I don’t know about you but I think taking the RCN to court was despicable. First strikes since its foundation in 1916 and the Tories take them to court over one day. So much for clapping on doorsteps for them as the Prime Minister partied in Downing street and Tory pals made millions on useless PPE. At least now nurses know exactly how much they are valued.
I hope the junior doctors are made of sterner stuff and don’t cave in like Unison did.
It’s not a good luck for the government, being so adamant about not talking until they reduce their demands is not understanding, or refusing to comply with, what negotiation means.
I do think that the RCN should have been more careful about choosing their strike days and avoid wasting their funds in legal fees.
Steve Barclay is being looked at for ‘bullying’ staff and the court action could be seen as such, it’s just another example of government mismanagement.
Lets not forget the torries will do their upmost to weaken the NHS and frighten people into selective private care run by their rich buddies
And bloody minded nastiness IMO Tim.
I agree entirely with that, what an awful thing to do over just one day, but the RCN leaders must be criticised for the the total stupidity in not recognising that the 2nd day would be illegal.
If I was a nurse I would of course not be striking on Tuesday, but I would not be there either I think. And I am one who thinks that such people should not strike in the first place. If it has turned a distant observer’s mind like mine, I wonder how many nurses will feel the same outrage.
I agree David, the result in court on the second day was always going to be bad. I too would prefer if frontline medical staff didn’t have to strike, but they’ve in effect been blackmailed using their commitment to their profession. Hunt ran the NHS into the ground and screwed over the junior doctors. I think @Corona is correct, the Tories won’t be content until the NHS is more private than public.
I really fear for my family in the UK now. Can’t get a dentist, can’t get to see a doctor in person for weeks and any specialist stuff is impossible. Two year wait for cataracts and other small proceedures. Not just the medical side of things either but places like the DVLC taking years to process paperwork and refusing to work in offices. Am grateful to be here even if we do have many problems, they seem to get worked out quicker and better.
No delay in processing things that bring money in though.
My sister works for York city council ,she cannot return to the office because York sold the building and bought a building to small for the number of staff. Definetly not refusing to return to the office.
Crikey… what a way to run a country! 
The RCN represents a profession made up largely of women.
Nuff said.
Not sure that’s very complimentary Karen, given the total incompetence of the leadership in calling an illegal strike. The only excuse I can find is that they have never done it before, but even so, a little investigation would have been sensible.
I didn’t interpret what Karen said as being derogatory to women, but rather that professions, especially ones where there’s an idea of ‘vocation’, exercised mainly by women tend to be devalued by government and have their grievances when it comes to salary and conditions taken lightly or ignored.
Neither did I, which is why I said ‘not sure’, but I am also not sure about your theory either. What about the doctors? I don’t know what the ratio of female to male is in that profession but I don’t think it could be characterised as being ‘largely of women’.
Perhaps I am a little sensitive these days about pigeon holing people according to gender, being seemingly surrounded by females for most of my homelife now and I know that they don’t conform to typical female behaviour as opposed to mine. I seem to spend quite a lot of time putting toilet seats and covers down after they leave. I don’t mind but it does seem a little odd when one of the most repeated jokes about men is that they don’t, to the amusement and otherwise of the female gender. 
In 2021, out of the 354 thousand registered doctors in the United Kingdom, 186 thousand were men and 168 thousand women . Furthermore, there was a pronounced gender gap among specialist doctors in the UK with 67 thousand men for just under 40 thousand women qualified on the specialist register.
Copy paste from internet
Do they tip things down the loo? That might be why. I mean I’d have thought most women if having a pee would prefer loo-seat to cold china.
nb I didn’t say most drs are women or even most HPs are. But I think they are a majority in nursing just as I think they are probably a majority in teaching at least up to the end of secondary education. And the rest of what I said seems to me to apply.
I don’t think that’s surprising because of the old biological clock. Men can just motor through their specialist training but women are more likely to take a break to have/nurture children, which pushes the whole process out and may discourage them from completing. IMO there needs to be more help for women in pursuing their medical careers so that they can achieve their full potential, should they wish to do so.
Plus of course, the medical profession in the UK and Ireland (I don’t know about elsewhere) has a horrid history of misogyny, especially at consultant level.
