It begins! Calls for NHS lanyards to be removed because of the Nowak killing

[SocialistMammy]

I suppose this knee-jerk over-the-top reaction was inevitable.

There are calls today - including from Kemi Badenoch - for public sector staff, including the NHS! to stop wearing "political" lanyards.

These could be just showing that you're a decent person who opposes genocide, or that your patient is safe with you regardless of your sexuality or gender identity when they are being treated.

And this is all because .. of the murder of Henry Nowak.

So, despite the calls from Nowak's family not to politicise their poor boy's death - that's EXACTLY what the far right are now trying to do. And the NHS has NOTHING to do with that police officer.

Where this is heading looks very ugly - we've got a World Cup starting shortly, and that's going to mean England flags being used to attack minorities. Will footballers have to make statements about diversity being anti white? Probably - it feels like the far right think this is their time now and ANYTHING is up for grabs.

It will be lanyards today, deportations tomorrow. Mark my words.

I'm Jewish and if I was using an NHS hospital and someone was wearing a pro Palestinian lanyard I would not want to tell them I am Jewish. It funny how the accusation of genocide only goes one way with you lefties, never a mention of Oct 7th. Most companies have zero tolerance over political statements they have no place in the workplace.

Well someone’s certainly using that poor young man’s murder for their own political ends 🙄

So Palestinian people might not feel safe in an NHS medical facility in Britain without seeing staff wearing a symbol of their own homeland? Would they feel less safe, in those circumstances, than they feel right now actually in their homeland while it's being randomly bombed and attacked and being reduced to rubble?

agree

surely not....

Our schools are hot beds of all sorts. Especially the religious ones. We are so keen to show how 'right on' we are we let terrrible things be taught in certain schools.

Thinking of that teacher who had to go into hiding after he did something quite minor.

My understanding is that lots of gay people feel threatened by the tq++. "rainbow" lanyards.

This measure is overdue.

Completely agree. I think some people have lost the ability to differentiate between a fact and an opinion they happen to agree with, simply because they heard it on the radio.

They are milking this poor man's death for every agenda they can muster, because what exactly is the connection between political badges and what happened?

But social-political history and understanding in this country is so shockingly poor that this shit easily flies.

Agree.

There was a reason for that old saying that in polite society you should never discuss sex, politics or religion.

These are contentious subjects on which some people hold strong views and everyone has the potential to be upset or offended.

People at work in the public sector should be just doing their job and not making statements through dress or lanyards. It's just standard professional behaviour.

Did you just want to write a post for the sake of it? How can you be upset over literally nothing.

Those working in the public sector shouldn’t be advertising their political/social/virtue signaling stances.

Not sure how the World Cup has anything to do with it either.

Most decent people would oppose genocides - people who care for people will have common ground in being decent human beings - they wear a uniform and I don’t think you need to wear a virtue signalling lanyard or badge to express your opinion. It’s a job - you’re not canvassing..

Nursing uniforms in the 50s/60s/70s were -well, uniform. Let’s go back to that.

From being asked not to wear opinionated badge to deportations - mind the gap with that stretch 😂

One minute you are wearing a lanyard, the next you are attending a Nuremberg rally and at the head of an army marching into Poland.

We must be careful.

Palestinian people live in Britain too.

I detest the wearing of lanyards or other badges showing political allegiances or political statements at work.

It's just inappropriate at work. It can also be virtue signalling - meaningless really.

I don't know why anyone would consider it OK to parade your personal political or religious views at work.

It was politics that gave us the NHS in the first place!

We’ve all done it …

Good. NHS staff should not ever be declaring their allegiances and opinions to their patients, verbally or otherwise.

Completely unprofessional and could be intimidatory for patients with opposite views. NHS care should be equal for all taxpayers.

Yes, it"s yours.

Oh, give over. Staff should keep their political views to themselves. Feeling intimidated works both ways.

There is a power imbalance btwn healthcare staff and patients, as the saying goes ‘it’s your life in their hands,’ and they have an ethical commitment to ‘doing no harm.’ I’d argue It’s harmful if a patient is intimidated by a healthcare worker’s display of their affiliations in the form of badges etc. Plenty of opportunity for them to express themselves outside the workplace.

Yes, its called a hospital with staff acting professionally and within policy.

The problem with any of these badges is that ultimately the saying "one mans freedom fighter is anothers terrorist".

And this applies across the board to all political views. We have a situation where some lesbians and gay men now no longer see even the Pride flag as 'their flag' and being a sign of welcoming because of various issues - and have openly said this. This is because its been highjacked by political activists and no longer means to them what it once did.

The whole thing is a sorry shit show.

People need to get back to doing their jobs professionally and without prejudice. There shouldn't be a need to virtue signal anything - thats political neutrality.

Most of the time I feel it is performative 'slacktivism', you dont actually have to do anything substantive but you get to bask in being one of righteous good guys, better then those people over there.

There is a strong argument to bring back TGI Fridays so all these muppets can work in one place and wear as many badges as they wish.

Bizarre argument!

Sex was what gave us our NHS staff. So it belongs on the ward?