Current Affairs 2025

[Stephen]

I think Onelife wants to know they’re names so he can send a food parcel

[oldbluefox]

Is he still trying to get rid of his chocolates?

[Onelife]

It was inevitable. I always giggle when it’s reported ‘ a prison source ‘ that means a Con with an Illicit mobile phone. Not sure about getting stitches inprison? In my day,prison Healthcare would not ‘stitch ‘ a wound for the fear of being sued if the stitching left an unsightly scar! They would always go to outside hospital. Laughable I know,it was a pain in the a*se on hospital escorts.

Hi Screwy, will the identity of the two prisoners stay withing prison walls and will there be repercussions for them?

OL. With it Belmarsh being a High Security Prison it has a Secure unit within the Prison itself. There will be CCtv across all wings so it would more than likely be easy to establish who did it.whether they would be named openly? Not too sure, May we’ll be it goes to a prosecution in which case probably. Assault is Assault when alls said and done. If it turned out to be just minor injuries then it’s more likely to go before a Judge within the Prison.As for repercussions? It would depend on what sentence they are serving, only a Judge can awarded added time now,that’s why they are brought in, If they’re lifers then not a lot except a lengthy spell in segregation I suppose.

“Assault is Assault when all said and done” Yes’, I agree towny, even though most would think that he got far less than what he deserved, indeed, I think most would have hoped they’d done a better job on him when considering the horrific injuries he inflicted on his daughter. As for you being an x prison officer it must be difficult, almost impossible not to allow theses horrific crimes not to affect your inner feelings of what constitutes justice. I can however appreciate that the alternative to prison officers turning a blind eye would ultimately result in vigilante reprisals on a regular basis.

[screwy]

Don’t get me wrong OL, it turns my stomach now as it did then to hear of crimes committed to youngsters and Babies and toddlers.It’s only when your in the job that you get the full details,reading the court reports etc, then having to sit down with these people to write various reports. I had the mispleasure of having 5 of the Rochdale 9 on the wing that I worked on, I would have openly taken a gun to them. I was always firm but fair and worked with integrity and would not turn a blind eye,there was no way I would let a prisoner cost me my job and pension.

[Happydays]

Screwy, well said and done!

[david63]

Is anyone else getting fed up with Elon Musk sticking his oar in our politics? He seems to think that as his "mate" Trump has given him some role in a yet to be government that he can start to dictate how the rest of the world operates.

The way he is going he is becoming very dangerous - almost, but not quite, in the same league as Putin.

[david63]

On another point. Why does the current Labour Government believe that if they suggest a plan it will happen?

The latest is hospital waiting lists (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ckgxqnr8yw4o) where they are going to create "diagnostic hubs" in the community. Excellent idea and no problem with that but who is going to operate them? We are short of doctors and nurses already so to move some into these hubs is only going to create a problem elsewhere.

It is time that a proper long term plan for the future of the NHS was drawn up rather than trying to constantly win political points with short term, short sighted solutions.

[oldbluefox]

It needs a complete overhaul starting with management levels.
Meanwhile my niece's daughter who recently qualified as a doctor has signed up to work in New Zealand, along with her friend. I can't say I blame her but what a waste for the NHS.

[david63]

my niece's daughter who recently qualified as a doctor has signed up to work in New Zealand, along with her friend. I can't say I blame her but what a waste for the NHS.

There is a way to deter that type of action and that is for each year that a newly qualified doctor works in the NHS then the NHS pays their student loan and after, say, 10 years the loan is fully paid off. That would mean that the NHS would get 10 years from these doctors and by that time many would be along their career path within the NHS and would stay.

[Mervyn and Trish]

Is anyone else getting fed up with Elon Musk sticking his oar in our politics? He seems to think that as his "mate" Trump has given him some role in a yet to be government that he can start to dictate how the rest of the world operates.

The way he is going he is becoming very dangerous - almost, but not quite, in the same league as Putin.

Yes I agree. He should butt out, as his US mates might say.

[david63]

Not for the first time but I am loosing the plot.

In order to fulfil Labour's NHS problems the plan is to use the private sector.

So the NHS train the staff who then leave the NHS to go and work in the private sector which then gets an NHS contract to provide NHS services at twice the cost of the NHS doing them.

And Labour thought that the Conservatives didn't have a clue!

Boot, foot, other

[towny44]

Not for the first time but I am loosing the plot.

In order to fulfil Labour's NHS problems the plan is to use the private sector.

So the NHS train the staff who then leave the NHS to go and work in the private sector which then gets an NHS contract to provide NHS services at twice the cost of the NHS doing them.

And Labour thought that the Conservatives didn't have a clue!

Boot, foot, other

I suspect they have found that the private sector can do these operations more competitively than the significantly over staffed NHS, or at least I hope that's why they are doing it.

[oldbluefox]

my niece's daughter who recently qualified as a doctor has signed up to work in New Zealand, along with her friend. I can't say I blame her but what a waste for the NHS.

There is a way to deter that type of action and that is for each year that a newly qualified doctor works in the NHS then the NHS pays their student loan and after, say, 10 years the loan is fully paid off. That would mean that the NHS would get 10 years from these doctors and by that time many would be along their career path within the NHS and would stay.

I am in full agreement. Of course the same argument could be applied to Indian/Filipino doctors and nurses who have trained in their own countries and come here to work. Do we pay anything to those countries in reparation? Just asking.
I wonder what happens to her student grant after she has left these shores? Does it follow her or is it just another debt wiped off?

[Onelife]

Is anyone else getting fed up with Elon Musk sticking his oar in our politics? He seems to think that as his "mate" Trump has given him some role in a yet to be government that he can start to dictate how the rest of the world operates.

The way he is going he is becoming very dangerous - almost, but not quite, in the same league as Putin.

I think people like Musk are but a short step away from self-destruct mode. I would imagine his mind struggles to accept what he can’t control and is always searching for a solution for everything. This in an innovative way has steered him to where he is today but applying the same innovation to things you can control, such as other countries politics and policies is the thin line that separates a genius from a fool.

[CaroleF]

So Starmer, who would never, under any circumstances use Private Medicine, he was asked that question, thinks it's ok to use Private Hospitals when the NHS can't cope. He doesn't approve of Private Medicine or Private Schools but he can use them when necessary. Many if not most Private Schools help out with their local schools. Certainly the one I taught in had a link with two local State Schools, some of our staff went to help out with maths and science in those schools as we had specialist staff where they didn't.

[Ray B]

Ruffled a few feathers over the pond as the President elect suggests Canada could become another state.

[oldbluefox]

So Starmer, who would never, under any circumstances use Private Medicine, he was asked that question, thinks it's ok to use Private Hospitals when the NHS can't cope. He doesn't approve of Private Medicine or Private Schools but he can use them when necessary. Many if not most Private Schools help out with their local schools. Certainly the one I taught in had a link with two local State Schools, some of our staff went to help out with maths and science in those schools as we had specialist staff where they didn't.

The private education sector is littered with MPs who feel the state system is plenty good enough for other peoples' children but have their own children educated privately, amongst them Chakrabarti, Blair and Abbott.
If you can afford it I see no problem in sending your child to a private school, after all you have already subscribed to the state sector in your taxes but don't decry it on the one hand but subscribe to it in the other. I have no time for hypocrisy.

[oldbluefox]

Ruffled a few feathers over the pond as the President elect suggests Canada could become another state.

And take over Greenland by military force if necessary? Sounding crazier by the day.

[CaroleF]

Does Trump have a desire to take over the whole world? 'Oh yes I'll take over Greenland and the Panama Canal and while I'm at it I might has well annexe Canada too!' Is he really of sound mind or is he aiming to become the next dictator? He even talks of sending the military in. I understand the Gulf of Mexico is to become the Gulf of America. Can someone just arbitrarily change the name of a place?

[david63]

Does Trump have a desire to take over the whole world?

Together with his acolyte (Musk) - yes

[Ray B]

What with Mad Vlad Putin, loony tunes Trump and the Fat Dictator in North Korea with his new supersonic ballistic missiles, add the unstable leaders in the middle east, the world is going crazy.

[Mervyn and Trish]

Ruffled a few feathers over the pond as the President elect suggests Canada could become another state.

And take over Greenland by military force if necessary? Sounding crazier by the day.

Says it's necessary for US security. So how is that different from Putin invading Ukraine for Russian security?

[oldbluefox]

You never know when the Inuits disguised as polar bears are going to invade.

[Onelife]

Just reading between the lines it would appear that Trump wanting control over Greenland has probably come about by the EU wanting to forge a bilateral agreement with Denmark giving the EU certain rights over Greenland’s vast Mineral deposits.

[Mervyn and Trish]

But why is that any of his business?