Live debate between PM and Starmer -Wednesday

[DistinguishedSocialCommentator]

If you are interested - Beth/Sky news eletie reporter will put questions to both and then members of the public will throw questions at time

https://news.sky.com/story/sunak-and-starmer-to-face-questions-from-beth-rigby-and-audience-members-in-sky-news-leaders-special-event-13150853

@DistinguishedSocialCommentator Is this your actual job?

'Highly respected broadsheet' - the Torygraph! 😂🤣

Exactly. I don’t know anyone who has an NHS dentist any more. Two members of our family are paying for their children’s dental care because there’s literally no NHS provision where they live. That’s scandalous.

@DistinguishedSocialCommentator do you regard Cameron as having got in through the back door in 2010 with the LibDem coalition?
Also, Starmer is a social democrat not a socialist. It's what the Corbynistas hate about him. He's removed the socialist wing of the Party to make them electable.
Are you a full time Conservative Party spin doctor?

"He's removed the socialist wing of the Party to make them electable"

Do you mean, Daine Abbott???

He's so extreme that he could actually be a 5th columnist

Certainly his posts are having the opposite effect of what he would appear to be trying to achieve It helps reasonable posters to articulate their arguments, explain what democracy involves (clue: reflecting the result of the vote and in the event of no one party achieving an overall majority, negotiating a coalition is not a back room deal ), and point out the major holes in the Conservative government's arguments.

Long may he continue.

It provides us with some amusement too on what is otherwise a very boring campaign

I mean all the members who left after Corbyn had the whip withdrawn and are now standing for the Green Party, despite their racism being called out.
Diane Abbott is one MP, who should be respected for all her work in the past. Any other supporters who are elected will be on the opposition benches with Corbyn.

Are there any nhs dentists left? Not in this area there isn't or in many, many areas of the UK. poor children let down again by DSC's party.

Are you an aide or advisor DSC, you spend so much time pushing the failing Tories as if you are. PS one of your lot is playing bets on the election! Typical Tory.

I think people are very angry, upset, disgusted, sad, disappointed, disillusioned with the Conservative government of the past 14 years.

I've voted Green in the past but having all the anti semitic, the trans w are women lot (apparently because they say so), huge taxes for anything and everything, I couldn't possibly give them my vote this time

24 thousand nhs dentists from memory when I was talking to a member of the family who owns several dentals practices and he is an orthodontist

Unlike what the socialist Starmer said about him being an adult and not getting NHS dentist - as I pointed over a few times to those ignorant of the facts that adults can to go NHS dentists like we do by we pay them good money for what is deemed "essential work." - we go private like everyone for cosmetic dentistry

https://www.bda.org/media-centre/dentists-new-data-can-lift-lid-on-england-s-real-dental-deserts/

I’ll take what the British Dental Association says over a random in the internet.

Dh and I have just signed up to - and been treated by - an NHS dentist. My treatment (3 minor fillings) cost c£60 (three appointments: check up followed by 2 appointments for the fillings) whereas dh, who needed a lot of work done (2 caps at the front replaced, some fillings and 4 extractions at the back he hadn't been since before Covid ) was c£200.

Dh is really apprehensive about dentists and really hates changing, but our previous one had retired and although the practice that took over still also did NHS work, it wasn't in as convenient a location as we normally longer worked in the city centre. But he really likes the new dentist too

Dentist was encouraging ds and his girlfriend to sign up - especially as it's completely free for them until they're 26

There are other NHS dentists with good reputations in the vicinity

We're in Glasgow though and the state of Scottish NHS dentistry doesn't seem quite as dire as in England - although I know there are still some locations where there are problems ).

So you refuse to believe that in many areas there are no dentists taking on NHS patients? Funny. I live in one.

This won’t be popular but here goes! As regards children’s dentistry I work for the NHS and see the results firsthand. The majority of children having teeth removed is because of eating too many sugary sweets/food and not having teeth cleaned properly.
I think there needs to be more emphasis and advice on how to bring children up healthily.
Just for the record, I am not supporting any one party here.

Many thanks for what I often post, IE, education re health etc is the way forward and you have given an example from the front line re teeth!!

Most will be aware re type 2 diabetes - excess drink, smoking, too much salt/sugar, lack of exercise etc has a negative impact on health - education along with a better NHS is the way forward but not just throwing money at the NHS and hoping for the best

Many thanks

My children are in their 40s now and we had far better health education and help than families have access to now, invaluable especially as I was a young mum.

Health education is one of those things that has been cut to the bone, and in terms of support for parents of young children: There was this thing called SureStart, which did exactly the kind of educational/preventive work that's needed to improve dental health. Remind me again who cut that?

I’m not a political animal but Sure Start was a good initiative.

It depends on exactly where you live in London.

I have an NHS dentist because I grew up near a dental hospital. Their students qualified and took positions in the immediate area. The practise I go to was established in the early 1990s, though I only joined at the beginning of the 21st Century. Over that time I've had 3 dentists and it's changed it's name twice.

Every time I need to see the dentist I have to do a 10 mile trip. This doesn't sound a long way but there are two private dental practises at the end of my road. There is another practise about 3 miles away that randomly opens it's books for new NHS patients however it's books aren't open for long. Previously in the 3 areas I rented in London there were no NHS dentists. I wasn't bothered but it caused issues for some of my housemates.

This is what I said too. Parents need to take responsibility for the crap that they are feeding their children. 🙄

Some of them don't know it is crap or the harm the crap will cause until it is too late.

And "Yes really!"

You know Starmer has done pretty well to have you all discussing this; that’s cut through, and it’s what Sunak doesn’t have.