is to have them all on the rock'n'roll - a big vote loser."

[Crassus]

"Will Where I live the formally efficient medical practice is little more than a fiasco now (our area is considered rural and affluent, not an inner city Hell hole) Not aided by an increasing population, aging demographic and dare I say it certain 'newcomers' If I need a medical appointment I give that a swerve and head down the road to a private surgery and for my £80 get a 15 minute consultation the same day and any scripts required It is incredible the number of people using it, of all backgrounds. It is becoming the go to gaffe for many This sort of practice and the growing private medical scheme through work offering is diluting the strain upon the laughable 'Your NHS' which I'm increasingly resenting I pay ever more, for ever less, can't access it, have to pay private and then pay further tax upon a BUPA plan for the benefit of having swerved the bloody NHS Meanwhile, the Trusts have become private fiefdoms for overpaid clipboard wavers and ludicrously titled inclusivity/diversity/uncle Tom Cobleys that demand ever more pay Shambles I tells ya"

[BRANDED]

One of the core objectives of the NHS was to get working men back to work. There was a direct value to that. With so many pensioners now it has evolved into an entirely different beast. What I dont want to see is the positive value of ill people. That surely is not in anyone’s interest except health companies.

[SurfaceAgentX2Zero]

"I'm glad Kevin Spacey was acquitted. There's far too many of these historical accusations being prosecuted on flimsy evidence. I do wonder how Dave Lee Travis feels, though. He was convicted and placed on the sexual offenders list for the same sort of 'flirty' behaviour in a heterosexual context. I believe he got done for grabbing Gail Porter's arse, although I might be mistaken. Is it going to be one law for gays and another law for heterosexuals?"

[Mike Oxsaw]

"Most of the country's I've lived & worked in over the last 25 years have some sort or insurance or contributions based health service. This seems to work well. I see no reason why the NHS cannot evolve into the same; an ID card would greatly help in managing such a set up, but that's a big political no. A proper NHS app would be widely accepted even though it's basically the same thing without the plastic bit. Present your card/wave your phone at the receptionist: if you qualify for free you don't pay, if you're as rich as some on here claim you do pay; it;s also then possible to segregate out different types of treatment, so some, like bigger tits and a fatter arse, you pay for, but others, such as laser eye surgery, you don't. Need to discourage the likes of Billy being dragged into A&E by his chain-smoking step-mother because he's got a fucking saucepan stuck on his noggin."

[Mike Oxsaw]

"Most of the country's I've lived & worked in over the last 25 years have some sort or insurance or contributions based health service. This seems to work well. I see no reason why the NHS cannot evolve into the same; an ID card would greatly help in managing such a set up, but that's a big political no. A proper NHS app would be widely accepted even though it's basically the same thing without the plastic bit. Present your card/wave your phone at the receptionist: if you qualify for free you don't pay, if you're as rich as some on here claim you do pay; it;s also then possible to segregate out different types of treatment, so some, like bigger tits and a fatter arse, you pay for, but others, such as laser eye surgery, you don't. Need to discourage the likes of Billy being dragged into A&E by his chain-smoking step-mother because he's got a fucking saucepan stuck on his noggin."

[Cabbage Savage]

Willtell 7:04 Wed Jul 26 do not worry - you have no teef old man

[Fo the Communist]

"ironsofcanada 6:52 Wed Jul 26 Well it's clear that with more people living longer and becoming ever more sick as they age, then the current system is not sustainable without either massive reform or higher taxes or possible both. What is also clear to me - and many others on here have expressed the same view - that a proper, grown-up debate is needed on the subject. Presently that debate gets immediately stunted by the emotional response that surrounds the subject for many. And in fairness, the NHS is a very dear institution based on lived experience so that's understandable. My personal view is also influenced by an experience I had in the states when my then young daughter became ill. We took her in and for a fee - not a huge one either - we got the check up we needed to ensure she had nothing more than a virus. That was money well spent and well earned by the service as I saw it. I guess my starting point would be that the service needs to be free to those who need it but other than that, everything should be on the table for open discussion. I wouldn't say that would be a particularly common viewpoint from someone 'on the left' - or at least not one that they'd admit to. Hardly revelatory either."

[Mike Oxsaw]

"Fo the Communist 2:15 Wed Jul 26 The 'One of us' analogy is interesting. The only other politician I felt came close to being 'One of us' was Michael Foot - and that's most definitely close but certainly not touching. Every other person in political life is projecting a sham about caring for society (even more so at election time); at least Farage had a plan and stuck to his guns (pretty sure there would have been attempts to buy him off, given the state of UK/EU politics) - open a tin of Farage and the contents actually match the ingredients on the label."

[BRANDED]

Love Spacey Happy he’s not guilty

[Darlo Debs]

Fo.6.32 yes and I can watch LA Confidential.again. one of my faves.

[Willtell]

I think it’s now difficult to impossible to find a NHS dentist in UK. That’s what people tell me. The NHS sounds so bad these days it won’t be far behind when doctors treat private patients only…

[ironsofcanada]

"Fo the Communist 6:19 Wed Jul 26 A question looking for serious responses from those on the left. Do you think having both public and private services available undermines the NHS. Here that is the argument and is called a perjorative ""two-tiered"" system. I ask because our system has some serious challenges that are growing, for instance, in a city of 100,000 there are no family physicians accepting new patients. (We still use the physican we managed to grab in my mom's small town when we first moved back.) My wife works in the system and has to tell people to go the emergency for things like perscription renewals."

[Fo the Communist]

"joe royal 6:20 Wed Jul 26 On the plus side, I can watch The Usual Suspects again without feeling dirty."

[SurfaceAgentX2Zero]

"The NHS does cover way too many things. As far as mental health is concerned, far too much is spent on low level depression and stuff. A decent help-line could cope with all that. Far too little is spent on serious mental illness. I would suggest that what is saved on the former should be spent on the latter. I would add transgender treatment and fertility treatment to cosmetic surgery. I'd also urge a review of purchasing practices that insist on buying high-priced proprietary brands of drugs, dressings and devices instead of cheap but identical generic items. No brown envelopes passing hands there, I'm sure."

[joe royal]

"Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey has been found not guilty of nine sex offences at London's Southwark Crown Court Speaking afterwards, he said he was humbled by the outcome, and that there was a lot to process The Hollywood star, who is 64 today, cried in the dock as the verdicts were read out Prosecutors had told the jury the star had left the four complainants feeling “small, diminished and worthless” Spacey denied using his power as an A-lister to get people into bed, and described the allegations as a ""stab in the back"" The complainants, now in their 30s and 40s, are entitled to lifelong anonymity under the law"