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jeanmark's latest comments
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1 days agojeanmark commented on:
Should menopause be classed as a disability?Sunbird73, for some it may be a slight inconvenience, just like menstruation, but some women suffer to such an extent they contemplate suicide. Some women sail through and others become broken women. It's like suggesting giving birth is just an inconvenience, after all it has been going on for millions of years so why the fuss. By the way if you think menstruation is just an inconvenience, ask someone. who suffers from severe endometriosis, it is believed to effect 1 in 10 women, thats about 1.5 million women from puberty to menopause. I think you will find they do not see menstruation as an inconvenience.ViewDate:
1 days agojeanmark commented on:
Should menopause be classed as a disability?LizG178, I had to have a hysterectomy and bilateral Salpingo-oophorectomy (both ovaries and fallopian tubes removed) age 27 but had to wait a month before I was able to start HRT, so I was lucky I may have had a sudden and very unpleasant menopause, straight in with no gradual workup, but that was it, once HRT started it was fine. Oh and I got married that year!ViewDate:
1 days agojeanmark commented on:
Should menopause be classed as a disability?Lesleyy, they should have explained to you that with one functioning ovary, you would still experience the menopause and then you would have been better prepared. It appears that those who sail through this change have no understanding of those that do not. I find that so sad when all that is said is women have had to endure this change for hundreds of years. This is like saying women have gone through childbirth for hundreds of years so why do they need any help or be given pain relief now it is a natural experience. At least my mother never attempted suicide when she gave birth, she just waited until the menopause which hit her at 40!ViewDate:
7th Mar 2024jeanmark commented on:
Should menopause be classed as a disability?Carole H, well said. It is fine if you sail through it but there are those who suffer terribly and need help and understanding. I can never understand why some women have no understanding or sympathy for their fellow women who suffer badly. I do accept it is not a disability in the true sense of the word but so many women are disabled by it and fail or can't get help from those in the know.ViewDate:
12th Feb 2024jeanmark commented on:
Do you have access to an NHS Dentist?I was told by my dentist that the governemt contract was to blame for many changing to private practice. The example he gave was they receive payment for one filling even if they have done ten. This in no way covers the cost of equipment, time, staff, utilities etc. so many have had to go private to survive.ViewDate:
2nd Feb 2024jeanmark commented on:
Is modern technology really anti-social? Does it get in the way of real, old-fashioned conversation? What do you think and are your experiences.I think Longliverocknroll that people make a choice and I accept that, I have friends who do embrace change and others who prefer the status quo. Age is not necessarily the issue as there are younger people who may reject the age of technology and others who have no choice as keeping abreast of modern technology may be beyond their reach because of cost. The pandemic taught us that not very child had a laptop or tablet and their parents were not necessarily in a position to provide one. As to adult children leaving their parents 'lost' in a world dependant on technology, surely it is up to the parent to make a choice when given the information, not for children to force change upon them.ViewDate:
28th Jan 2024jeanmark commented on:
Is it right to consider cutting postal deliveries to three days a week?It is interesting to note that Royal Mail was floated on the London Stock Exchange in 2013, The Government initially retained a 30 per cent stake but sold its remaining shares in 2015. It is now a public limited company, meaning it is owned by shareholders which may explain why it has problem. In our village we are lucky if we get letter deliveries twice a week, but at the moment they have a 30% vacancy problem and add to that days off and holidays, problems are bound to happen. I believe UK Mail is owned by DHLViewDate:
8th Jan 2024jeanmark commented on:
Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual and Transgender groups.I don't think you will ever get it because the division was caused by mainstream society, your sexual orientation was never against the law and therefore you have always been accepted.ViewDate:
7th Jan 2024jeanmark commented on:
Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual and Transgender groups.Cris1117, maybe you have never had to as being heterosexual is considered the norm and in our society anything outside of that has to be labeled. There are certain people who will only accept what they believe is normal although unable to explain what 'normal' is.ViewDate:
7th Jan 2024jeanmark commented on:
Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual and Transgender groups.Well said, unfortunately as a society we appear to need to label everyone who does not conform to 'our' perception of things.ViewDate:
23rd Dec 2023jeanmark commented on:
Should motorists be fined for parking on the pavement?Tombola. I assume you would be happy for someone you love to risk having to go onto a busy residential road in their wheelchair or pushing a pram because the path was blocked by a car.ViewDate:
12th Dec 2023jeanmark commented on:
Should motorists be fined for parking on the pavement?Mrs Pat, try telling that to someone who is blind or someone who is in a wheelchair.ViewDate:
20th Oct 2023jeanmark commented on:
Was leaving the EU a mistake?SLRATHNOBE, you may well be the daughter of an immigrant but you can still be a racist, one does not preclude the other. For example, Suella Bravemen is the daughter of immigrants and she is married to a Jew but has stated she dreams of sending those fleeing conflict, persecution or who fear for their lives, to a country whose military have killed asylum seekers in their protection for merely demanding sufficient food to stop them starving and more recently found guilty by the UN of recruiting child soldiers to send to war torn adjacent countries.. Oh and those asylum seekers she is sending to Rwanda, are all non white... How our physical bodies work is irrelevant, they do not usually influence how we think or the attitudes we adopt.ViewDate:
20th Oct 2023jeanmark commented on:
Was leaving the EU a mistake?SLRATHBONE, de Gaulle wouldn't not allow us to join the EC (Common Market) but his predecessor relented and we joined in 1973. The EC (which we were already a member if) was then createed as the EU in 1992. We elected M.E.P's (Member of the European Parliament) to represent us in Brussels, headquarters of the EU and thus had the same vote as all other members of the European Parliament where Regulations were being made and these could be vetted by any individual member of that Parliament. If a Regulation was passed, each country in the EU would then have enacted laws, voted for and passed by their own parliaments to achieve the regulations as each country is a Sovereign nation. As a caveat to that some countries choose not to enact a law concerning the regulation and were not penalised. We were never held to ransom by Europe and it is this government that has taken the G out of GB.ViewDate:
29th Sep 2023jeanmark commented on:
Do you support the delay to the 2030 ban on sales of new petrol and diesel cars?Alxarmy, I agree about this particular government as being probably the most inefficient government we have had in living history and few, if any, will understand the problems facing ordinary working people. In relation to electric cars, we also need to understand that there is not an efficient and effective infrastructure that serves the need of all the people. Londoners may appear to think that the North starts at Watford Gap but there in general there are many who people who do not appear to realise that not all people living England live in towns and cities. Many live in villages and hamlets and do not even access to public transport and certainly no access to charging points accessible to all.ViewDate:
22nd Sep 2023jeanmark commented on:
Do you think that the speed limit should be reduced to 20mph on all urban roads?I apologise, I would not describe myself as some kind of narcissist, but I am used to compelling arguments, I am sorry of this made you feel uncomfortable.ViewDate:
21st Sep 2023jeanmark commented on:
Do you think that the speed limit should be reduced to 20mph on all urban roads?Oh dear, all I can say if you were once a paramedic you couldn't have been much good if you were unable to recognised that speed kills. My argument may seem long winded to you but it certainly does not belong in some dusty archive. I tend to keep my finger on the pulse of current issues, maybe you should try that, it's surprising what you can learn. I get the impression that it doesn't matter what it is you just do not like being told what to do it by a higher authority, you probably ignore any safety advice if it is released by them regardless of whether it is the sensible thing to do. Did you know that five people die every day on the road in the UK and 84 are seriously injured. As to children, the equivalent of a classroom of children are killed or seriously injured on the roads in the UK every 19 days (roadsafetygb.org.uk, April 2023). But you imply that speed doesn't matter in any vicinity.ViewDate:
21st Sep 2023jeanmark commented on:
Do you support the delay to the 2030 ban on sales of new petrol and diesel cars?PeterMg, I agree with your comment. As usual this government has no idea what it is talking about and Rishi Sunak is the last person to understand how difficult a normal working person would find this. Not only did he not know how to put fuel in a car, his last holiday probably cost as much as a brand new Tesla anyway. There are very few countries that would contemplate making such drastic changes without ensuring the infrastructure was there in the first place. There has to be a good number of charging points in all residential areas and particularly in rural areas. Surely the government has a great deal of responsibility in ensuring this is made possible. Unfortunately they will pass this to private enterprise to fulfil, who will be reluctant to install any units outside a major city as it will be unprofitable for them to run so this would simply not happen. With this Tory government hating spending money on public services, they would not take responsibility to implement it.ViewDate:
20th Sep 2023jeanmark commented on:
Do you think that the speed limit should be reduced to 20mph on all urban roads?Well Guineveres, I constantly track speed and mirrors etc but not so slowly that I am not aware of what it in front or behind of meI How dare you try and lecture me on the speed of cars, I do not have a Utopian view of the world, what I do have is experience working in an Accident and Emergency department and had to witness daily what it means when people appear to think speed doesn't matter as they were not the ones to sit with a mother and explain why her child had died. But the stupidity witnessed daily in an A&E department meant I left and specialised in a different area but never forgot that experience. To suggest to me we return to a red flag in front of a car is an insult as it shows you clearly have no idea why a lower speed is being introduced in built up areas. I'm afraid I think a person's life is more important than whether I would be late for work as, having to drive a number of miles from a village to a city, I just left. earlier to accommodate delays. This government has moved so far right, but don't worry they haven't achieved anything they promised yet so maybe you can continue to do the speed you think is safe wherever you are driving...ViewDate:
20th Sep 2023jeanmark commented on:
Do you think that the speed limit should be reduced to 20mph on all urban roads?I cannot agree that these are ridiculous laws, yes slow speed is are annoying but I hardly have to take my eyes off the road to check speed, why not use a cruise control if you find it difficult. This is not about control from a government but more about recognising the latest research now that cars are far more sophisticated and capable of higher speeds. It has been introduced to help prevent injury and death on the roads and is particularly relevant as the Highway Code was amended and now gives priority to pedestrians, but of course that is ignored by many car drivers driving above 30mph in built up areas such as villages. I would be surprised of any place went out of business because of a speed reduction. For those who believe slower speeds do not prevent fatalities, look at the research. Pedestrians are five times more likely to be killed if hit by a vehicle driven at 30mph compared to 20mph. It is interesting. to see 30 mph speed limit was introduced in built-up areas in March 1935 and was an arbitrary figure picked out with no research evidence behind it. Interestingly, the first few weeks of it being introduced a number of signs were found dumped in ditches as people objected to being told what to do., so things haven't changed...ViewDate:
19th Sep 2023jeanmark commented on:
Do you think that the speed limit should be reduced to 20mph on all urban roads?I think it should,be introduced in all villages and built-up areas in towns and cities. The problem is many don't bother to obey 30 mph limits so I have doubts as to whether they will obey a slower speed. The chance of killing a pedestrian crossing a road and being hit at 35 mph is a 50% chance, at 30 mph it reduces to 20% and at 20 mph it is reduced down to 2.5 % chance of being killed (roadwise.co.uk). The Welsh government claims the evidence from around the world is clear that decreasing speed limits could result in 40% fewer collisions and save up to 10 lives and prevent up to 2,000 injuries a year. That is why they have introduced it but still many people object believing it is unnecessary and should be reversed. Along the avenue where I live in a village, mothers driving large 4x4's drop their child off at school and then, when many are still walking to school, drive away at about 35-40 mph, also they can often be seen using their phones or even applying makeup. I'm told its because they have to get to work, well, why not all get up and dressed earlier, my parents set clocks 15 minutes fast to prevent us being late for anything! .ViewDate:
18th Sep 2023jeanmark commented on:
Do you think XL Bully dogs should be banned?NitaB4, I agree, there is only ever a knee jerk reaction to such tragedies with no real changes. No dog is truly safe when it feels threatened, but such breeds involved here are usually bred to be aggressive. I believe the people breeding them and/or owning them should be given custodial sentences if is not be muzzled when in public and kept on a short lead.ViewDate:
16th Sep 2023jeanmark commented on:
Do you think XL Bully dogs should be banned?As American bully XL is not a breed specifically recognised by the Kennel Club, banning it under the dangerous dogs list could prove difficult. What we also need to is tougher laws for owners who do not control their dog. Fining them isn't strong enough and as to banning them from owning a dog, who polices that. I believe this should apply to all dog owners, what ever the breed. I also wish mothers would not let their young child run up to a strange dog to cuddle it, a dog doesn't recognise the intention of the child.ViewDate:
16th Sep 2023jeanmark commented on:
Shoplifting on the Rise: Should We Report It or Ignore It?I agree I have no tolerance for anti-vaccers, growing up at a time when childhood diseases could kill and having worked in an Infectious Diseases and HIV unit for 15 years my tolerance at the attitudes of such people never cease to astound me.ViewDate:
16th Sep 2023jeanmark commented on:
Do you think Camilla should be crowned queen?I just find it amusing that there are people who appear angered at the wealth of royals, much of which is inherited, but are happy to accept any inheritance they get. As to speeches etc. now he is King he has to rein in what he would possible of said previously. However he is head of the Commonwealth but that is more an important symbolic and unifying role.ViewDate:
16th Sep 2023jeanmark commented on:
Do you think Camilla should be crowned queen?I was raised with the Christian bible and never studied Theology, I thus have no reference from which to debate differences. Each religion/faith follows what they believe is right regardless of what others believe therefore, can any be considered right or wrong. Arguing and questioning the right of King Charles marrying the woman he always loved and making her his Queen really doesn't have an effect on my daily life. I just object to comments that are made against someone without real knowledge of facts.ViewDate:
15th Sep 2023jeanmark commented on:
Do you think Camilla should be crowned queen?The Queen herself let it be known that she followed homeopathy and other natural remedies but that doe not mean she had no interest in or refused intervention from modern medicine when needed. I heard Charles himself state he talked to trees and to his plants when he was being interviewed many year ago, most serious gardeners I know do. The fact the news media choose to ridiculed him said more about them than him and too many people like to be critical of things they them self either do not understand or dislike. I am a strong supporter of our Royals and know they have brought a great deal to this country and I also have a great respect for King Charles, at least he cares for the the people despite his hands being tied and which is more than can be said for this present government with a Prime Minster who is richer than the King!ViewDate:
15th Sep 2023jeanmark commented on:
Do you think Camilla should be crowned queen?Dannyriver, you know what they say "There are lies, damned lies and statistics". I don't think the arguments put forward in the majority of this conversation are based on statistics, rather what appears to be peoples apparent hate and anger for a woman they do not know, but are ready to condemn anyway. Much of what has ben written does not come over as being good Christians, as Paul states in Ephesians 4:32 God forgives and we are acting like him when we forgive....ViewDate:
15th Sep 2023jeanmark commented on:
Do you think Camilla should be crowned queen?Well, the late Queen believed strongly in homeopathy and followed it all of her life, it has been keeping members of the royal family well for generations and King Charles continues with this tradition, he is a strong supporter of homeopathy, among other natural health therapies. Many people have access to good healthcare, not just royals. Genetic Engineering is a reasonable new area exploring diseases and how genes can be be manipulated to help prevent or modify certain diseases, but the risks as well as the benefits to its use have to be acknowledged because of the risk off unintended outcomes.ViewDate:
15th Sep 2023jeanmark commented on:
Shoplifting on the Rise: Should We Report It or Ignore It?Billythequiche, I find it very sad that you have such a low opinion regarding doctors, in particular consultants, believing all are only led by financial gain. I believe I may well have met more doctors, regardless of rank, than you ever will, and I have yet to meet any who are only driven by money. I have already mentioned the strikes you refer to as being more than just about money but about saving the NHS as a whole. I am sure you understand the process of negotiation as each party starts at each end and hopefully meet in the middle. Steve Barclay, the present Health Minster doesn't understand that concept and actually refuses to meet either doctors or nurses to discuss the issues. He doesn't mention that there will be emergencies service, rather he pontificates about putting patients at risk, even letting them die, but fails to mention that is what it is all about. Patients are already at risk because of lack if funding year in and year out, of the government putting a cap on the number of doctors and nurses being trained each year. The pandemic only exacerbated the problem further, but they existed well before that hit. The newly released slimming pill you mentioned has strict criteria set by NICE. It.can be prescribed to those where calorie controlled diet and exercise has been unsuccessful and they have at least one co-morbidity such as raised blood pressure Type 2 diabetes etc. and it is also BMI specific, usually above 30, but I am sure you are aware that BMI is dependent on age, height, weight and ethnicity. It can only be prescribed to a patient via a Specialist Weight Management Service, neither GP's or any other doctor cannot prescribe, it and it is given in conjunction with a calorie controlled diet and exercise. I do not believe addiction means theft etc. is acceptable, but I do believe a degree of understanding is necessary rather than just condemnation. A predisposition to dependencies such as drugs, alcohol etc. can involve many different factors, psychological, social, familial, biological, how can anyone know about another's life. I am not talking about theft of items that can be resold down the pub, but about items necessary to survive. Understanding gender issues is not being generous. I'm not talking about children being offered puppies, no-one influences a person with body dysmorphia. A fried of mine had two daughters but now has a son and a daughter, he didn't openly accept his gender until he was 18 but was lucky to have an understanding mother and friends. I have only ever nursed two transgender people when a night sister in the 80's and who were undergoing surgery male to female. One was in his 30's and the other 45 years old. In the UK I think it is legal to have surgery at 18 but the who process is more complicated than just having bits added or bits removed and most approach the whole process of gender reassignment slowly and wth caution. I have spent most of my life trying not to condemn people for being different to me, I was always taught to care about others and got recognise that none of its were perfect (well my husband is because he told me). My grandmother always put a penny in my sisters and my pocket saying now we could. not say we had. no money, that was a good lesson but then she never saw bad in anyone believing that as humans we make mistakes, the trick was to learn from them. There is the saying of never condemn a person until you have walked in their shoes but I must admit I would say forget my shoes try my mind, it will blow you apart.ViewDate:
15th Sep 2023jeanmark commented on:
Do you think Camilla should be crowned queen?Fortunately longevity appear to run in the family...ViewDate:
14th Sep 2023jeanmark commented on:
Shoplifting on the Rise: Should We Report It or Ignore It?Oh dear not just spelling and grammatical errors but spacing as well, it should read 1.4% not 4%. By my age I should have learnt never to write things in a hurry!ViewDate:
13th Sep 2023jeanmark commented on:
Shoplifting on the Rise: Should We Report It or Ignore It?Please excuse the spelling and grammatical errors....ViewDate:
13th Sep 2023jeanmark commented on:
Shoplifting on the Rise: Should We Report It or Ignore It?Well Billythequiche, we are certainly worlds apart in our thinking. Being impotent can be interpreted as not binging able to do something, Where as being incompetent is not good at it or not made for it. So I will stick with my belief that this government is incompetent. Where we will certainly differ is on the NHS and its workings. I will not make assumptions as to where your belief comes from, but mine is from knowledge and experience spread over 47 plus years. It really helps to have worked continually in organisation at different levels to get insights into how that organisation work and who has the biggest influence on its success. There are certainly many who believe it is a victim of its own success. Bevan would never have envisaged the speed health research and development would progressed in such a relative short amount of time. Even in my own experience of joining the organisation in 1965 I never imagined what it would achieve in my time, the one I joined was totally different to the one the I retired from and which my great niece graduated into last year. It is the largest employer in the Uk and one of the 4 largest globally. it its a publicly funded healthcare system funded out of taxation, has no shareholders, does not seek to make a profit and provides a universal service free at the point of delivery. It therefor fits the criteria for a service rather than a business but is expected to run as the latter. It is documented that the NHS has experienced a decline in funding since 2010 and despite a cash boost in 2018 and 2019, on average the NHS budget rose just.4% per year compared to 3.7% average raises since it was established ands all of this when their costs have risen including demand for it to treat more people and with more complex needs. Even in this area you appear to be misinformed, gender dysphoria is the distress a person experiences due to a mismatch between their gender identity and their sex assigned at birth, it is not a man waking up one morning and saying that today I’ll be a woman so that I use their toilets, remember, all female toilets are in singe lockable cubicles. You don’t mention how you would feel if a female/male transgender person entered a male toilet and tried to use a urinal! Very little cosmetic surgery is done on the NHS but gender reassignment is not considered cosmetic. By the way, when did you realise your were heterosexual, did you try to fight it, did you try to hide it. That is how those who do not conform to what some believe is ‘normal’ feel day in and day out, having to constantly hide their own identity to be accepted. For problems of health, I agree there are those who have not always been cautious having a beer, a glass of wine or even a doughnut, they may even have been really bad and had all three. Yes, this could cause problems in the future but when we were young how may time did we consider what effect our behaviour would have when you got older. Addiction is not a choice, it creeps on on a person and is insidious, I have yet to meet an addict who stood in class and said “I want to be an addict when I grow up”. Alcoholics are similar in their the journey and are often condemned by those who have no idea about the true reason for why they may have stumbled on that path. We do agree on one thing and that is mixed wards, but there are insufficient beds in most hospitals to allow for selection. Once told they they had to have 100% occupation, which is totally impractical, it left no room for emergencies. In relation to emergencies, do you think all road accident victims should have to pay for treatment, after all they had a choice about using a vehicle. People who claim that the cost of a fully functional NHS is unsustainable are really arguing that they don't want healthcare to be paid for out of general taxation: money contributed by all, according to their means, so that care can be given on the basis of need and regardless of ability to pay. You would change things when you really have no idea about the things you would change. The role of Matron was changed in 1967 after the Salmon Report came out, as structure in the NHS were modernised. There have been several changes in structure over the years with the ‘Modern’ Matron role being re-introduce in 2000. These posts relate to a senior nurse in charge of a unit usually broken into specialities and they oversee the work of all wards and/or departments under their management responsibility, which includes sisters and senior nurses. There is then usually a Director of Nursing, who has to be a register nurse, with total control of all nursing. The Medical Director has to be a senior doctor and has total control over medical issues. There will then be other Directors for specific areas such as finance and then a Chief Executive usual with extensive management experience of a large organisation, but not necessarily health. All these post have deputies. The size of each Trust has to have different levels of management to function, titles may change but the actual work doesn’t and all levels have to ensure the people under their care are teated equally. Diversity Training was introduced for all to help reduce and prevent prejudice and discrimination. I have no idea about large retail organisations but I assume they have to have levels of management to function effectively. You believe that those at the top do not care about people, but how many in such positions do you know that make you so adamant they do not care? What are you basing you assumptions on? Most of those I have known over the years do care, and care passionately about their work for the public. I don’t know of any CEO who would agree that a person could work full time from Barbados as Boris Johnson did for one MP. Nor any manager who would allow a person to stay at home on full pay because they sulked about not getting an award promised by a previous boss, plus to also allow their daughters to continue to work for them on full pay, all from public funds. On average a CEO of a NHS Trust earns approximately £70 -85,000 a year, a minister on the other handed gets about £113,000 a year, more if on a a committee, they also have a subsidised restaurant and bar, second home allowance etc. You appear disgusted that by the fact that consultant and doctors have planned strike action (not all consultant have private practice) and miss the point that it is not money led, but it is about the NHS being run into the ground to ensure it fails and allowing it to be privatised. Nurses, for the first time in history went on strike for the same reason. A junior doctor gets around £32-37,000 a year (from April this year) - they are the ones to get up in the middle of the night to save your life - a Minster on £113,000 a year and has no interest in whether you live or die - unless you are a Tory donor. “Shady lawyers, the civil service, the opposition and remoaners conspire to stall everything the government tries to do”. What shady lawyers, the ones that disagree with this government breaking International Law, or those ignoring the human rights of an individual? The RAAC issue is an example of the civil servants doing their job well, they informed the government of the issues and stated clearly that we needed 300-400 new schools as many had become a severe threat to life, only to be told they were overreacting and Michael Gove reduced the numbers to 100, despite no experience of such issues, then Rishi Sunak, the then Chancellor, reduced it further to 50 and again despite having no knowledge of such issues and basing his decision as a purely finacial one. Now they deny all knowledge of the problem and as usual blame labour, who, incidentally, had their school building plan cancelled. Then the term ‘remoaners’, so named because they had the foresight to see the problems Brexit would bring, have now been proved right and having to suffer the consequences with everyone else, the term is therefore obsolete. Revisiting the NHS issue, yes I do get a bee in my bonnet about something I feel passionate about, you may or may not be interested in looking at the research from the King’s Fund on “How does the NHS compare to the healthcare systems of other countries”. It compared the health care systems of 18 other high-income peer countries and found: The NHS., despite its size, was considered efficient but like any organisation could imprtove. The UK has below average health spending per person compared to peer countries. There were fewer key physical resources such as CT & MRI scanners plus fewer hospital beds. There was a lower level of key clinical staff i.e doctors and nurses and these were paid less. Well I think that is it….. and it felt worse than writing my dissertationViewDate:
12th Sep 2023jeanmark commented on:
Shoplifting on the Rise: Should We Report It or Ignore It?Billythequiche, I appreciate your thoughts and like many I also have lived through and survived hard times. But I cannot compare those times with today's problems, they are not the same. I agree that small businesses cannot afford to support theft but they are already suffering, in 2022 it was estimated that 47 shops closed every week in the UK, the highest for five years. Causes include crippling business rates, high energy costs, an increase in on-line shopping and less spending as people have to tighten their belts. Theft does not help but is far from being the cause. When you worked in retail did you have to put electronic security tabs on basic food items? It is recognised that there is an epidemic of people stealing and too many comments on here always appear to blame the young as if they are the only ones resorting to theft. That is certainly not the case, many are stealing food to live not because they are wanting a ‘freebie’, or because there are lazy, greedy or young and wanting to steal for a lark. Even pensioners have had to resort to it just to live. In some areas rents can be over £1000 a month and wages cannot compete. There are less and less social houses being built and those that are built are then managed by private companies who always work to make a profit. There were no foods banks in the UK in the 70’s, the first opened in Salisbury in 2000 and in the last few years their need has grown increasingly throughout the UK and all are now overwhelmed with the demand for their service. Even supermarkets have started end of day cheaper boxes of food. Retail staff are now advised not to challenge thieves and instead companies are using electronic security tabs on vital produce like food so they can monitor what has been stolen to enable them to claim on their insurance. The police have stated they will not attend such thefts as they, like most public services, do not have the capacity. I worked in the NHS for 47 years and the one I started working in 1965 was nothing like the one I left in 2012. It has deteriorate even more, not because of over staffed, overpaid management or even reckless spending, but because it has been starved of cash, like all public services, for the last 13 years and there is no way I would compare the past with now. We are witnessing one of the most incompetent governments in living history. They have no grasp on reality, for example, the MP Lee Anderson believes a woman should be able to cook a family meal for 30p and when Priti Patel was part of the cabinet she stood in a food bank and asked why they were needed. The rich appear to be getting richer and the poor poorer and all we get are people condemning those who have reached the gutter for their dishonesty. Oh, and drug dependancy cannot be part of a discussion about the recent problem with theft. It is not a crime but an illness and the law cannot cure it, only people can. Now Billythequiche, that’s my ranting over with...ViewDate:
7th Sep 2023jeanmark commented on:
Shoplifting on the Rise: Should We Report It or Ignore It?I agree Munsterlander small businesses are also struggling and are not helped by the poverty that is increasingly seen. This government seems to go from one crisis to another but be totally unaware of what is actually happening to the people they are paid to serve, they appear to have caught the Johnson bug just lie and blame everyone but themselves. The sad thing is we have no evidence of a strong opposition and I fear this sorry example of a government will get back in as so many people appear to believe their lies and deceit. But we will continue to condemn those who have been pushed to to edge. Yes, some teenagers do get pleasure from the risk of getting caught but some also do it out of desperation. I certainly know of some young men who could no longer see their mothers go without meals so she could feed them. I have no answers other than demonstrate humanity for those less fortunate than myself and help when I can.ViewDate:
5th Sep 2023jeanmark commented on:
Shoplifting on the Rise: Should We Report It or Ignore It?Munsterlander, I agree it is a difficult moral issue and theft is theft, but if a mother has no money left to feed her children what is she left to do, there are few close communities left, many women and men have two jobs and still have difficulty making ends meet, even when they are experienced in stretching the pennies and never waste things. Not all are wasters and I know of women who have attempted suicide because they have no where to turn and hope that if dead their children will be cared for. As a country what have we become when we assume the person should manage better, when we sit comfortably in our castle, when did we no longer recognise true distress believing the person "must have brought it on themselves". We have increased use of food banks (despite MP Priti Patel standing in one asking why they were needed and MP Lee Anderson stating you can make a family meal for 30p) and these places are struggling to cope with demand. I recognise the cost to small businesses, but also recognise the things usually honest people have to turn to for survival of their family. What about the social contract we make with governments to protect and provide for the people they are paid to serve.ViewDate:
5th Sep 2023jeanmark commented on:
Do you support the new expansion of the ULEZ in London?Well this one's the worse I have ever known. The dishonesty and lies started with Boris Johnson and has just continued. I accept there have been scandals in the past but I have never witnessed a government as dishonest and uncaring as this one is.ViewDate:
5th Sep 2023jeanmark commented on:
Do you support the new expansion of the ULEZ in London?Marley444, unfortunately with this government in charge you have to be keep up to date with their lies and shenanigans!ViewDate:
2nd Sep 2023jeanmark commented on:
Do you support the new expansion of the ULEZ in London?Marley 44, it was in fact Grant Shapps, the then transport secretary not Sadiq Khan who said it had be introduced. At the time Shapps wrote to Sadiq Khan asking him to make the change as a condition of further financial support from Transport for London. A letter from him at that time shows that the government proposed enlarging London congestion charge zone back in 2020. So now they are happy to imply it was Sadiq Khan but of course he is labour!