From reader Dorothy Breckenridge:
From the Guardian this morning, live feed 08.34:
BMA leaders Dr Robert Laurenson and Dr Vivek Trivedi said:
Today marks the start of the longest single walkout by doctors in the NHS’s history, but this is still not a record that needs to go into the history books.
We can call this strike off today if the UK Government will simply follow the example of the government in Scotland and drop their nonsensical precondition of not talking whilst strikes are announced and produce an offer which is credible to the doctors they are speaking with.
The pay offer on the table to junior doctors in Scotland and how it was reached throws into sharp relief the obstinate approach being taken by the Prime Minister and the Health Secretary, Steve Barclay.
The Health Secretary has said there can be no talks while strikes are planned – Scotland has proved him wrong. He said above 5% wasn’t realistic – Scotland proved him wrong. He refused to even acknowledge the concept of pay restoration – Scotland proved this is not only possible but essential.
The BMA leaders said talks have to be resumed, adding:
The government’s refusal to talk with junior doctors in England who have strikes planned is out of keeping with all norms of industrial action.
Doctors have a right to expect that as in Scotland, and as in many other recent industrial disputes, talks will continue right up to the last minute to try and reach a deal without the need to strike.
The complete inflexibility we see from the UK government today is baffling, frustrating and ultimately destructive for everyone who wants waiting lists to go down and NHS staffing numbers to go up.
The government has missed chance after chance to provide a credible offer and potentially bring to an end the industrial action by junior doctors in England and whilst there are differences between junior doctors and governments in England and Scotland, the UK government has far more financial freedom to give doctors what they deserve.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2023/jul/13/doctors-strike-nhs-rishi-sunak-pay-uk-politics-live
Chair BMA Scotland, Dr Iain Kennedy was strangely not available for comment. Having tea with Sandesh Gulhane MSP (Con)?
Talking-up Scotland 'Albatraz' 
Nailed the Jockstrap bastards – brilliant post!
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I can’t possibly admit to finding that comment more pleasing than any I’ve ever had.
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Victoria McDonald on Ch4 news on Wed evening was reporting on the docttors’ strike in England and mentioned that doctors in Scotland would not be on strike because they had been offered a decent pay rise. When Ch4 news gives Scotland as an example of how it can be done then you know the Tories are in deep doo-doo
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A BMA spokesperson on Junior Doctors strike was on Radio 4 Today programme this morning. Subjected to the BBC’s faux ‘concerned’ tone about how much harm the strike will do to patients. Where has the BBC been since Tory austerity and neglect of the NHS and its patients began well over a decade ago?
At one point the BMA guy refers to Scotland and to ‘the competence of the Scottish Government’ in negotiating a solution in contrast to the Westminster government.
From the Guardian piece quoted in the blog post above, I note this from the statement from BMA leaders Dr Robert Laurenson and Dr Vivek Trivedi:
‘… whilst there are differences between junior doctors and governments in England and Scotland, the UK government has FAR MORE FINANCIAL FREEDOM to give doctors what they deserve.’ (my emphasis)
Now, welcome as that acknowledgement may be – even tho’ the Chair of BMA Scotland, Dr Iain Kennedy would likely NEVER endorse it in public – it is THE MOST outrageous understatement!
Do these smart people REALLY not understand how the public finances of the nation-state in which they live and operate professionally actually work?
Perhaps they confine their consumption of news and current affairs concerning Scotland and it public finances within the UK to The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Times, The Sun, The Daily Mail, The Daily Express, The Herald, The Scotsman, The Daily Record the BBC, ITV even Channel 4. Perhaps they only listen intently only to Tory, Labour and Lib Dem economic and health spokespersons? Do you think this might explain their misunderstandings?
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Not to mention the potential lives saved by the SG’s pro activity.
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Interesting that they refer to Scottish government but when referring to English government they call it U.K. government , let’s face it , that is nonsense because it’s an English question surely , NHS Englands doctors and their pay rise is an English question and as we were told quite severely by Cameron and his successors it is English votes for English questions so NO it’s not a question for U.K. government if Scottish ministers who are part of U.K. government are excluded.
This is English government that are saying no pay rise talks until strike action is withdrawn.
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The fact is that the U.K. Government IS England’s Government on a number of matters which are devolved to the Northern Irish, Scottish and Welsh administrations, because of the four ‘home’ countries England is the only one that does NOT have a devolved government.
And the ‘British’ media make no attempt to explain to the people of England, the difference between England and U.K.
There is a Freireian argument that the people of England need to be exposed to contientization to make them reflect on their situation and realise that England has been colonised by a landowning class which calls themselves British.
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Imagine if this was Scotland much much worse than the Ferries,
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/jul/12/hs2-chief-executive-resigns-from-delayed-and-scaled-back-rail-project?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
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Indeed Scott. There would be outbreaks of extreme apoplexy – perhaps of the ‘faux’ kind – across the newsrooms of BBC Scotland, The Herald, The Scotsman and many more, with opposition politicians reaching for their thesaurus to find the ‘mot juste’ for maximum negative impact on the public’s perception of the government of the day.
But the media and the opposition do things differently in England! Some ‘cracking’ bits of info tho’ in the Guardian article!
‘HS2 trains are now not expected to run in to Euston until 2041 at the earliest, after initially being scheduled for 2026.’
‘Part of the line between Birmingham, Crewe and Manchester was delayed by two years in the spring – meaning the line to Crewe may not be open until 2036, and it will not reach Manchester until 2043.’
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How many ferries could have been built without paying for HS2 monstrosity.
The islands are the best places to live in Scotland.
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