'Funny that you should mention Thatcher, Lee (sez I, looking sidewards to the "coincidence" thread). Yesterday evening, a short discussion with my 18 year-old daughter about what we might watch on TV resulted in the decision to watch "Billy Elliot" rather than "Ocean's 12" (now that's an advantage of having daughters rather than sons :-)).
Apart from the gripping story of a lad from a mining background in County Durham pursuing his dream to become a ballet dancer, I was reminded anew of the desperation of the miners strike of 1984-85 and the brutality of Thatcher's policy towards communities with a multi- generational tradition based on men working in th'pit. (Yes, I know the issues were complex and that Scargill also had his own agenda, but let's not discuss that now.) In retrospect, Thatcher's hard-line towards the miners can be seen as part of her wider policy to dismantle Britain's productive-industrial base and a relocation of the British economy in the area of financial services. Where that led to, the UK has been painfully experiencing since around this time last year. Francis On 5 Okt., 17:20, "[email protected]" <[email protected]> wrote: > Well lets take our fine British empire as an example huh. > > Trains, that Thacher woman privatised them and it has taken ohh what > about 20 years for the service to come relativly good again, although > the price I now pay for the privilege of being squesed into the 8:15 > to London Bridge every weekday morning does seem too much. > > Health service. A few years back now our hospitals were given the > option of becoming NHS Trusts, meaning a reduction in the money they > recive from goverment in return for the more self sefisency and the > chance to run like a business and make their own money. This happend > during the time I was working for one such hospital, moral hit rock > bottom as more and more frontline staff were let go and more and more > middle managment recruited, one of the reasons that I left. > > Post Office, well we can see what state that is in right now. Energy, > likewise(cheating bastards) > > Privatisation I guess may cost the goverement less, and maybe it > actualy makes more money for these 'companies' but history since the > Thatcher era shows us that what this in fact does is makes more money > for the board of directors, and impacts negativly on service. > > Privatisation, umm I wonder if it is any sort of chance that it reads > like privateers? > > On 5 Oct, 11:57, archytas <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > An NHS comes with reds under beds Lee and cleaning services so bad you > > can never get rid of them! A sensible question might be whether the > > private sector ever did anything better than the public sector - this > > seems a bit odd for me to say as I generally loathe Town Halls. Yet > > much 'comparison' has been done against economies run by mad people > > (Sino-Soviet etc.) or ones in which the West has had an imperialist > > hand. CEOs of US companies that would have been nationalised in > > Europe often said they competed against them in the fear of being > > nationalised if they didn't come up to scratch. I doubt many in the > > UK really think our privatisations have done much good - what academic > > evidence there is suggests considerable harm in surprising areas like > > 'education' (piling it uselessly into colleges when the big national > > companies were hands on). Gas and electric prices are now broadly the > > same across the 6 suppliers. There's no sensible argument about any > > of this unless you dig deep - much of that frankly hit by the same > > emoticons as the surface. Doris makes some sense just talking about > > what actually happens - we could do with more of that kind of stuff to > > compare systems. > > > On 5 Oct, 11:05, "[email protected]" <[email protected]> > > wrote: > > > > I'm still finding this really hard to understand. > > > > Why procisly is a health service in which all patients recive free > > > healthcare, free that is at the point of service, considered a bad > > > thing for some? > > > > What are their worries or their fears? > > > > On 5 Oct, 03:14, Doris Ragland <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > I work in the Health insurance for years in US and processed claims in > > > > two > > > > major insurance company's ..major medical..I think this.. as being self > > > > independent in our country > > > > is good and at one point was very good at a period of time here..but > > > > things > > > > changed where the company's you worked for cut out insurance for the > > > > workers..so to carry insurance totally by yourself is a great > > > > expense..here > > > > in America basicly the cost of the doctors went up to be a doctor and > > > > other > > > > medical area's to go for there degree's-the cost went up on medical > > > > supplies-the doctors had to get outrageous insurance just in case of > > > > being > > > > sued and so fourth- when I process claims and investgated the claims it > > > > took > > > > time to find out in detail the cases- that is added in on cost - I > > > > processed > > > > claims which the hospitals would charge five dollars for a > > > > bandaide--there > > > > is unreasonable cost I agree that should be brought into a right balance > > > > --the bandaide is just one example-I thought I would explain this to > > > > you in > > > > a little bit more detail-here in America we are trying to have a plan > > > > that > > > > all may have insurance- somewhat like canda--we tried for the last few > > > > years > > > > pass it..Myself I think everything needs to be put in check and a good > > > > balance..the medical department loses alot anyway when the people can"t > > > > pay > > > > there bills this does not make sense to me..it should not be this way. > > > > Maybe this will give you an ideal what it is like -when the company you > > > > work for would let you carry insurance out with them and had HMO plans > > > > it > > > > would pay 80% of your medical and your could get your medicine for about > > > > five dollars per. > > > > > On Sat, Oct 3, 2009 at 9:48 AM, archytas <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > Gorby has come out recently and said that Thatcher and other right- > > > > > wing flops wanted him to crush German reunification. I tend to find > > > > > the country rather like the fair-minded, well educated and progressive > > > > > Britain I was supposed to be living in. I rather liked my trips to > > > > > the old DDR for that matter - there was even something good amongst > > > > > the lunacy and repression. Even in this civilized country there is > > > > > little real progress towards a real understanding of how we might live > > > > > if we can break the military-consumerist fetish. Private medicine > > > > > would be OK if insurance was a genuine form not based on only taking > > > > > people unlikely to be ill - but we'd still need to restrict white > > > > > collar criminals (doctors etc.) taking rip-off fees. > > > > > > On 3 Oct, 14:31, frantheman <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > And a happy German Unity Day to you too, Gabby! > > > > > > > I am in complete agreement with you on the health care issue. (Well, > > > > > > ok, apart from anything else, I work in the health area :-)) I see > > > > > > us > > > > > > facing difficult times in Germany in this area following the recent > > > > > > election results. The so-called liberals (the junior partner in the > > > > > > next government) are on record as saying they want the whole health > > > > > > system completely privatised. Already the pressure towards a > > > > > > two-class > > > > > > health system is growing. Free market experts talk about us all > > > > > > taking > > > > > > more responsibility for ourselves and the availability of private > > > > > > supplemental insurance. Even on a purely personal area it worries > > > > > > me - > > > > > > as someone middle-aged, with a medical history of treated alcoholism > > > > > > and an artificial hip, the rates I would have to pay for private > > > > > > supplementary insurance are far beyond my means. > > > > > > > The challenge for the united Germany remains the same as it was > > > > > > twenty > > > > > > years ago - to achieve and maintain a just and fair society for all > > > > > > its residents, whether in Duisburg or Dresden. > > > > > > > Francis > > > > > > > On 3 Okt., 14:44, gabbydott <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > > > Let me explain. > > > > > > > > I was born in West-Berlin 7 years after a wall was raised that > > > > > > > protected the East from the fascism of the West. Unfortunately, > > > > > > > West- > > > > > > > Berlin was in the middle of East-Germany. My relatively poor > > > > > > > geography > > > > > > > marks give testimony of this circumstance. Times have changed and > > > > > > > fascism has become a too difficult word to employ. Instead, > > > > > > > becoming > > > > > > > aware of the need to fight for the right idea has become more and > > > > > > > more > > > > > > > important. To have the right on my side has become the essence of > > > > > > > our > > > > > > > democracy. > > > > > > > > Chris and Craig are right to assure each other (on Facebook) that > > > > > > > our > > > > > > > compulsory medical insurance system without a loud and heartfelt > > > > > > > discussion on fines, penalties and death sentence for those who > > > > > > > dream > > > > > > > of dropping out of this system is wimpy and retarded. Welcome > > > > > > > back, > > > > > > > new fascism!- Hide quoted text - > > > > > - Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text - > > > - Show quoted text - --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups ""Minds Eye"" group. 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