Round here there are scores of very elderly people capable of walking 500 metres into town and back to fetch their bread everyday for a year and it’s not exceptional, it’s strictly the norm.
This kind of spurious exceptionalism is journalistic sleight of hand designed to divert the gullible from less savoury stories about the government’s scandalous mismanagement of a crisis over infection control. No more no less.
And it’s not in your gift, Bob, to think of shutting down comment you don’t like. And and although I’ve often risked my own health and well-being in the service of others, your unsolicited hopes for me are acknowledged in the spirit you tended them.
The press coverage may be over the top but this is a good news story at a time when all we hear is death and disruption, it’s nothing to do with diverting attention from the UK government’s failings and to think otherwise is pretty poor IMO.
Big tick from me @Peter_Goble for writing that.
I expect a flood of mauvais comments from the usual quarters but I don’t give flying fuck tbh.
This UK Govt will do anything to divert, deflect and deny the truth in this matter like “clap for Boris” ffs.
Quite so. Who is accounting for the money and where is it going? If being spent in place of the money that the Govt should be spending on the NHS, that is despicable.
Worse than care homes stealing pensioners monies to go out on a binge or stealing charity collection boxes. The UK Govt will stop at nothing to stoop lower than a snake’s belly at the same time telling everyone what wonderful people they (the Govt) are.
Fortunately this isn’t about the UK government or you, it’s about a guy approaching his 100th birthday who simply wanted to say thank you to the NHS, what’s happened since has inspired many others to also raise money for good causes and should be welcomed and applauded.
Hi Tim, very well said in my opinion. The money raised by this man was donated by ordinary people who are grateful to the NHS workers who are all doing the most incredible job whilst putting themselves and their families at terrible risk. This should be celebrated instead of being derided and met with cynicism and unpleasant comments. If this money helps to save the lives of much loved fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers, sons, daughters etc then how wonderful is that.
Peace to you all
Izzy x
Isn’t it the case that “Just Giving” through whom the money is being donated are taking their “cut”
The very point I have been making. It is the responsibility of Govt to properly fund the NHS and PPE which will protect the lives of NHS workers. The Govt give it all the “bunny” but have not been “walking the talk” and 10 years of austerity cutting NHS budgets to the bone is now coming home to roost. But still they insist “nothing to see here folks” “lets clap for Boris”. Its so false and designed to whip up false emotion to deflect from the truth.
As @Peter_Goble said - people are so gullible. Do we really believe that there was a nurse by Doris’ side the whole time he was in ICU?
I have been in ICU a few times in recent years - 3 weeks at least on a single occasion so write with direct experience (not anecdotal) in France and whilst the care was exceptional and I received good attention, I did not have a nurse by my bedside for the whole duration so don’t give me that bullshit Do the NHS really not have modern patient monitoring capability (the French Hospitals do) so that Nurses and Doctors can react swiftly day or night when required and with appropriate priority. Is the NHS really less capable than other 3rd world countries and is this further evidence that austerity has had devastating consequences?
And how are the UK Govt repaying their gratitude to NHS workers? By allowing them to die for want of proper funding at the same time blaming everyone else.
Divert, Deny, Deflect. The pensioner wanted to do an honourable thing but was ambushed by a discredited Govt and over excited press desperate to avoid being denied access to briefings (as happened before under the supervision of the cretin scummings).
So yeah, give it your best shot at dissing what I have written but you know in your hearts that what I, @Peter_Goble and @Mike_Kearney have written is the truth.
And I seem to recollect that Johnson said the same two nurses never left his bedside for 48 hours. That maybe his delirious recollection but it stretches credibility to snapping point. Even if it were humanly possible to stay awake for 48 hours without a break the necessary vigilance could not be sustained over that period and would never be allowed.
Is tosh somewhere akin to utter bollocks @Peter_Goble?
Nothing like the truth to get the usual commentators pouting out of the woodwork spoiling for a fight
Isn’t this just the point? “Aged war hero puts on his uniform and returns to single handedly fight to save our NHS.”
There are hundreds of charities that need money. But there was a special magic about this story that resulted in a totally unexpected outpouring of generosity.
But that might not have happened. Or maybe he could have chosen to walk for another charity. Medecins Sans Frontier could do with more money. Those guys get shot helping sick and injured people in war torn countries.
But God didn’t decide that the British NHS was more worthwhile than any other cause. It was luck and the press scenting a good story they could run with and the new phenomenon of stories going viral on the internet that made it happen.
After WW2 we decided that it was the responsibility of the state to care for its citizens in sickness or hardship and the creation of the welfare state was probably the greatest social advance in the history of civilisation. Support for its services should not depend on chance or charity.
TF for that. I’d be dead if I was in the UK but live to tell the tale thanks to France. The irony is, of curse, that the UK have paid for my treatment (under the S1 system) so there is relevance (and to boot, I enjoy the benefits of an NHS pension - as does @Peter_Goble) so we both write from direct relevant experience, not anecdotal diatribe fed to mislead the masses.
Oh I think currently working in a hospital with a lot of Covid 19 patients and having previously worked shifts on ICU gives me some relevant experience
Where have I said I was in France? This thread became about using privately raised money for the NHS I pointed out your ICU experience in France was irrelevant to the UK
I am not here to harangue those in France I have a strong interest in France I just don’t like to see the UK dissected by those with little recent experience
As is yours but at least I have some relevant recent experience of ICU whether here or in the UK.
If you don’t live in France, why are you so intent on having a go at those who are?