The Put patients first: Back general practice campaign

We use our GP practice a great deal.  I’ve been there today and I’ll be back on Friday.  At times, it’s like a second home in that one of the family may be there any day of the week.  What we find is an excellent service.  But we know that they’re under pressure.

To quote: ‘The Put patients first: Back general practice campaign is demanding that the governments of the UK increase funding for general practice from an historic low of 8.39% to 11% of the UK NHS budget by 2017.‘

Ive no doubt that healthcare will be an issue at the general election.  Figures are going to be produced that proves any point a politician may wish to make.

That isn’t the whole story though.  We need to decide what the NHS means to us as part of the fabric that holds us together, then campaign for it.

We MUST defend the NHS against privatisation, splits and most of all, career politicians who are out of their depth being in charge of this great national jewel.  It’s OUR NHS.  Please take a look at the website below, some of it I find shocking.

Campaign Home.

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Trust is a post modernist word

Trust – a belief in the dependency of a person or institution – is in short supply.  Associated concepts – integrity, honesty, morality, are also victims of the times we live in.  Here’s my (incomplete) list of institutions I don’t trust:

• The state
• The state’s armed wings – the military, the police, the intelligence services
• The law
• Religious organisations
• The constitution (made up, un-written, unaccountable)
• The banks and any other financial organisation, including the World Bank
• Any politician
• The BBC
• Any governmental department or quango
• The monarchy
• The United Nations

Why these in particular?  Because it is quite clear that they are only interested in their own survival and any other function is irrelevant.  They are all masters of blame shifting, sometimes on to the most vulnerable people in our and other societies.  People who can’t fight back.

It’s time to bring trust back in to the body politic of our lives.

We might start by making people in power visible and truly accountable.  Not this democracy this once-in-five-years sham, but real democracy, where the people can get rid of those in power, including heads of institutions, at very short notice.  But that would be a start only.

We really require a mechanism of true people participation in the decision making structures of our governance.  Institutions, governments and states should be afraid of the people, not the other way around.

That may require a revolution, which will require charismatic leadership.  Where is it?  Really, where is the leadership that could carry millions of people with it to a better society?  Some parties talk the talk, but all are unable to deliver the change we need – the change back to trust.