After seeing his latest allegedly improved offer to hospital doctors turned down, Jeremy Hunt (the former Culture Secretary) decided today to raise the stakes in the Government’s stand-off with the BMA by imposing a new contract on doctors, whether they like it or not. This has not gone down well: as the BBC has reported, “The British Medical Association said it was ‘considering all options’ as the dispute threatens to escalate further”.
More grown-up debate from Captain Bellend
In this kind of situation, the last thing that is needed is for someone on the Government side to start declaring victory and slagging off the doctors and their Union. So along has come the loathsome Toby Young to, er, slag off the doctors and their Union, while declaring victory. Sadly, the standard of research performed in so acting would not have exactly earned Tobes top marks at his West London Free School.
The level of triumphalism and sheer idiocy on display was more than enough to satisfy the whole range of Tobes watchers: from the outset, his lack of tolerance of those who opposed Hunt’s stance was clear to see. “Well done @Jeremy_Hunt for not giving in to a militant, intransigent trade union. We cannot allow the NHS to be held hostage by the BMA”, he sneered. And there was more. Sadly, rather a lot more.
“List of the NHS chief execs backing @Jeremy_Hunt. Let's hope the #BMA sees sense on this” he declared, except that his list was not those backing Hunt, but the position set out in David Dalton’s letter to him. So when Faisal Islam of Sky News told “Now @Jeremy_Hunt live on Sky News blaming @TheBMA ‘contracts have support of 20 chief executives, as being fair and reasonable’”, this was only the beginning.
Islam soon returned to Twitter with less good news for Hunt and Tobes: “Junior Docs -another 2 hospital chief execs out of 20 who signed Dalton letter, now say don't back Hunt contract imposition”. That made three in all. And it got worse: “Royal Free confirms chief exec David Sloman (Hunt letter signatory) replied to Doc's letter ‘I do not support contract imposition’ - so 4/20”. Tobes research fail twice over. Oh dear!
But on went Young’s dirge: “My sister’s an NHS nurse. I hope Mark Porter’s right and the government will offer her a 13.5% pay rise as well”. Real Ron Hopeful stuff. You do know, Tobes, what a shower Hunt is? Your sister probably will soon enough. Next was “A handy guide to BMA activists”, those whose views could be safely discarded as they had expressed support for parties of which Tobes does not approve.
Then came the pièce de résistance, as he blathered “If you’re going to bring in the historical record, the BMA originally opposed the creation of the NHS”. SO DID THE 1940S TORY PARTY. So what? If Tobes is arguing that the 2016 Tory Party is not the same as the one that fought Nye Bevan tooth and nail over creating the NHS, he’s got no chance arguing the other way about for the BMA.
Fortunately, someone else does the teaching at his Free School. What a clown.
Tim, Young is clearly a piece of shit, but he's a totally insignificant piece of shit who would dearly like to be a piece of shit of some consequence. Why help him out in this?
ReplyDeleteConcentrate on the toxic hunts who have some power,like Jeremy.
Well, OF COURSE 20 NHS Trust CEOs supported Hunt. That's what they were appointed for. Most trust members are placemen and women for the same reason: to help in dismantling the NHS.
ReplyDeleteThe doctors can win this with a bit more organisation and determination - refuse to sign the contract, organise and work the system the way you think it should be organised and worked, turn up for work accordingly, and ignore Hunt and his mouthpieces. That way that piece of detritus can be shovelled into the dustbin of history, which is where he belongs.
Just as important: identify and name the Whitehall civil servants who are enabling this latest attack and debstabilisation of the principle of a NHS. They are even more culpable.
Ultimately of course the culprits are the far right tories, New Labour and LibDems who have helped precipitate this. All of them are the sickening product of the most corrupt and immoral era since Victorian times.
But history will catch up with all of them sooner or later. It always does.
Of course what softshite Young fails to understand is that the BMA eventually voted FOR the NHS.
ReplyDeleteBut the tories never did. And never will.
As Robin Day once said.
ReplyDeleteMr Hunt you are a here,and dare I say, gone tomorrow politician.
I hope tomorrow arrives soon.
Maybe Tones should turn over to somebody whose actually attained some level of achievement (beyond blagging his way into university on an administrative error, and gaining the patronage of a series of sinister interests as their reality-challenged trainee pro-vice-deputy idiot-in-cheif) and insight (somebody who works in the NHS perhaps, preferably on the front line and/or some recent experience of the NHS' work and not some overpaid and over celebrated suited and booted C-suits ensconced in a golf club with their fellow glove puppets.) How about Tobes' own beloved Sister? I hear she's a nurse and thus instantly worth 1000 Tobeses.
ReplyDeleteThanks, that is good post!
ReplyDelete