Current Affairs 2023

[towny44]

His knighthood is long overdue especially when you consider the individuals who have got one for doing the job they love and being handsomely rewarded for it.

Apparently there is a period of time that has to elapse after any award, before you can receive another, and he was awarded his OBE only last year.

[paultheagle]

So can we expect to see Sir Kevin Sinfield in the no to distant future?

[Stephen]

It's about time he was recognised although I'm sure Rob would play it down, and although be grateful it's not what he is doing it for.

[Ray B]

As hospitals gradually rot, Government are looking into the problem of rebuilds and money. It sometimes seems to joe public that not much urgency is being put into the projects as year after year passes.
One hospital in our area, The Queen Elizabeth in Kings Lynn has it's roof being held up by 2500 props, may be more by now, and is waiting a government decision on a rebuild, the announcement which keeps being pushed back. All the time the costs keep increasing.
Promises, promises.?????

[paultheagle]

What was it that Johnson promised, 40 new hospitals in this parliament. I think they've built three and two if them were being built at the time he said it.

[Stephen]

Your no alone Ray.

Our local Victorian community hospital is a disgrace and just about being held together. It must be like pouring money down a drain.

[barney]

North Devon hospital was promised substantial money.
Promised.
Nothing has actually happened.
Maybe next year

[Ray B]

New update on the number of props holding up the roof at the Q. E. Hospital. The new count reported this morning is 4394 props.
It is reported the government is looking into modular, quick assembly building methods when they finally give the promise of new hospitals the go ahead.
The sustainability of these methods should be fully ascertained, should they be the the preferred building method, to try and eliminate more problems that may be incurred futher down the line. As an example, a lot of hospitals awaiting to be rebuilt, Q. E. Hospital being one of them, were built using concrete that has now been proved was not up to the job. The roof planks were made from reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete’ (RAAC). The planks had a life of 30 years but if they break down there is no quick fix.
30 years is not long for a hospital, the ones effected built as 'best buy' have been open for about 40 years.

[Ray B]

Your no alone Ray.

Our local Victorian community hospital is a disgrace and just about being held together. It must be like pouring money down a drain.

Stephen, Yours is a Victorian hospital,constucted in the days when things were built to last. I think you have had value for money compared to the 40 years of the Q. E. Hospital.
There does come a time when a building is now not fit for purpose, and it may now be time for your hospital to go.

[Stephen]

It hasn't been fit for purpose for years Ray. It must cost a fortune to keep it running. There have been plenty of rumours over the years about building a new one but it never happens.

[CaroleF]

I think this new idea of Pharmacists being able to do some prescribing and lifting the load from GPs is just tinkering at the edges. Until all the political parties sit down together and come up with a plan for a new type of NHS things aren't going to improve. I can just see the future headlines when some diagnosis is missed because a Pharmacist mis-diagnosed. They are not doctors. And as for this scatterbrained idea of cutting down the training for doctors, that's just asking for trouble.

[oldbluefox]

Our public services, and in particular our health service have been tinkered around with for years without ever giving them the funding they need. The only way as I see it is to increase taxation to properly reward those who work there and ensure they have the buildings and equipment they need.

In Cumbria we suffered from the backlash of the PFI initiative. Tony Blair came up and opened a spanking brand new wing to Carlisle hospital, which I must admit is very nice. Unfortunately it burdened us with 30 years of paying back and starving its sister hospital in Whitehaven of funding. It literally brought two hospitals to their knees.

I must say we do now have a beautiful new cancer treatment suite, newly opened. My treatment was in a back room to the old hospital but we still have to export those who have heart problems over to Newcastle for their operations. The current coronary care premises are in portacabins which are very cosy but the hospital is not able to carry out major heart surgery.

There is a problem in recruitment and retention of doctors because we do not have up to the minute equipment, something I find very frustrating since we are denied many procedures because of the lack of the tools they need. When we talk about 'levelling up' it seems it is the north east where the funding goes. You should not need to travel 100 miles to have your operations.

[oldbluefox]

All of our community hospitals have been closed down.............and now we have a problem with bed blocking!!!!

[Ray B]

Here in Norwich we managed to keep our city center walk in center after a major outcry when the powers that be wanted to close it down. Power to the people.

[david63]

Despite what I think about Harry and Meghan yesterday's episode is totally unacceptable.

[barney]

Despite what I think about Harry and Meghan yesterday's episode is totally unacceptable.

Didn’t they decide to move to the USA for privacy?

[Stephen]

From what I heard on the news today it’s all been hyped up.

Harry and Meghan: What we know so far about the New York paparazzi incident https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-65624824

[Ray B]

Thank you David, one life has been quiet for some days. Will he be giving an inside account of what really happened.

[Mervyn and Trish]

From an account I read the only car driving recklessly was the one carrying H&M. Have they learned nothing? You can only have a high speed chase if the car pursued decides to drive fast.

[barney]

The pap are legal in America.
Surely they knew that before they moved there.
She’s American for goodness sake.
Sedate, boring little England probably looks quite attractive at the moment.

[Mervyn and Trish]

Surely the way to deal with the Paps is to politely sit in the car and say "there you go, take your pics and now please let us go on our way". After they've taken their pics they're going to get bored sooner or later. Just sit it out. Certainly better than thinking you can shake them off in a car chase.

There is another way of course. Live a quiet boring family life and don't do anything that is likely to cause media interest, like giving media interviews, filming a TV series or writing books slagging off you family. Oddly I've never been bothered by the Paps.

[Stephen]

They never bother me.

[Mervyn and Trish]

Maybe you should write a book about how nasty your family are and move to America for a quiet life.

[Ray B]

For many years Sea Palling like a lot of other resorts held a blue flag award for water quality, unfortunately, us and some other resorts have this year lost the blue flag as sea quality did not meet the required cleanliness due to pollution by water companies.
Pallings water has been contaminated by discharges many miles away from us, we do not have outflows anywhere near us.
Now we find that to address the problem the water companies will have to spend billions of pounds upgrading their infrastructure.
Just to kick you even harder it will be us that will foot the bill with increase to water charges.
One thing that will not change is the dividends paid to the share holders.
It's time utilities were put forward for nationalization, bring them back into public ownership.

[Mervyn and Trish]

I agree Ray. I'm not a fan of nationalisation in general but some basic things, like water, should not be a source of profit for shareholders.