Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[MICHELINMAN]

I dont disagree Steve. But as a whole it is far bigger than it needs to be, and as you say, the people running it seem to have a very strong sense of entitlement to take our money off us and spend it how they see fit.
I have read several reports recently which state that Whitehall is recruiting as many people as it ever has. They arent cutting back at all. I have also been told by more than one person (but dont know for a fact) that the NHS is the third biggest employer in the world, after the Chinese Army and the Indian railways - if true, its outrageous.
Im not daft enought to think we dont need a public sector. I just believe strongly that parts of it have become something entirely different which doesnt serve the public in any way shape or form. These are probably the very people who have made your wifes job so much more difficult and frustrating in recent years ? 

er, I think someones been winding you up on that point..

[Nickbat]

I dont disagree Steve. But as a whole it is far bigger than it needs to be, and as you say, the people running it seem to have a very strong sense of entitlement to take our money off us and spend it how they see fit.
I have read several reports recently which state that Whitehall is recruiting as many people as it ever has. They arent cutting back at all. I have also been told by more than one person (but dont know for a fact) that the NHS is the third biggest employer in the world, after the Chinese Army and the Indian railways - if true, its outrageous.
Im not daft enought to think we dont need a public sector. I jsut believe strongly that parts of it have become som ething entirely different which doesnt serve the public in any way shape or form. These are probably ther very people who have made your wifes job so much more difficult and frustrating in recent years ? 

You don't know the half of it. The first 'public servants' to lose their jobs are the ones who enforce all the stupid rules, (ie. H&S), and make it twice as difficult and, thus, take twice the time and, therefore, cost twice as much to reach exactly the same conclusion as would have originally been reached.

Daft regulation is what is making the public sector so expensive to run, and the ranks of the enforcers have swelled dramatically.

As far as education is concerned (as I know what your wife does, Steve!), a part of the public sector - the civil service - is the very thing that has made life miserable for another part of the civil service - education. Take away the excessive regulation, constant tinkering and target-setting and the lives of teachers would be much easier and they could then concentrate on delivering edication in the classroom!     

Oh the irony, Nick, the irony.

Oh bu**er! 

[Nickbat]

I dont disagree Steve. But as a whole it is far bigger than it needs to be, and as you say, the people running it seem to have a very strong sense of entitlement to take our money off us and spend it how they see fit.
I have read several reports recently which state that Whitehall is recruiting as many people as it ever has. They arent cutting back at all. I have also been told by more than one person (but dont know for a fact) that the NHS is the third biggest employer in the world, after the Chinese Army and the Indian railways - if true, its outrageous.
Im not daft enought to think we dont need a public sector. I just believe strongly that parts of it have become something entirely different which doesnt serve the public in any way shape or form. These are probably the very people who have made your wifes job so much more difficult and frustrating in recent years ? 

er, I think someones been winding you up on that point..

Not that much of a wind-up! It's actually the fourth biggest employer in the world. Here's the top ten:

The Chinese Army (2,225,000)
Walmart (2,100,000)
China National Petroleum (1,649,992)
NHS (1,626,000)
China's State Grid Corp. (1,533,800)
United States Army (1,477,896)
Indian National Railways (1,410,659)
Indian Army (1,325,000)
North Korean Army (1,106,000)
Russian Army (1,037,000)

http://www.vancouversun.com/life/environment/world+largest+employers/3758010/story.html

 

[albitz]

Over 1.6 million employees. ...........WHY??

[MICHELINMAN]

So, we employ more people than any other country on the planet to look after our health......is that not something to be grateful for;the fact that you are living in a country that puts its the cost of the populations health above everything else :question

The flaw in your arguement is that if YOU as an individual were denied medical treatment on the basis of cost, you would probably start a thread on lack of investment in the NHS.

[MICHELINMAN]

Over 1.6 million employees. ...........WHY??[/quote]
 GOOD GOD!!    :-[WHY NOT??

[albitz]

Im quite confident that a large number of those 1.6 million are not involved in looking after our health.Its another gravy train for pen pushers and they probably frustrate the hell out of people who want to look after our health.

[MICHELINMAN]

Waken up mate.
Capitalism IS a gravy train, all over.
why stop at the NHS.?

[albitz]

Over 1.6 million employees. ...........WHY??[/quote]
 GOOD GOD!!    :-[WHY NOT??

Many countries with much larger populations employ a lot less people in their health services, and have much better health statistics than this country.So - WHY ?
Remember, we have to pay for this.It should be an efficient organisation, and anyone who doesnt need to be there, shouldnt be.

[albitz]

Waken up mate.
Capitalism IS a gravy train, all over.
why stop at the NHS.?

Capitalism isnt a gravy train. Things are free on gravy trains. Theres no free lunches with capitalism.

[MICHELINMAN]

Over 1.6 million employees. ...........WHY??[/quote]
 GOOD GOD!!    :-[WHY NOT??

Many countries with much larger populations employ a lot less people in their health services, and have much better health statistics than this country.So - WHY ?
Remember, we have to pay for this.It should be an efficient organisation, and anyone who doesnt need to be there, shouldnt be.[/quote]

you mean people like the ROYAL FAMILY?

[Nickbat]

Waken up mate.
Capitalism IS a gravy train, all over.
why stop at the NHS.?

China and North Korea have pretty big gravy trains, too. Are they capitalist? 

[albitz]

Dont think the royal family are employed by the NHS.
Im not the worlds biggest royalist, but they do serve an important constitutional role imo. They are probably the one thing that prevents slippery tinkers like Tony Bliar installing himself as president.

[MICHELINMAN]

Im quite confident that a large number of those 1.6 million are not involved in looking after our health.Its another gravy train for pen pushers and they probably frustrate the hell out of people who want to look after our health.

A GRAVY TRAIN; definition
A job where no work is involved. To get paid for doing nothing. Sitting at a keyboard and posting nonsense all day.
As in, "Look over there, Albs is riding the gravy train again"
 

[Nickbat]

This is a gravy train:

...the number of managers in hospitals has soared by 12 per cent in just one year, outstripping the recruitment of nurses by six to one.

There were 44,600 new managers employed in 2009 compared with only 7,080 more nurses, 2,040 consultants and only 650 new midwives.

(from article dated 2010)

http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/168648/Scandal-of-NHS-bosses-s-pay-riseScandal-of-NHS-bosses-s-pay-rise