From the cradle to the grave
Johann Lamont, interviewed on the BBC last weekend:
“You can understand the desirability of people having access to medicines, but everybody knows there are tough choices being made now.” (10m 19s)
That’s the “leader of the Labour Party in Scotland”, there, seemingly equivocal on the principle of “people having access to medicines”. Nye Bevin must be proud.
(It wasn’t just a careless unscripted slip of the tongue, either. A minute or so earlier Lamont had also said “In an ideal world, you would want to continue to make sure that most people get access to prescriptions.” Our emphasis, were it needed.)
Let there be no mistake – in Labour’s vision of “One Nation” Britain, the entire concept of universal health care, free at the point of need, is now up for grabs. If you’re not happy about that, there’s pretty much only one thing you can do about it.
No, Matron!
So, it’s to be a straight choice between the red pill and the blue pill. And you can’t get either of them on prescription.
Every time the Labour party opens their mouth about prescription charges, it makes me want to smash my face repeatedly against the wall.
In fairness, Brian Taylor did try to get some actual policies out of her. Unsuccessfully, though that isn’t his fault.
We shouldn’t base our opinion on someone’s acumen, competence & ability based solely on their looks or indeed gender; it’s a lazy & shallow way to judge people but that’s just how I’m feeling today …
By God, she’s an ugly, old, wee wummin isn’t she?
Trident or healthcare? Let me think about that……………..
Healthcare.
Perhaps she is looking to be PM one day, urgh. She’s a disgrace to the (what was, once upon a time) Labour party, or is she just the messenger? Couldn’t be further from offering an alternative to the tories if she tried. Who are ‘most’ people? Who aren’t ‘most’ people? I don’t suppose she cares either way. People won’t know what’s hit them if they vote ‘no’ in 2014. Let’s hope the people, even those too busy, or who prefer to watch come dancing or some other rubbish, arm themselves with the real facts before it’s too late.
I read somewhere recently that there are plans for NHS England to charge people £8.50 to see a doctor. That is a tax on the sick. A vote loser as well I would think.
It looks like they are going to harry you all the way to the grave to pay for Trident and other such niceties.
———————-
Better-off older people should pay tax at the same rate as younger people on similar incomes, a think tank argues.
The report from the Fabian Society argues that as older people are no longer always poor they should “share the pain of deficit reduction”.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-22220345
“We shouldn’t base our opinion on someone’s acumen, competence & ability based solely on their looks or indeed gender”
No, but it seems fair to base it on their demonstrated acumen, competence and ability, and on the basis of that she’s a total fuckwit. No aesthetic judgement required.
—- and pay for meals too.
http://www.ukmalayalee.com/uk-news/news.php?id=Mjc5Mw==
The poll in (yes, I`m sorry, I feel dirty) The Scotsman asking “Is Johann Lamont a credible candidate for First Minister?”
– for a couple of days it remained largely 18% Yes / 82% No.
Today it stands 57% Yes / 43% No.
Meanwhile, on Better Together`s Facebook page, their ‘Likes’ are increasing roughly 1000 a day (normally, it would number anywhere between a dozen and 200), after falling further behind Yes Scotland. Fishy, very fishy.
Hahahahahaha around 22m, priceless: “Alistair Darling, whatever people think about him, would never impugn his integrity”
Guess expenses fiddling and house flipping is completely fine, then.
“we need to have that debate across the world” – Ms Lamont is truly dreadful
Meanwhile, on Better Together`s Facebook page, their ‘Likes’ are increasing roughly 1000 a day (normally, it would number anywhere between a dozen and 200), after falling further behind Yes Scotland. Fishy, very fishy.
That seems to have peaked and is plunging back down again. If it drops back to baseline ~50 day again soon then something is really weird. Such a pattern can only be ‘artificially’ created, either legitimately or not. Might be worth asking facebook to have a look. As per google, FB don’t like stats manipulation.
Who are ‘most’ people? Who aren’t ‘most’ people?
I’m not sure, but the parliamentary Labour party mostly aren’t ‘people’, not as I understand the term.
Every time the likes of Lamont and Sarwar open their mouth the reasons for the existence of Labour for Independence becomes clear. It is also why Mary Lockhart and others are supporting independence. Scottish Labour and BBC Scotland (Bradford) are attempting to prepare the ground for the privatisation of the NHS in Scotland in the event of a No vote.
Lamont is always wanting to ‘have that debate’ but the only person she is talking to is herself. This is contrasted with the Scottish Government which is continually accused by Labour of ‘shutting down the debate’, presumably because they get the talking over with, make robust decisions and actually do things instead.
“Who are ‘most’ people? Who aren’t ‘most’ people?”
“There are so many unanswered questions and the people of Scotland deserve to know the truth”.
@G H Graham.
You forgot bitter.
I work in the NHS in England, I’m seconded to a large Social Service provider.
I can assure everyone that the idea that the NHS/Social Services in England are being privatised by the back door is complete beloney,
The are privitising by the front door !
They are no longer bothering to hide it !
I am employed by a specialist team who will be opening all the admin posts to tender soon, they have also suggested that some of the specialist positions will soon be open to tender, they are cutting car allowances.
They tried to close the place I work in down but the local newspaper ran a campaign and they couldn’t (we were given a dressing down as they believed one of us had leaked the closure to the press)
It’s a nightmare folks and it’s comming to your local NHS hospital if you vote NO.
I guarentee it !!!
Would someone who is a lot more numerate than me tell me how much constant means testing would cost v universal benefits? I know (’cause Nicola Sturgeon told me) that the cost of means testing prescriptions is about the same as not means testing – or something like that. Surely the same must be true of other universal benefits?
I’m sure that you would all like to read my comment on this matter, and, in fairness, it is only right that you should have an unequivocal statement which reflects my deepest held belief and embodies my life long commitment to transparency. But this is not a comment that can given in isolation. This is not a comment which can be given merely to seek the agreement of my peers. To make such a comment would be dishonest and, under no circumstances, do I wish to mislead or post a comment, in haste, which might betray the faith that readers of Wings have in comments. I do not post comments to seek discord but to illuminate the debate. Much as you use a torch to study the darkness I shall continue to shine a light on the dark corners of the comments in the hope of opening up the debate. This is a matter of principle. To this end, I have commissioned Jeannie up at the corner shop to ask opinion of her customers in the hope of reaching consensus and a wider understanding of this comment.
Jesus wept! Listening to Lamont in an attempt to actually get to the nub of her biscuit (apologies for that image) is like trying to look at one of those Magic Eye pictures. You screw your face up, give it your undivided attention for more time than it warrants, thinking,” is it just me who doesn’t get it?” Then when something starts to manifest in a vague form, you blink, and it’s gone.
Listening to her gives me a brain wedgie!
@LeeMacD – do you want to be leader of the Labour Party in Scotland? I think there’s a vacancy coming up soon and they need people with your vision.
My vision, and I believe I’m not alone in believing this, though the working group I commissioned to study my visions has yet to report, is that the question of who leads the Labour Party in Scotland is far too important a debate to be put off till tomorrow and is something that demands a clear and unequivocal statement of intent, an intent backed up by a personal vision, which itself is grounded in the initial findings of the working group.
@LeeMacD
If I were a “New” Labour in Scotland MSP or Better Together member (I use the term member loosely) I would agree 100% with you and echo your sentiments.
Fortunately I live in the real world and see that your talking through a whole in yer erse!!!!!! (Yes, I did just use 6 exclamation marks).
A whole? in one’s erse. Is that the same as a complete in one’s Irish Gaelic?
Or is the problem a bit of an anus horibilis.?
The question is, could a separate Scotland afford such flagrant use of exclamation marks? My opinion on this has been widely paginated, though let me make it clearer, as the hard working families of this country deserve an answer, a clear, concise, and above all, honest answer! A debate is needed and it will not be easy! The SNP is a party fixating on one thing and one thing only! The SNP is not open to the debate that requires to be had, today!!! Unlike the SNP, I hope to open up this debate to the hard working people of this country, the mothers, the carers; all those who have been let down by the SNP!!! This is not a debate that the SNP wants! The SNP hope to close down this debate, fixated, as they are on one thing! As I say, the debate needs to be had today, and with this in mind, I have commissioned a working group to look into this and report back on how the SNP’s fixation is damaging the debate!
@Edinburgh Quine (2.38pm)
The Reid Foundation published an excellent article on the topic a while ago: http://reidfoundation.org/2012/09/weve-had-the-debate-universalism-won/
Basically, those who call for means testing are usually the kind that know the price of everything and the value of nothing, i.e. Tories. Means testing is pointless because people who can otherwise afford services won’t use the free provision (c.f. bus passes, nursery, personal care), unless you draw the cut-off line so low that it adversely affects large numbers of people. Then you also have the additional cost of the extra bureaucracy!
Free prescriptions are a great example – means testing would save a negligible amount of money compared to the cost of the drugs the health service has to buy either way, but the true benefit is in maintaining a healthy society. It’s part of a preventative health strategy and saves the health service money in the long run too.
@Edinburgh Quine – Before 2010, ‘means testing’ meant that anyone on a benefit, incl Pensions Credit, or Working Tax Credit, got the benefit. It’s likely they would use shorthand like that.
Before WTC (Bless Gordon Brown for that) I didn’t quality for any benefits, and, because I worked, used to have to decide which prescription I needed most!
I’ve even more grateful to the Scottish Government, since, thanks to the Coalition, I no longer qualify for WTC because I work fewer than 30 hours a week.
@ me 3.44
Tried to get to the bottom of this by employing a couple of jokes but I may have wrecked um.
Why does Johann always look and sound like she is doing a really stiff jobby?
Is it because the Unionist enema isn’t working?
‘I think therefore I am’ – René Descartes
‘I think I’ll commission a working group’ – Johann Lamont
‘I have a dream’ – Martin Luther King
‘I have commissioned a working group’ – Johann Lamont
‘I cannot tell a lie, I did it with my little hatchet’ – George Washington
‘I cannot tell a lie, I have commissioned a working group to look into who’s hatchet it was, and while not wanting to presume the findings of the working group, I believe that it’s initial findings suggest that Alex Salmond was seen by the cherry tree saying something about separation’ -Johann Lamont
“The question is, could a separate Scotland afford such flagrant use of exclamation marks? My opinion on this has been widely paginated, though let me make it clearer, as the hard working families of this country deserve an answer, a clear, concise, and above all, honest answer! A debate is needed and it will not be easy! The SNP is a party fixating on one thing and one thing only! The SNP is not open to the debate that requires to be had, today!!! Unlike the SNP, I hope to open up this debate to the hard working people of this country, the mothers, the carers; all those who have been let down by the SNP!!! This is not a debate that the SNP wants! The SNP hope to close down this debate, fixated, as they are on one thing! As I say, the debate needs to be had today, and with this in mind, I have commissioned a working group to look into this and report back on how the SNP’s fixation is damaging the debate!”
Heh. That’s splendid. I may borrow some of it and work up an all-purpose Scottish Labour Answer To Any Question 😀
I’m actually beta testing new translation software – A-la-mont 1.0.8. You just type what you want to say and it translates it in a way that speaks to the hard pressed working families of this country who have been badly let down by the separatist SNP’s failure to commission a working group.
As a mother, I meet hard working carers every day.
They tell me that they are sick of hearing the SNP speaking about money and independence, and what they tell me is they need a debate.
What I’m saying is, erm their is a debate to be had about why the SNP are running away from having a debate with me.
What the hard working carers in Scotland want is an honest answer from the SNP and Alex Salmond and my answer to those who demand to know my thoughts on Trident is, erm, that this is something that is open to debate.
I can’t bear to listen to Lamont. She seems unable to give an answer, like many above have said. I can’t relate to her or believe a word she says. Someone who can’t give a straight answer despite being a politician creates mistrust in my mind.
Don’t know if anyone has posted this earlier.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/apr/23/regulated-market-nhs-competition?CMP=twt_gu
Wonder if the likes of Lord Warner will be, and probably are, investing in medical providers.
American provider, United Health Group, announced profits of $2.1 Billion.
Naebad eh !
fucking hilarious everyone,
so funny
A wee hiccup on the FB link formatting – when I link to my page the WOS links are dreadful – I am having to copy some articles and pics and put the url address in. The more typical youtube, newsnet link looks better and offers some explanation.
LeeMcD – uncanny!