I have so far started three blog posts over the last few months and not finished any of them. They all go in different directions and yet I am still as stumped over how they should continue as when I first begun them. Call it writers block although I certainly don't define myself as a writer. I have abandoned them to their fate at the moment and come up with something that maybe is a little bit different from my "norm" - whatever that is. Please read on....
I think that I would like to address some issues that seem to rear their head from time to time and then just as quickly disappear back into the woodwork, never to be heard from until someone is brave enough to broach the subject again. I will, in all probability, end up talking about something completely different; that's fine by me, and the people who know me - well let's just say it's not unusual!
Let's talk about the NHS (the wonderful National Health Service) that we are lucky enough to have in the United Kingdom. This gives free health care to all that need it; there is no bias for wealth, colour or religious beliefs. The doctors and nurses work incredibly hard for little pay (in comparison to health care providers who work in the private sector, and others who get paid obscene amounts of money which I hope that I can address later). I know that we should always be moving forward and not looking back, but to be honest, by looking back we can see where everything started to go wrong. In the "Good Old Days", we had matrons. Matrons started at the bottom and worked their way up. They knew about emptying bed pans and making "hospital corner" beds. They knew the issues faced and how nurses felt because they were "one of them". Matrons are now just as likely to be administrators with little or no knowledge of nursing but with degrees in Business Administration and the like. This is admirable but unless they have been at the grass roots level, how on earth are they going to understand the challenges and frustrations that nurses face? In my opinion, in today's climate the bottom line is not about patient care but how much money can be saved. Back in the day, e.g. the cleaners were staff and took pride in keeping the hospitals clean; nowadays it is all contracted out and although I have little doubt that the standards are acceptable, I do wonder if the same commitment is there. Nurses today have to have degrees - in what I am not entirely sure - but a degree isn't going to comfort a grieving parent, clean up the vomit or just comfort the patient. I do understand that a decent education is needed but how many people do you know that fail spectacularly at exams but know all the answers in a non threatening and less panic stricken environment?
I am not a statistician, but I often wonder how much income would be generated (in this country) if every person gave one penny per week to specifically address the problems in the NHS, the emergency services and education? I would certainly be willing to help out in this way if it would generate enough income and be used solely for those purposes, i.e. more doctors and nurses, more police on the streets and more staff for the other emergency services. I also wonder how much could be saved by reducing the pay of MP's? All I see is money grabbing greed from those who are supposed to represent their constituents yet actually do their own thing or follow the orders of their party. Something has to give and I feel strongly that the amount that MP's get paid is not a representation of the amount of work they do. I have another question about this country giving to (so called) poorer countries. I think I am right in saying that we give 0.7% of our Gross national Income (which equates to £13.4billion - I've just looked it up) to third world and developing countries each year. What would happen if we channelled all that into the NHS etc. as I mentioned above? I know that sounds awful but surely we need to get our own house in order so that we can then be in a better position to help others? Even half that amount could probably work wonders. Maybe the government needs to listen to the people rather than just making a mockery of any democratic process (and I'm not talking about Brexit, nor will I ever).
In my humble opinion (and in the big scheme of things it doesn't really have much clout) the government needs to prioritise and start putting the people first. I am a HUGE believer in charity and in helping the poor of struggling countries, but I read that we give to countries that have extreme poverty and yet are developing a space programme. Come on Members of Parliament (MP's); where has your common sense gone? Surely we can demand that those countries do more to help their own? I recognise that I am not privy to things that go on in the background and we may well be doing something, but the bottom line is that we are creating dissension in our own country by continuing to help those that should be helping themselves. This really should be a "Give a man a fish and you will feed him for a day, show him how to catch fish and you will feed him for a lifetime." moment, which is simply not happening. All the time we give money without recompense in some way, we are teaching people to be too expecting. This happens in the UK as well, and probably all over the world, so it is not a new or unexpected phenomena.
This now brings me on to my second "beef" if you like. How can anyone be paid exorbitant sums of money for playing a game of football? Now I can hear people screaming as I write that football is a national treasure and all that, but I stand by my argument that it is ridiculous that anyone should think they are worth that much when people are dying all over the world. It is obscene. It is not just here; it is anywhere that sport is played and the profit margins are more important than anything else. What on earth do people who earn more than one thousand pounds per week (and I just plucked that figure out of the air) do with their money? How many rooms do you need to live in to be comfortable? How many holidays do you need a year? How much is required to "Keep up with the Jones'" and thus continue the need for higher wages? I suspect that many of these stars actually do give a lot to charity etc., but the point is that there should never be such a gulf between the rich and the poor. I don't begrudge those that have worked hard for their money or have made sacrifices for the chance of a better life, because I think that is every parents dream for their children.
Everything that happens in this world always has money at the heart of it. Money and greed. Someone will always want to make easy money rather than earn it by hard work (and vilify me if you like but I don't consider playing football for ninety minutes perhaps twice a week as hard work). Hard work is working down the mines, working twelve or more hour shifts in the emergency services saving lives, being a carer and trying to hold down a job. Hard work is totally different from being talented at something. I have gone on about football because it is always in the media (I hate to call it "News") but there are plenty of other things that people pay for which could probably wipe out the debt of some small country somewhere. How about paying out millions for a painting just to hang on a wall and for your eyes only? There is so much going wrong with this world that I sometimes (admittedly not very often) despair. Having said that, there are millions all over the world that are helping others with no thought of reward. Whilst there are people like that, we still have hope. Let's try and do something for others. There are so many ways that we can help other less fortunate or in different health circumstances to ourselves. Every kind act helps someone, even if we never know the outcome; just knowing that we have done something is enough to make our feel good factor rise. Try it and see....
I have decided that for my next blog, which I hope will be sooner rather than later, I shall be guided by your choice of topic. This will not be a poll, but if someone has a favourite or even an obscure but interesting topic that they would like my take on, then I am happy to make an attempt. On the other hand, if lots of you (I use the term loosely as I don't think many people actually read my blogs which is perfectly okay as I write for myself rather than to an audience - although approval and nice comments are always appreciated) ask for the same thing, I will do my best to oblige.
If you have liked this and would like to comment, I am happy for you to use the comments section below; I will not tolerate any bad language or nasty remarks. All thoughts are my own and whilst many may not agree, I don't want to have to remove comments, but will if I have to (simply becasue I have the power!).
Until the next time, be good, be happy and remember that a smile can go round the world if it is paid forward.
I would encourage you to expland your thoughts as laid out above into your vision of the (near) perfect country in which to live (accepting no perfection is ever possible in our human-run world). Go into as much detail as you like. For example, you touched above on the idea of taxes being ring-fenced for specific purposes.We would not today have a pensions crisis if -from the start - the NI contributions (or the part of them that should pay for pensions) had been ring-fenced. Or if the Government had quickly adapted the scheme to ensure that today's workers are contributing in order to support their own, future, pensions rather than the workers of today paying for the pensions of those who worked yesterday. We have a diminishing number of younger, in-work people compared to the increasing proportion of retired. It's never going to work out properly that way. I would suggest myself that health and social services be much more integrated so that there are no wrangles about who pays because in the end it's the taxpayer who is paying anyway! So imagine away and see what you can come up with that is pragmatic and sounds workable and yet which would hopefully lead to a more equitable society. Absolute equality is not really attainable but equity...where everyone has just enough...that's better.
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