BLOG POSTS

There’s a battle going on in the U.K.’s northern town of Hull. It’s all about toilets. A fast food chain, ‘Greggs’, regards itself as primarily a takeaway food establishment, but has a limited number of tables inside the premises for customers wishing to eat their purchases on site.

Hull City Council has determined that ‘Greggs’ is legally obliged to provide toilet facilities, given that some customers remain on the premises to eat. ‘Greggs’ says that’s rubbish. They maintain they’re a fast food outlet and as such are not required to provide said facilities. The case has gone to the court of appeal.^[1]

To anyone living in France, the idea that laws could force a shop to provide toilets would be considered Nirvana. The standard of facilities, even in most large supermarkets, is nothing short of disgraceful. And that’s if they exist at all.

Public toilets, of the type found in town car parks or market squares, are even more diabolical. Filthy, cobweb-ridden, stinking of stale urine and other detritus, a visit to one of these places can leave one reaching frantically for hand disinfectant, as there’s no likelihood of working washing facilities in these dark, damp, hovels.

Admittedly, things have improved somewhat since the 1980s. The ‘hole-in-the-ground’ out the back is more of a rarity, though has certainly not disappeared completely.

It all makes travelling around France something of a fraught experience, particularly on Sundays and Bank Holidays when major supermarkets – the main source of these facilities – are closed. Then one can only hold on and hope that a public loo will eventually appear, though often they don’t. Even if one does turn up eventually, it’s generally at the point one is so desperate the poor state of the internal plumbing becomes irrelevant. A rusty bucket would suffice, so long as it was out of public view.

Why this state of affairs has been allowed to continue for so long in a modern, civilised, nation like France is not immediately obvious, but soon becomes so after one has lived here for a short while. This is still very much a male dominated country. French men are quite happy to relieve themselves whenever and wherever they feel the need arises. It’s not uncommon to drive along a busy highway and pass parked cars, drivers facing a convenient tree with their backs to traffic, doing what comes naturally. Who needs a public toilet when the whole countryside is available for one’s needs?

Which begs the question: what do the women do? The answer is not immediately obvious. French women apparently have more decorum than their male counterparts. One never sees a woman crouching behind a tree while waving to passing motorists.

It can only be assumed their holding power is much greater than that of the average Frenchman, and they stay home on Sundays and Bank Holidays.

So there you have it. The owners of Greggs fast food emporium in Hull have the perfect solution to the legal problems that are blighting their business. All they need to do is move their entire fast food empire to France.

No-one will ever demand they install toilets over here. And, even if some interfering French official tried, they’d only have to dig a hole in the backyard.

^{“Greggs loses takeaway loo battle in Hull” BBC, May 18th 2016}

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}