Extreme Pressure

The Newcastle Sunday Sun front page reported that the police and crime commissioners for Northumbria, Cleveland and Durham police forces are concerned at the high number of police resources being used to prop up the ambulance service.  After reading the article two things struck me; first of all the fact that the ambulance service is not only receiving support from the police, both the red cross and St John Ambulance are providing support too; secondly, the ambulance service Chief Executive, Yvonne Ormston, acknowledged the problem and informed the reporter that the ambulance service had declared and maintained a status of 'extreme pressure'.  Additionally, considerable mileage was made over the handover times at hospitals.  This further demonstrates that the whole health economy is suffering 'extreme pressure'.

What exactly is a status of 'extreme pressure'?  More importantly how does the ambulance service respond to such a status?  I wonder if they bring in additional staff on overtime shifts, use senior staff and others from an operational background to help deliver the service?  I imagine from the way it was reported that it is more of a Corporal Jones 'don't panic' situation.  I acknowledge that it is not easy to respond to growing demand when finances are tight, it is easy to say that the government has provided an extra so many million pounds to help.  Quite simply, Yvonne Ormston cannot sit at home on an evening and knit a few paramedics.  Additional funding needs to be programmed into the system to enable organisations to respond, otherwise all we will hear of is a declaration of 'extreme pressure'.


the fundamental question for all political parties to consider is this:  How do we respond to increasing demand for health and social care services with a growing elderly population?   I don't blame the elderly for living longer, hopefully I will be one of their number soon.  This really is the most important question to be answered as we head towards a general election in May.  Whoever wins they will have to deal with 'extreme pressure'.

Post Referendum Blues

It has been a long while since my last blog.  Many things have changed, I am now living in the North East of England.  Rush has a new friend, an Italian Greyhound puppy called Agnes - aka Mrs Brown - I am not sure how Brendan O'Carroll will feel about this.

The referendum campaign went on for over two years, many referred to it as the neverendum.  As I am sure you can imagine I was very much on the side of the Better Together campaign, hoping that the United kingdom would remain intact.  Fortunately this was the result.  There was some passionate campaigning from both sides.  I have a huge amount of respect for anyone and everyone that engages in political debate, no matter what side they are on.  In particular I greatly respect Alex Salmond and his Deputy Nicola Sturgeon, indeed I had the privilege of working in Ms Sturgeon's department when she was Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing.  In the main I found myself supportive of many of the initiatives in Health policy in Scotland, my only real disagreement with Nicola's position was on independence.  Alistair Darling was a consistent safe pair of hands leading the Better Together campaign, I admire his tenacity throughout the campaign.

Alex Salmond has decided to stand down as party leader and First Minister.  I agree with his assessment that it is for the next generation to take the independence issue forward in due course.  I also agree with commentators that this is not the last we will see of Mr Salmond.  He is a shrewd political operator and has much to offer in the future.  I really enjoy listening to him speak, although I don't always agree with what he is saying, he is one of the best orators I have heard in Scottish politics.  I wish him and his family well for the future.

The final weeks of campaigning brought out Gordon Brown and the three leaders of the main Westminster parties.  There was a worry that things were getting too close and that the Yes campaign might win.  The opinion polls became 'too close to call'.  A timetable was produced for implementing the new powers for Holyrood, which all three parties were signed up to, that in itself is quite an achievement.  The final poll, the poll of all polls took place on 18th September and Scotland voted No.  The political establishment now has to deliver.  I wrote that exact phrase on Twitter on Friday morning and one person responded with the following comment, 'Politicians can't even deliver a pint of milk'.  Well, on this occasion they have to deliver otherwise the people of Scotland will, quite rightly, never forgive Westminster if they feel they have been duped.  Many questions arise on what this means for England, Wales and Northern Ireland.  This is the main point of this blog.

If Scotland is given more powers (it should be given them, on the basis of the promises made in the referendum campaign) what needs to be done to ensure equity in the rest of the UK?  Wales nad Northern Ireland already have an Assembly each.  These assemblies need to be given more powers, to ensure equity with Scotland.  England does not have an equivalent body (except for the London Assembly).  There are some options for England, they all have pros and cons.  I am listing some of them below:

• Create Regional Assemblies in England
• Restrict voting at Westminster on England only matters to English MPs
• Create an English Parliament

Create Regional Assemblies: This will create nine or ten separate bodies all with building, administration and other costs, this in my opinion is clearly not affordable or desirable.  it would cause too much divergence across England and put a much greater financial burden on the taxpayer.

Restrict voting on England only matter to English MPs:  This will be problematic for a number of reasons.  first of all, it would create two classes of Westminster MP, one with full voting rights and another with limited voting rights.  You could argue that they should be paid differently for different rights/responsibilities, I dread to think of the long term consequences.  Secondly, this is not solely about English only matters.  Currently Scotland has more devolved powers than Wales and Northern Ireland, therefore some matters at Westminster only affect England and Wales, do we then only permit English and Welsh MPs to vote, with a similar situation for Northern Ireland.  What happens when there is a vote on a matter that only affects Northern Ireland, is this restricted to Northern Ireland only MPs?  We would end up with a chaotic situation and the party in power might only truly have a majority when debating and voting on reserved matters.

Create an English Parliament:  This will create one additional body in the UK.  It will need to have the same devolved powers as the Scottish Parliament, Welsh and Northern Irish Assemblies.  The most problematic question will be what to call its members we already have MEPs sitting in the European Parlaiment - this is only a minor distraction.  Reserved matters will remain with Westminster, covering defence, foreign affairs, security/intelligence, international development etc.  The number of Westminster MPs could be significantly reduced.  A new English Parliament could be created in another city, say Birmingham, Leeds or Manchester.  A considerable amount of real estate could be sold off in London to fund this, we won't need Whitehall offices for health, education, justice, environment etc.  The scope for releasing capital is huge and it would benefit another city enormously, re-distributing wealth and civil service jobs.

The creation of a federal UK is not something that I ever imagined, however the devolution process we have witnessed since the mid nineties has taken us in this direction.  It really is time to grasp the nettle and take this forward as a matter of urgency.  Acknowledging that a timetable was promised to Scotland, it really does need to be honoured.  The next steps for the rest of the UK need to be addressed urgently, but not rushed through for the sake of it, do it right and do it once!

A new Post

Sorry, its been two months since you last heard from me. I have a poor excuse, I have been busy with other things, hopefully I can build up some momentum over the summer months.

Today, the Coalition government will deliver its 'Emergency Budget', we really are in a financial mess just now and the situation is replicated across Europe. I know that we will all be affected by some of the things announced today. I know the public sector will take a big hit, but not as big as in Ireland where many public sector workers have experienced pay cuts of around 15%. We are all aware of the situation in Greece, Spain and Portugal. I am so pleased that we are not one of the countries using the Euro as I fear the Eurozone may suffer much more than us.

The house is like a hotel just now, with so many comings and goings. It is so nice to see people and that they want to come to Edinburgh. Sorry, this post is rather short, I may get back tomorrow to comment on the Budget.

We got Change!

Well dear people, after a very exciting few days we now have a new government. The last few days have highlighted the best and the worst of our current political system. I must first of all pay tribute to the negotiators for both the Conservatives and the Lib Dems who have worked so hard to arrive at the situation we now have. This change has the potential to reshape the British political landscape forever.

Five days seemed like an eternity, however it was better to get it right in a timely manner, as they say 'fools rush in where angels fear to tread'. Monday was a particularly difficult day with Messrs Mandelson and Campbell trying to scupper thigs by encouraging Gordon Brown to resign, hoping that would instigate a Lib - Lab pact. Clinging on to power at any cost was not what Britain needed and thank goodness it is not what we got. Gordon Brown, in his resignation speech, came across more statesman like than at any other time I heard him speak. Perhaps as the pressure was lifted he was more able to relax and be himself.

The next 48 hours should be time enough for us to see who will fill the Cabinet and ministerial ranks. I was delighted to hear the announcement of Osborne as Chancellor and Hague as Foreign Secretary, filling two of the three great offices of state within minutes of taking office should assure the City that things are under control.

I look forward, with great interest, to the next few days. I will hopefully update you with my views as things develop.

Election Fever

Now dear reader, we are in the final two days before the inhabitants of this sceptred isle chooses it political leaders for the next parliamentary term (however long that term will be is anyone's guess). During the last three weeks I have spent much of my spare time poiunding the streets of Edinburgh delivering leaflets, talking on the doorstep and attended many hustings. One thing I do know is that the public has an appetite for change. The opinion polls have spent much of the time predicting a hung parliament. As the day gets nearr we are seeing the polls starting to predict the possibility of an overall winner.

I firmly believe that we need an outcome that gives a political party a strong mandate to deal with the situation this country is in. I am convinced that a hung parliament is bad for Britain, particularly at this time. We need a decisive team running the country and we need a fresh team. The current administration is tired and has run out of ideas. The only recommendation I can give to anyone in these last days is this, 'Go out and vote on Thursday 6th May!'

Thank you dear reader, and please do vote. Hopefully, I will get back to you on Friday when we can discuss the result.

Deluded Nationalist Parties

Well dear people two posts in two days. There is nothing like a general election campaign to light my fire.

I listened to a Welsh man earlier today, Ieuan Wyn Jones, the Leader of Plaid Cymru telling Radio 4 that if his party can get sufficient MPs elected, with the SNP they will hold the balance of power in Westminster and negotiate on a vote by vote basis with the majority to get more money out of Westminster for Wales and Scotland respectively.

Now, I thought to myself, we have one of the worst financial situations ever, money is short and we can expect cuts everywhere. This leads me to believe that both party leaders are seriously deluded if they really do see any truth in these statements. I cannot imagine either Gordon Brown or David Cameron agreeing to one single extra penny leaving Westminster for Scotland or Wales in the next five years.

Now, I am not saying that MPs from these parties will not be best to represent the interests of their respective countries and constituents but they certainly will not extract more money from Westminster. I say put this issue aside and look at the real issues affecting not just Scotland and Wales but the whole of Great Britain.

I hope a SNP parliamentary candidate knocks on my door to pour forth this theory, I will certainly enjoy the debate.

When I lived in Newcastle we used the expression 'I will show my backside in Fenwicks window if that happens' (Fenwick Ltd is Newcastle's equivalent to Jenners). Perhaps I need to ask the question, What time does Jenners open on 7th May? (Just in case I have got it all wrong).

Till the next time dear reader.

Vote for Change!

The Westminster Election cometh!

I have not blogged for an eternity, have been so busy living life to the full.

I found this wonderful quote from Lord Macaulay on a friend's facebook page:

There is not, and there never was on this earth, a work of human policy so well deserving of examination as the Roman Catholic Church. The history of that Church joins together the two great ages of human civilisation. No other institution is left standing which carries the mind back to the times when the smoke of sacrifice rose from the Pantheon, and when camelopards and tigers bounded in the Flavian amphitheatre. The proudest royal houses are but of yesterday, when compared with the line of the Supreme Pontiffs. That line we trace back in an unbroken series, from the Pope who crowned Napoleon in the nineteenth century to the Pope who crowned Pepin in the eighth; and far beyond the time of Pepin the august dynasty extends, till it is lost in the twilight of fable. The republic of Venice came next in antiquity. But the republic of Venice was modern when compared with the Papacy; and the republic of Venice is gone, and the Papacy remains. The Papacy remains, not in decay, not a mere antique, but full of life and youthful vigour. The Catholic Church is still sending forth to the farthest ends of the world missionaries as zealous as those who landed in Kent with Augustine, and still confronting hostile kings with the same spirit with which she confronted Attila. The number of her children is greater than in any former age. Her acquisitions in the New World have more than compensated for what she has lost in the Old. Her spiritual ascendancy extends over the vast countries which lie between the plains of the Missouri and Cape Horn, countries which a century hence, may not improbably contain a population as large as that which now inhabits Europe. Nor do we see any sign which indicates that the term of her long dominion is approaching. She saw the commencement of all the governments and of all the ecclesiastical establishments that now exist in the world; and we feel no assurance that she is not destined to see the end of them all. She was great and respected before the Saxon had set foot on Britain, before the Frank had passed the Rhine, when Grecian eloquence still flourished at Antioch, when idols were still worshipped in the temple of Mecca. And she may still exist in undiminished vigour when some traveller from New Zealand shall, in the midst of a vast solitude, take his stand on a broken arch of London Bridge to sketch the ruins of St. Paul’s.
-Lord Macaulay

Now, given the current problems affecting the Holy Roman Church today in relation to child abuse and how badly it has been handled globally, one wonders how close we are to witnessing a traveller from New Zealand taking his stand on a broken arch of London Bridge to sketch the ruins of St. Paul's. One thing which I do know is that if the residents of the United Kingdom remain apathetic towards politics we will get closer to such a ruinous situation. I do not intend to tell anyone how they should vote. In this blog you may arrive at a fairly certain conclusion of my voting intentions, however all I will say to you dear readers is 'Go out and vote'.

From now until May 6th we will hear soundbites, read propaganda from all of the political parties and be inundated with information from every form of media imaginable. Five years ago we were not blogging, facebooking or using twitter. This is the first UK election in history that has such a vast array of media available to communicate with the electorate. Another first is the live television debates between the leaders of the three main UK parties.

I have lived in Scotland for less than two years and I now realise how the political parties in Westminster are so centred on English issues, they appear to forget that Health, Justice, Education and many other important parts of their brief are now exclusive to England, having devolved these responsibilities from Westminster to the Scottish Parliament, Welsh Assembly and Northern Ireland Assembly. I now realise that during this election campaign Scots, Welsh and Northern Irish residents are simply not interested in what Westminster politicians have to say on these matters.

A note to the political party leaders, think very carefully about what you have to offer the residents of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. I know in depth what the current administration is doing about education, health and justice. Give us a message that informs us what your party is offering those not resident in England.

We must also remember that the right to vote is privlege which was fought for and cost some their lives, particularly women who were first given the right to vote in 1918.

I would like to see a change of administration in this election, we have seen many changes since LAbour came to power in 1997, some good, some not so good and some extremely bad. Today, the Leader of the Labour party promised a referendum on reform of the House of Lords and on voting reforms (including a fixed term parliament). Leaders of political parties only propose reform on voting if the current system appears to threaten them. First past the post has been the status quo in Westminster and is always pushed to the bottom of the list of reforms when a party has a decent working majority. Last time around Labour promised a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty, that promise was not fulfilled.

Now kind reader, I rest my case for today and leave you with one thought - 'please go out and vote on May 6th'.