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The saying goes, ask a stupid question, get a stupid answer. This week the new socialist Government has done just that. It asked a very stupid question.
A chap called Wes Streeting is considered by most as one of the few people in the leadership of Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour administration with any talent. He is the Health Secretary and is thus responsible for the socialised behemoth that is that National Health Service. It is reckoned that next year $250bn will be spent on it, about 12% of the UK national budget. The problem is that despite these eye watering sums, productivity has collapsed and health outcomes are just not improving.
So enter Streeting and his new plan. He tells us that he knows precisely what he wants to do, after all everybody except perhaps Rip Van Winkle has been well aware that the Labour Party was going to win this year’s general election. Labour, and Streeting have had all the time in the world to prepare a plan, and with the huge majority in the House of Commons, implement that plan.
So he stands there and announces that the Government, i.e. him, knows exactly what was going to happen, they had a plan. Then he asked a stupid question.
He opened the floodgates of the absurd. He opened a public consultation, so that we the public could, in the Prime Minister’s words, put our fingerprints on the NHS. And we did, great sticky jelly covered fingerprints.
We had what can only be called a Boaty McBoatface moment.
A few years ago the British Antarctic Survey wanted to get public support for a new Survey Ship. They too launched a public consultation. The previous ship HMS Endurance was to be replaced and the new ship was as yet unnamed. Some DJ suggested the name Boaty McBoatface, which of course, won the public vote, garnering a full 33% of the public vote.
The Antarctic Survey got a serious case of sniffiness, and announced that the ship would instead be called the RSS Sir David Attenborough. (they did name one of the remote control submersibles Boaty McBoatface to honour the vote).
Essentially give the British public the opportunity to rip the po faced authorities a public hole, and they will.
The offer was made, within hours the suggestion board was swimming with what can only be described as helpful suggestions.
“Replace ambulance sirens with healthy eating advice” said one. “Replace ambulance sirens with the Muslim call to prayer” said another. The sound of a siren is harsh while the call to prayer is melodious and would help with acclimatising the public to Islam.
One suggested that Nurses should be forced to have a maximum BMI (Body Mass Index) to show an example, was responded to, “The suggestion for a maximum BMI is ridiculous, we need a return to tradition to when the NHS actually worked, to when nurses were big. Nurses should not be scrawny and underfed, they should be large, bountiful and matronly… Skinny nurses suggest low wages. Heavy set voluptuous nurses suggest high wages, or at least a decent canteen.”
Others suggest we sell Northern Island to pay for the service, or turn Buckingham Palace into a hospital. One suggested that we replace the NHS with their pet dog, and yet another suggested that the NHS should provide intimacy training for incels, thus reducing depression and stopping right wing terrorism.
Finally, firing the Health Secretary from a cannon to raise money - Streeting personally rejected this idea.
The point to all this is of course that a party that has been in a position to get ready for Government clearly isn’t. It says it knows what it is doing but when in a position to act on its political instincts it reverts to crowdsourcing ideas.
The problem is with a Government already so bereft of ideas and plummeting in the polls, they asked the English people what they wanted, and what they want to do is to rip the piss out of them.
A final and rather planitive example.
“Delete the NHS “Ideas for Change” website; it is radicalising people against universal suffrage” To which somebody has responded, “I trusted the public until I read this website, now I think democracy is a mistake”.
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Given the responses by the public I think it gives a pretty good idea of the thinking, the public is taking the mickey out of the idea. Don't you get it? A sense of humour has gone out of the window it seems. The Brits always take the mickey because when you ask a stupid question you get stupid answers. We know the govt doesn't give a damn about what we think and that's why people give daft answers. We know it's not a serious or genuine attempt to get our engagement.