Author: R J Adams

In February this year, the Guardian carried a story entitled, “NHS nurse shortages ‘to last another four years’,” which outlined the severe lack of qualified nursing staff within the U.K. National Health Service:

Ian Cumming, chief executive of Health Education England, said there would be a shortfall in nurses until at least 2020.”^[1]

Today, three months later, the BBC website has this headline, “‘Train NHS staff’ to plug doctor gaps, bosses say,”:

Nurses, paramedics and pharmacists should be trained to fill in for doctors and help the NHS in England cope with demand, bosses say.
Management body NHS Employers has given the plan the green light after advisers said there were a range of extra tasks they could do with more training.”^[2]

Presumably the “Management body” deftly known as, “NHS Employers” are the group of overly-well paid, brandy-swilling, elites who’ve landed the plum job of doing very little while their minions slave away beneath them and carry the can when things go awry. It’s doubtful said elites could distinguish a bed-pan from a set of artery forceps.

This idea is reminiscent of the workings of the U.S. health system, which over the years has seen the introduction of unskilled labour filling in for qualified doctors. There are, ‘doctor’s assistants’, ‘nurse practitioners’ and various other fancifully named job descriptions that can all be grouped together under the heading, ‘unqualified doctor substitute’.

It became increasingly difficult to arrange an appointment with a genuine doctor in the United States as hedge fund owned medical practices squeezed the last ounce out of overworked health employees in their effort to save money and increase profits.

“I’d like an appointment to see a doctor, please.”

“I’m sorry, Doctor So-and-so is very busy. His next available appointment isn’t until three weeks on Friday. I can get you in tomorrow at ten with our nurse practitioner.”

But, I need to see a doctor.”

“It will be three weeks. If it’s urgent you can always go to the emergency room.” (A&E)

The above conversation is fairly typical of how to arrange an appointment at the doctor’s office in the United States. It varies depending on whether your medical practice is run by the city, or a private hedge fund. The latter are rapidly expanding their tentacles throughout the American heath service. After all, sickness can be a nice little earner provided expensive, qualified, medical staff are kept to an absolute minimum.

The problem with Britain’s health service has nothing to do with the working staff. A finer, more dedicated, bunch of individuals it would be hard to find anywhere. As always, the problem lies with the top echelons of elite, silver-spooned, ‘jobs-for-the-boys’, parasites that exist under the cloaked heading of, ‘NHS Employers’.

Boss man of this sanctimonious club is the Health Minister, Jeremy Hunt, who would dearly love to see U.S. hedge funds financing the U.K.’s health service.

Meanwhile, he’ll save money by using unqualified staff, who are already in short supply and grossly overworked, to take on the work of doctors, just as they do in America.

And if that doesn’t work out it’ll just become another reason to privatise the British NHS.

^{[1] “‘Worrying shortage of senior NHS nurses'” Guardian February 29th 2016}

^{[2] “‘Train NHS staff’ to plug doctor gaps, bosses say” BBC, May 17th 2016}

2016 is rapidly proving the year that we, the human species, elect the most inappropriate, and in some cases the most dangerous of individuals, to be our leaders.

As Donald Trump bullies and lies his way towards the U.S. White House, an even more repulsive member of our species is about to become the next president of the Philippines.

There is nothing good that can be said about Rodrigo Duterte. It’s possible even Adolf Hitler could have learned something from this man on how to become a more ruthless tyrant. His attitude to women draws forth the urge to spit profusely in his face. Commenting on the rape and killing of an Australian female missionary, while he was mayor of Davao, he said:

“I saw her face and I thought, son of a bitch. what a pity… I was mad she was raped but she was so beautiful. I thought, the mayor should have been first.”^[1]

As president, Duterte intends to reimpose the death penalty (abolished in the Philippines in 2006), give police powers to ‘shoot to kill’ criminals without trial, and enact a law to give him and his buddies immunity from prosecution when he leaves office. As president he will hold power for six years. He’ll undoubtedly need that immunity.

The begged question is why anyone would vote this man into office, or Donald Trump into the White House? The views and ideas of the human race swing like a pendulum. Is this a reaction to the corruption and degradation of the political elite throughout the world? Has the pendulum swung too far in the opposite direction, and we are choosing our leaders from anyone who can shout his mouth off the loudest?

Perhaps it’s time we took heed of that old adage, “Moderation in all things.” Otherwise, we may live to regret our choices.

^{[1] “Philippines: Duterte vows to bring back death penalty” BBC, May 16th 2016}

Has the general populace become less intelligent over the years? Are we so shallow and ignorant that we’ll believe anything we’re told, without question?

It seems that politicians today firmly believe we have. They’re in competition to see who can tell the most blatant lies, and distortions of the truth, and get away with it. They no longer have any interest in the welfare of their voters. Every speech, every baby kissed at election time, is just another ruse to elect them into power.

The latest trickster in the bunch is ex-Mayor of London, Boris Johnson. Johnson plays the buffoon. Like Donald Trump, his identity is his hair. Put the two side by side and you’d be hard-pressed to tell them apart. Hair isn’t their only similarity, though. They’ve both shown they’ll lie and swagger and cheat the voters to grasp the power they seek.

Johnson wants Britain out of the European Union, not because he believes the UK will be better off by leaving, but because he desperately wants to wrest the job of Prime Minister from David Cameron. He’s tipped to become the next Tory Party leader and Cameron, campaigning to stay in the E.U., will almost certainly be forced to resign if Johnson can persuade the British people to vote “OUT” on June 23rd.

His latest attempt to achieve that end has been to compare the E.U. to Hitler’s Germany, and the Führer’s ambitions to unify Europe:

Boris Johnson has compared the EU’s aims to Hitler’s, saying both involved the intention to unify Europe under a single “authority”.
The pro-Brexit Tory MP said both the Nazi leader and Napoleon had failed at unification and the EU was “an attempt to do this by different methods”.^[1]

That Hitler tried to achieve this by purely military means, including the slaughter of six million Jews, was conveniently left out of Johnson’s tirade. Apparently, he wants Brits to believe that unity by any means is just a European ‘plot’ to enslave the British people and take over their government.

Of course, Johnson knows that throwing in the name ‘Hitler’ will have an emotional impact on many Brits who, sadly, may not stop to consider the full implications of his remarks. The real truth is that Johnson is using exactly similar tactics to the Nazi leader – loud, emotional, rhetoric designed to stir up the people in his favour.

Are Brits sufficiently shallow and ignorant that they’ll fall for the same tricks as fooled their German counterparts in the 1930s?

That question will be answered on June 23rd.

^{[1] “EU Referendum: Boris Johnson compares EU’s aims to Hitler’s” BBC, May 15th 2016}