And now the truth is emerging
Saw this being discussed on a news commentary programme last night, right before bed: A&E U-turn ‘puts cancer care at risk’.
Background: before the elections in May, the Scottish Executive had plans to close two A&E departments. The SNP promised to reverse those plans if they came to power, and they did, so they have.
Now it emerges (why it wasn’t bleeding obvious is a mystery) that in reversing the decision, money that had been made available for other medical services (cancer care and local casualty centres, i.e. triage) is now in doubt.
Nicola Sturgeon’s response? No, as HEALTH SECRETARY I make the FINAL DECISIONS and I say that all the services should be available. You guys sort how how the fuck you’re going to print the money needed. Because I say so, I’M THE HEALTH SECRETARY.
Neil is embarrassed with my hopelessness
I’ve been a passenger on many a motorcycle in my time, but I’ve never been the one to drive / ride these two-wheeled monsters.
That is not about to change.
Very recently, someone I work with offered to let me have a go on their 50cc Vespa. I’ve always fancied myself as more of a scooter gal than biker, so I was happy to accept.
The only thing I did not screw up at (and I was so convinced I would) was turning the throttle and moving off without losing control or balance. I could go into the whole sordid story, but I shall just say that being short and not very heavy means:
- I had no momentum or leverage to speak of to roll the scooter off its stand to begin with — always a bad sign.
- Turning involves leaning — a slight incline meant an inevitable disaster, but I comfort myself with the fact that I didn’t drop the scooter, I lowered it slowly to the ground.
Stop the presses — uni students smoke pot
Why is this even news? So what if politicians smoked pot when they were younger?
If they tried making their trains run on time and more frequently we might not need to run for them
Now they’ve banned running for trains…
Yup. Health and safety, apparently. So if your once-an-hour train into Glasgow Central is late and your connection leaves in two minutes you aren’t to run and so will be late for work.
(Thank goodness this is no longer an issue for me, I only need to take one bus.)
We, the people, are not responsible for anything
If anyone needs proof that Britons (well, these two at the very least) absolutely expect to accept no responsibility for anything, they just have to read this article — Motorists lose speed camera case:
Idris Francis, of Petersfield, Hants, and Gerard O’Halloran, from London, argued that current rules forced car owners to incriminate themselves.
They said human rights were breached by making a car’s owner name the driver if the vehicle is caught speeding.
…
Judges acknowledged that both men had been faced compulsion to provide information, but threw out their claim that the right to remain silent and the right not to incriminate oneself are “absolute rights”.
Their judgement noted that people “who choose to keep and drive cars” have implicitly “accepted certain responsibilities” under UK law.
…
Mr Francis said after the verdict: “The fight for freedom goes on. We can’t allow the tyrants, who are taking away our rights, to succeed. They have to be stopped.”
OMFG. ‘The fight for freedom’? Do they realise how fucking ludicrous they sound?
You won’t give me a bonus because I went on strike? I’m going on strike!
Maybe it’s because I’m Singaporean*, but Network Rail workers are planning to go on strike AGAIN because they didn’t get their bonuses because of a previous strike.
Yes. Because they went on strike and lost their bonus as a result, THEY ARE GOING ON STRIKE.
“We have been trying to get management to reconsider their position but the bosses have said they will not talk to us,” said Mr Crow.
“Our members have been treated appallingly by Network Rail. What has happened in Scotland means that any group of workers going on strike could lose their bonus.”
Hello? Reality check! They have the right to strike, but a BONUS IS NOT A GIVEN. That’s why it’s called a freakin’ bonus. If your performance is considered unsatisfactory you don’t get a bloody bonus. Network Rail says,
“Those who took strike action in Scotland had a clear understanding at the time that their discretionary bonus would be at risk so it can hardly be surprising that their bonuses were affected.”
These union workers are seriously, completely, totally fucking stupid. They’re being led around by the nose, the RMT is doing them a major disservice by kicking up a huge stink about a situation of their own making.
* It’s not because I’m Singaporean — it’s because, unlike these workers, I (and loads of other people) live in the real world.
Give someone a computer and an Internet connection and they share their idiocy with the world
Judging by the comments on The Scotsman’s article, SNP ministers face losing control of £30 billion budget for Scotland, SNP supporters only support democracy when it supports absolute power for the SNP. It’s very right for a minority government to have to get consensus on everything.
“In the context of a minority administration, Executive capacity to reject parliamentary proposals is clearly undemocratic in practice. These proposals would make parliamentary accountability and control a reality.”
And the commenters are howling that Professor Arthur Midwinter — whose comment I’ve quote above — is a Labour stooge.
(Re: the title — I do, indeed, include myself in the statement. At least I PAY to have my own website.)
Blobs are usually asexual, right?
Freakzoids. The Polish childrens’ rights watchdog wants to investigate the annoying Teletubbies, in case they promote homosexuality. I think they should be more afraid of them promoting gibberish.