I am often baffled by events in America, often angered beyond my ability other than to shake my head sadly, unable to say anything. Today was one such, when I read that a court in Alabama, ruled that it is illegal to carry out IVF treatment because the embryo is considered to a viable child! Aside from the lack of understanding of basic biology, the stupidity of this ruling is beyond belief. Wendy says it because they are restricting women/couples to only having children by “natural” means? It is bad enough they have overturned the abortion laws. The damage done by the big orange baboon and his relentless campaigning to role back any laws that might upset the righteous religious fringe. Further evidence that a supposedly civilised democratic country is going backwards. Now admittedly this is just one state but we have seen before that once one state rules others often follow.  

Appro pro of nothing I have just read that Italy is second to the US in gun shootings! Ironically, unlike America, that have very strict gun laws. There are a number of other countries I would have put ahead of the Italians for this, not least a number of South American countries but there you go!

As Trump continues his ceaseless campaign to regain the Presidency, you wonder how he still manages to hold a significant percentage of the population in his thrall? He is not a Republican and yet the party is scared of his power and of losing their own. A number of commentators from that side of the pond have said they don’t think he will win. The legal cases against him and the loss of belief by people who previously thought he was God, will ultimately damage his prospects, we can only hope this is true because he is the single most dangerous man in the World and another four years of him would do untold damage to an already fragile and volatile planet!

So Navalny has finally lost his fight with life and there can be no doubt that under Putin’s dictatorship his number was always going to be up. Putin will not tolerate any form of opposition and like so many leaders of his ilk, he eliminates them permanently by any means although his favourite is poison. Lets us be clear, if Putin succeeds to win in the Ukraine, do not think for a single moment he will stop his aggression and not try to invade another east European country, say Poland? This is why the “west” must give as much aid as possible to help Ukraine stop him.

On that cheery note!

Stay well

Which ever side of the vote you were on, I think we can all agree that Brexit has been a fucking disaster. Lies, deceit and utter bullshit, not to mention the totally misunderstood idea of “sovereignty “ has lead our country to become a backwater economy! Every time I read about the difficulties British business has with the EU, our biggest market, it emphasises what a terrible mistake it was!They are told to find “other” markets, as if it is the easiest thing to do, no further proof is needed than witnessing the  pathetic one sided “trade” deals, the government has negotiated. 

Now in what appears to be an election year, the Conservatives are suddenly appearing everywhere trumpeting all the things they are going to do, to improve all the things they have mishandled in 14 years! It would be an understatement to say that I am no fan of the Conservative Party and whilst I would not necessarily endorse Labour, surely anyone observing the utter disaster that have perpetrated on us, would ever vote for them again?

I saw a brief clip of Michael Gove on the BBC, yesterday, he apparently is responsible for housing? Looking like a smoother version of the child catcher from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, he asserted we must build more and bring older housing stock up to standard plus using our empty office space to convert into residential accomodation WTF, 14 years of underinvestment, prevarication, indecision and total ineptitude and now because we want you to vote for us…………………

If you care even a little for the state of our country, then we must, must vote this lot out of office in a massive landslide for the opposition, they may struggle to make things better but they could not do any worse!

Stay well 

So the King has cancer, I bet there was no waiting for him to get treatment! Don’t get me wrong he needs care and of course he should get it, I hope he fully recovers. Over 24 years ago the NHS saved my life, I had Leukaemia, a rare form called Hairycell, fortunately they knew it could be treated with Chemo and there was a 50/50 chance of being successful. It was. Leukaemia of itself won’t necessarily kill you but your immune system is so weak that any kind of infection or bug will. I was so pumped full of anti-biotic , that there were times when I believed I was back in the sixties! 

The NHS, a shining example of “free at the point of delivery” care system, that the world envied. What the hell happened to it?  It should have gone from strength to strength but instead the reverse has happened as years of underinvestment and poor management has undermined it’s very purpose and has not evolved to cope with an ever changing population. We all know it is in desperate need of reform, radical reform. Top heavy management, a poor buying policy, Brexit, an unreasonable reliance on targets, the pandemic, has brought it to its knees. The last 14 years of underinvestment in all social care by a Tory government that has been riven with internal in fighting that has lead it to react more to its own members than what is needed for it’s citizens, has caused much of the NHS to crumble. It is not solely down to money, we too are responsible for its decline placing ever more burdens on an already overworked system.

Judging by the plethora of motobility scooters whizzing around Kettering, you would think that there is an epidemic of people who for one reason or another have such poor health they are unable to exist without a four wheeled battery driven vehicle? 

The NHS is doing its best and I am sure the staff care deeply about looking after those in their patients. You will remember we were encouraged to clap for them during Covid, how poorly they have been treated after their dedication to that unprecedented virus!

In order for our health system to be  “fit for purpose” it needs to be looked at with a hyper critical eye. Perhaps a return to only being responsible for the core tenants of health care is required and to cut away the more superficial elements which drain funding from its main purpose? Whatever is required, there is no doubt it is an unenviable task which will be akin to turning round a very very long supertanker!

Stay well