IOM Covid removing restrictions

[AcousticallyChallenged]

5 hours ago, offshoremanxman said:

It very much does. There is no public appetite for further restrictions or lockdowns and Government knows that. They won’t happen as the public has had enough and the economy can’t take another hit either and if the vaccination process hasn’t worked then we’re all screwed anyway. They’re now pushing booster vaccine jabs. If three jabs for the vulnerable don’t make them safe then most sane sensible people will work out that it’s all a waste of time and just crack on. Another UK lockdown simply will not happen. If the NHS can’t cope without locking people up inside their own homes again then basically the NHS is the problem.

There is huge money to be made in making the NHS look like the problem. You can suddenly start pulling apart the allegedly 'broken' system to be broken up and sold off.

Narratives sell, especially in this day and age.

The history of the Conservative party trying to move towards privatised healthcare exists.

https://www.unitetheunion.org/news-events/news/2021/september/new-health-bill-is-a-smokescreen-for-more-nhs-privatisation-warns-unite/

Quote

If the bill becomes law, it would allow for so-called for Alternative Provider Medical Services (APMS) to cherry pick services and undermine current working practices. APMS contracts are not in the interests of either the public or health care professionals.

Unite is emailing its members to write their MPs urging them to vote against the bill dubbed  as a ‘Trojan Horse’ for profit-hungry private healthcare companies.

Jackie Williams added: “APMS contracts have been described by legal professionals as ‘the private sector's gateway to providing primary health care to NHS patients’. They allow companies that are not owned or controlled by medical professionals to run GP surgeries. 

“This bill is deeply flawed and creates pathways for health systems that are based on models developed by the private insurance industry in the USA and elsewhere, with profit as the key priority. Such an approach would undermine the universal and patient-driven service that we have all cherished since the NHS’ formation in 1948.

 

[Cambon]

24 minutes ago, AcousticallyChallenged said:

Can we point out that economically, the UK was one of the hardest hit, because they bungled the response so badly during most of 2020? They even had enough uncontrolled spread to foster the Kent variant early this year. It was only the Delta variant from India that took them off top spot for transmission.

Repeatedly, the UK government ignored scientific advice for a couple of weeks, flirting with restrictions in the papers, until public opinion swayed enough to support them, and the feeling that Boris had 'tried his damndest to hold those draconian restrictions off' had passed. It was all theatre.

Though, to speak conspiratorially, COVID is a nice cover story for the mess that is Brexit.

Correct, apart from the Brexit bit. Brexit is going to take time.

[wrighty]

39 minutes ago, AcousticallyChallenged said:

Can we point out that economically, the UK was one of the hardest hit, because they bungled the response so badly during most of 2020? They even had enough uncontrolled spread to foster the Kent variant early this year. It was only the Delta variant from India that took them off top spot for transmission.

Repeatedly, the UK government ignored scientific advice for a couple of weeks, flirting with restrictions in the papers, until public opinion swayed enough to support them, and the feeling that Boris had 'tried his damndest to hold those draconian restrictions off' had passed. It was all theatre.

Though, to speak conspiratorially, COVID is a nice cover story for the mess that is Brexit.

So how did the US, largely under Trump, do so comparatively well?

[AcousticallyChallenged]

11 minutes ago, wrighty said:

So how did the US, largely under Trump, do so comparatively well?

 

They poured money into the problem. About 2 and a half trillion dollars of it.

 

 

[Roger Mexico]

29 minutes ago, wrighty said:

So how did the US, largely under Trump, do so comparatively well?

They didn't - even now their death rate (2268/million) is even worse than the UK's (2041/million) - and that's despite the head-start on vaccines.  Their death rate is about four times that of the most comparable country - Canada.

Edited to add - now realise you were just meaning economically.  Basically pouring money into the economy, especially effective when to the less well off.

Edited October 24, 2021 by Roger Mexico

[Zarley]

2 minutes ago, offshoremanxman said:

Oh yes it’s all just a conspiracy to privatize the UK health system. That’s the best one I’ve heard yet. 

The Tories desperately want to privatise the NHS. If you don't realise that you haven't been paying attention. 

[Danoo]

8 hours ago, AcousticallyChallenged said:

 

They poured money into the problem. About 2 and a half trillion dollars of it.

 

 

Pouring obscene amounts of money into something hardly makes it work better. See the NHS as an example.

Edited October 25, 2021 by Danoo

[Danoo]

45 minutes ago, offshoremanxman said:

Oh yes it’s all just a conspiracy to privatize the UK health system. That’s the best one I’ve heard yet. 

To be fair he/she has a point. It has been an aim of the Tories for a long time to change the health service model.

I don't necessarily disagree with it in principle, but as ever in these type of situations crony capitalism will be the winner and not an efficient use of the free market to drive up standards and drive down costs, which is exactly what it needs.

Edited October 25, 2021 by Danoo

[Manx17]

Was in Tesco yesterday and more people were wearing masks, I have to say it’s great to see a more caring community. 

[Roxanne]

51 minutes ago, Danoo said:

Pouring obscene amounts of money into something hardly makes it work better. See the NHS as an example.

You’re right, it doesn’t, but what it does do, is make it look as though it’s working better. And sadly, that’s the bottom line. 

Edited October 25, 2021 by Roxanne
Typo

[Blackajah]

19 hours ago, Ramseyboi said:

I see them on social media but never in real life.

Who are these people who wants masks, restrictions on Gatherings etc?

Mostly people who want to WFH / have a quiet retirement at everyone else's expense.  Perhaps they can all club together (one or more of them are in receipt of at least one generous pension) and buy an outer Hebridean island.    They can all move there and pull up the drawbridge.     

[Happier diner]

2 hours ago, Zarley said:

The Tories desperately want to privatise the NHS. If you don't realise that you haven't been paying attention. 

You mean "The Tories desperately want to privatise the NHS but have realised that its a pipedream"

[Roxanne]

Lost in the Irish Sea.

[AcousticallyChallenged]

26 minutes ago, offshoremanxman said:

Suggesting that the UKs poor covid response is some sort of ploy to sell the NHS is literally a conspiracy theory. Given some of the disdain the poster seems to have for other peoples opinions on pandemic issues then it’s worthy of pointing out that suggesting the UK government has allowed over 140,000 people to die and shut down half of the UK just to soften up a sale is laughable to be honest. 

I never said it was a ploy, it's simply a convenient excuse in retrospect. There is precedent for things being handled badly, and the Government are currently under investigation for how they've awarded various contracts over the pandemic.

What I fear is that we will see that the struggles the NHS faced used as a basis for changes that won't necessarily have patient care as the primary aim.

[AcousticallyChallenged]

1 hour ago, Blackajah said:

Mostly people who want to WFH / have a quiet retirement at everyone else's expense.  Perhaps they can all club together (one or more of them are in receipt of at least one generous pension) and buy an outer Hebridean island.    They can all move there and pull up the drawbridge.     

Those who can effectively work from home still have the option to. Many companies have seen that bums on seats is not the only way to measure or ensure productivity.