Friday, December 28, 2012
Lokpal Bill
A bad year.
On 30 December, 2011, the Trinamool Congress forced the Congress-led UPA to stage a 'retreat' from the Rajya Sabha on the Lokpal Bill voting, which failed to reap any benefit for Mamata, both politically and for improving the state's fiscal situation.
But because of activism, corruption and corrupt practices are catching the attention of people at large and irregularities are being highlighted across the media. The demand for ‘Jan Lokpal Bill’ by the civil society, agitations by Anna Hazare, and revelations by Arvind Kejriwal and his team and other activities have revived the democracy in India. One can now hope for a better future.
Dharam Chand Kher said. “We need a Lokpal Bill that is stronger than the one proposed by Anna Hazare,” he said commenting on his decision to favour the resolution on the Lokpal passed by the People's Assembly. Clarifying his stand on development he explained, “We want development but with adequate rehabilitation. Our people are displaced for projects that are city oriented. We end up losing our land and get negligible compensation. Losing our land is not just a loss of livelihood but a matter of life.” He fiercely advocated an introduction of the Whistle Blowers’ Protection Bill.
IMO: Clearly Delhi have not even solved the 'Delhi killer buses' problem, but they now seem to be even allowing the rowdies to kill and torture on the buses. A decent Lokpal bill would be a start, at least. Mamata has to be partly to blame for the rapes, deaths and torture. With a Lokpal bill at least some action, not window dressing, might have been taken. Dikshit at least seems to have tried on the recent bus scandal.
A bad year.
On 30 December, 2011, the Trinamool Congress forced the Congress-led UPA to stage a 'retreat' from the Rajya Sabha on the Lokpal Bill voting, which failed to reap any benefit for Mamata, both politically and for improving the state's fiscal situation.
But because of activism, corruption and corrupt practices are catching the attention of people at large and irregularities are being highlighted across the media. The demand for ‘Jan Lokpal Bill’ by the civil society, agitations by Anna Hazare, and revelations by Arvind Kejriwal and his team and other activities have revived the democracy in India. One can now hope for a better future.
Dharam Chand Kher said. “We need a Lokpal Bill that is stronger than the one proposed by Anna Hazare,” he said commenting on his decision to favour the resolution on the Lokpal passed by the People's Assembly. Clarifying his stand on development he explained, “We want development but with adequate rehabilitation. Our people are displaced for projects that are city oriented. We end up losing our land and get negligible compensation. Losing our land is not just a loss of livelihood but a matter of life.” He fiercely advocated an introduction of the Whistle Blowers’ Protection Bill.
IMO: Clearly Delhi have not even solved the 'Delhi killer buses' problem, but they now seem to be even allowing the rowdies to kill and torture on the buses. A decent Lokpal bill would be a start, at least. Mamata has to be partly to blame for the rapes, deaths and torture. With a Lokpal bill at least some action, not window dressing, might have been taken. Dikshit at least seems to have tried on the recent bus scandal.
Thursday, December 27, 2012
A 'new Europe' ?
David Cameron's quest to find a new deal for Britain in Europe by clawing back powers from Brussels could cause the European Union to fall apart quickly and inflict immense damage on the single market, Herman Van Rompuy, the president of the European council, has warned.
IMO: There has been the fear of the EU falling apart for over a generation, and with good reason. Van Rompuy's comments could lead to diplomatic success, therefore, for both for Cameron and Van Rompuy - but probably will not. Schäuble said "Without the EU as an amplifier, Britain's influence in the world would be lessened. No European country alone can make its voice heard in today's globalised world," So basically we will be left with ticky tacky countries like UK and Germany. Both of these are likely to stay in the top 10 economies for many years - but India and China are likely to be leaders on the basis of population. What of the USA ? Difficult to say, for only too many reasons.
IMO: There has been the fear of the EU falling apart for over a generation, and with good reason. Van Rompuy's comments could lead to diplomatic success, therefore, for both for Cameron and Van Rompuy - but probably will not. Schäuble said "Without the EU as an amplifier, Britain's influence in the world would be lessened. No European country alone can make its voice heard in today's globalised world," So basically we will be left with ticky tacky countries like UK and Germany. Both of these are likely to stay in the top 10 economies for many years - but India and China are likely to be leaders on the basis of population. What of the USA ? Difficult to say, for only too many reasons.
Sunday, December 23, 2012
Mortality
Paul Staines seemingly quotes Margaret Thatcher on her mortality… " ”You mean simply by being alive I’m annoying the left? … Well I hope to annoy them for a long time to come!” "
Staine's quote has now spread widely amongst other fogies but I am not sure whether there is an original version of that alleged Thatcher comment, or whether it arises from the air.
The fact remains that there are a lot of elderly people in the UK who are not getting the medical support Thatcher is getting, and they should certainly be annoyed about that, since many of them have paid all their lives for it. And in my experience they are unlikely to get simple adequate support in the UK, even if they pay for it.
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Archbishop of Canterbury's warning
Archbishop of Canterbury says "society can’t wait to get old people ‘off our hands’". British society is missing out on a massive contribution the elderly could play because too many people are simply waiting for them to die, the Archbishop of Canterbury has warned.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/9744882/Archbishop-of-Canterbury-society-cant-wait-to-get-old-people-off-our-hands.html
Very true in my opinion. In fact I commented on the Archbishop's clear and strong comments in the UK Daily Telegraph. I have heard stronger comments from practicing UK doctors in Harley Street. I said:
"In my experience both as a paying patient and as an NHS patient, UK medical treatment, at least in London, is abominably bad.
Now this is my present position which may assist some. In the UK I made every effort to get treatment or checkup. Not even a sight by any Doctor - I was bedridden and had x-rays to show why, which no doctor even looked at. Fancy orthopedic surgeons, for example, were either "on holiday" or just did not reply at all. Pretty bad, as you can see. Then my wife got a toothache, and had to attend an NHS dentist - I will not go into the annoying details but when her final "permanent filling" simply fell out, she was simply told she had to have her teeth extracted. I thought "thank goodness those rascals did not see me, they probably would have cut my leg off or simply killed me".. And it was even stated that some NHS dentists buy dangerous X-ray equipment on Ebay for maybe £200 when the proper gear would be at least £4000. And in fact one UK newspaper mentioned that a lot of elderly people die within 6 months of a fracture Very understandable.
Anyway at the moment I am in India (where needless to say you certainly have to look for a good hospital). As my wife's tooth was paining badly I sent her in first to hospital She got excellent treatment by a local endodontist who laughed at the horrid mess the NHS had done, then put her right in three easy sessions, doing root canal treatment etc and retaining her teeth which now look good. Not like the NHS. So I went in to an orthopedic surgeon. 3 hours it took. 5 X-rays, detailed report, lots of medicines for a brief time and most important, long term physiotherapy which I can mainly do myself. Total cost for both : LESS THAN THE 'FREE' NHS - which I have paid for by taxes for many years.
On osteoporosis, I would say it is important for anyone to get an accurate diagnosis from a good doctor as soon as possible. I think I may now manage mainly with physiotherapy and I think good physiotherapy must be important to many others - I was diagnosed with arthritis in addition to the other leg problems, and I think physio seems an excellent idea. My present doctor is happy to do two knee replacements and a hip replacement immediately if need be, but he said to avoid these if possible. Physiotherapy will probably cure the knee arthritis and the hip break seems well healed."
No wonder UK "Doctors" are sometimes referred to as "Shipmans", the name of the criminal mass murdering doctor apparently hanged in his prison cell. In my view the NHS is a very good idea, and is a basic integral part of UK society. But as for politicians - the UK has not had a decent PM (for all his faults) since Sir Anthony Eden. (I never knew Eden but I knew his brother). As for the rest - apart maybe from Wilson - I think the French have a word - crapule - to describe the UK politicians. It is no joke, many current UK MPs should be jailed, and the UK nowadays is sadly not the country that decent people would wish it to be.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/9744882/Archbishop-of-Canterbury-society-cant-wait-to-get-old-people-off-our-hands.html
Very true in my opinion. In fact I commented on the Archbishop's clear and strong comments in the UK Daily Telegraph. I have heard stronger comments from practicing UK doctors in Harley Street. I said:
"In my experience both as a paying patient and as an NHS patient, UK medical treatment, at least in London, is abominably bad.
Now this is my present position which may assist some. In the UK I made every effort to get treatment or checkup. Not even a sight by any Doctor - I was bedridden and had x-rays to show why, which no doctor even looked at. Fancy orthopedic surgeons, for example, were either "on holiday" or just did not reply at all. Pretty bad, as you can see. Then my wife got a toothache, and had to attend an NHS dentist - I will not go into the annoying details but when her final "permanent filling" simply fell out, she was simply told she had to have her teeth extracted. I thought "thank goodness those rascals did not see me, they probably would have cut my leg off or simply killed me".. And it was even stated that some NHS dentists buy dangerous X-ray equipment on Ebay for maybe £200 when the proper gear would be at least £4000. And in fact one UK newspaper mentioned that a lot of elderly people die within 6 months of a fracture Very understandable.
Anyway at the moment I am in India (where needless to say you certainly have to look for a good hospital). As my wife's tooth was paining badly I sent her in first to hospital She got excellent treatment by a local endodontist who laughed at the horrid mess the NHS had done, then put her right in three easy sessions, doing root canal treatment etc and retaining her teeth which now look good. Not like the NHS. So I went in to an orthopedic surgeon. 3 hours it took. 5 X-rays, detailed report, lots of medicines for a brief time and most important, long term physiotherapy which I can mainly do myself. Total cost for both : LESS THAN THE 'FREE' NHS - which I have paid for by taxes for many years.
On osteoporosis, I would say it is important for anyone to get an accurate diagnosis from a good doctor as soon as possible. I think I may now manage mainly with physiotherapy and I think good physiotherapy must be important to many others - I was diagnosed with arthritis in addition to the other leg problems, and I think physio seems an excellent idea. My present doctor is happy to do two knee replacements and a hip replacement immediately if need be, but he said to avoid these if possible. Physiotherapy will probably cure the knee arthritis and the hip break seems well healed."
No wonder UK "Doctors" are sometimes referred to as "Shipmans", the name of the criminal mass murdering doctor apparently hanged in his prison cell. In my view the NHS is a very good idea, and is a basic integral part of UK society. But as for politicians - the UK has not had a decent PM (for all his faults) since Sir Anthony Eden. (I never knew Eden but I knew his brother). As for the rest - apart maybe from Wilson - I think the French have a word - crapule - to describe the UK politicians. It is no joke, many current UK MPs should be jailed, and the UK nowadays is sadly not the country that decent people would wish it to be.
Subscribe to Posts [Atom]
