Westminstenders: Frozen

[RedToothBrush]

Boris Johnson was empty chaired by C4 with a block of ice.

The Conservatives went mental and have threatened to look at C4 broadcast remit.

This is illiberal and anti democratic.

Journalists are supposed to hold power to account on behalf of the public. If MPs don't turn up then they can't be held to account.

They have a duty to show. It's not good enough to avoid scrutiny because it might make you look bad. That's the whole point.

The contempt with which Johnson holds the press and public is reprehensible and you should be concerned whatever your political alligence. It allows corruption to fester without consequence.

And to then threaten C4 because they do their job in line with their responsibility as a broadcaster is alarming.

This is how authoritarian dictators work.

That was a lovely statement by Jack's poor father. He always took the side of the underdog....we've lost a special person there, I think. If only more people took the side of the underdog.😢

I can't understand why older people would ever vote Tory now that they know the NHS will be sold off. They are the ones who are going to need it the most, in all probability.

What a great guy Jack's dad is. I would imagine: like father, like son.

Despite being a doctor, I don't think my dad has ever voted Conservative, bar once, just after we arrived in the UK in 1964 local elections (as a Commonwealth citizen, was able to vote) for a "One Nation Conservative" in local elections.

He used to be unusual amongst his peers for voting Labour (and sending his children to state schools or "sacrificing his children's education because of his political principles" according to his colleagues ) although he stopped voting Labour after the Iraq War (went LibDem - Jo Swinson's constituency) but has voted SNP since 2015 (after voting Yes in 2014 - and Remain in 2016).

He's no longer unusual amongst his younger colleagues/medic friends - although some of his older former (now retired) colleagues are still determinedly Conservative/Unionist.

I wonder if crossing another payday has had any impact ?

Whatcha mean, DGR?

This looks interesting - seems to suggest Leave voters (and thus conservative voters?) are over represented in the polls.

blogs.lse.ac.uk/brexit/2019/10/29/long-read-are-opinion-polls-pro-leave-biased/

I don't know why exactly but it seems especially disturbing that the London Bridge attacker did this in a building and in such a personal way.

How would private health insurance work if the NHS went when people don't have it on a mass scale? Surely it needs years and years of contributions to a scheme? Are the public aware of this generally?

GFS is still showing lots of snow potential around election day.

I'm going to Cornwall for a week on the Saturday after and scared we'll be stuck there for Christmas!

Do we predict a snow day on the 12th would disadvantage any particular party or the other?

I think it depends on which part of the country the snow fell (if it does)

Christmas wise, indications at present are for milder more mobile weather. Too early to worry though. (thread in weather)

I would imagine that a snowy day on the 12th would put off the elderly/frail and also those that have to travel a fair distance to their polling station? Plus those who feel secure that their chosen candidate will be safe anyway and therefore their vote will be less important.

I think the other thing that people don't always realize @tobee is that the NHS keeps the cost of private healthcare insurance low in the UK as well.
Without the NHS the costs of private healthcare will just spiral to USA levels.

I think the biggest issue with snow would be preventing commuters from getting back in a timeframe that would incline them to vote.

Yes indeed NHS rates for costs are far less than they would be in private healthcare.

Exactly @tobee so in turn private healthcare costs are also currently lower than they would be in an all private system.
People think BUPA costs in the UK are pretty low so all private healthcare wouldn't cost too much. They don't realize that having the NHS depresses private costs in the UK.

I think the biggest issue with snow would be preventing commuters from getting back in a timeframe that would incline them to vote

Or stop them going to work in the first place.

How would private health insurance work if the NHS went when people don't have it on a mass scale?

It wouldn't go all at once, it would be piecemeal, bit by bit, totalitarian tiptoe they have already started. No party would ever announce the NHS is going private on xxx date.

Look at this, it is a list of all the privatised NHS contracts up for grabs.

www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Search/Results

Yes I see that longtime, but how would private health insurance replace it? Bit by bit also?

I wonder if people don’t understand just how much private healthcare would cost. I was looking at a local private clinic and the operation I may need in the future costs upwards of £7000. There’s no way I could ever afford that.

I’ve lived in a country with a fairly sensible approach to healthcare, where you have health insurance (usually provided through your job.) You then pay 30% of the cost of your treatment. I got seen incredibly quickly (same day, walk in service) for all of the problems I had. Hospitals also tended to be specialized, so you’d have a stomach hospital, a pediatric hospital, a dermatology clinic, all with walk in appointments available easily. It sounds great, but my c section cost £3500, so we owed about £1k. There’s a maternity allowance available on most types of insurance which cuts the cost down, but our total cost was £500. I can imagine that would be a scary, if not unachievable prospect for a lot of people.

I would think so, it is already happening. I think there are 4 million on waiting lists for NHS operations.

I know a few people that have gone private as they couldn't take the pain any longer. It was not because they had loads of money to pay, they got loans to pay.

In a sense they are lucky to be able to get a loan (for a one off operation), a lot of people can't and just have to wait and hope it is their turn soon.