UK’s first hedgehog conservation area planned for Parliament’s native population of pricks

True and funny or untrue and funny or in political speak true, untrue and funny.

Or is it unfair on hedgehogs.

Pride's Purge

(satire?)

A project centred around the Houses of Parliament to create the UK’s first dedicated hedgehog conservation area is being established, as part of efforts to maintain and preserve the large populations of pricks who reside there.

The Wildlife Trust’s scheme, funded by the British Hedgehog Preservation Society, will also work with the local community to raise awareness of the plight of Britain’s largest native pricks.

Westminster residents and volunteers will be encouraged to help construct hedgehog-friendly measures in and around both Houses of Parliament, such as small holes in walls and fences through which the spineless creatures can forage, seek shelter and rendezvous with potential mates.

a prick

The announcement comes just weeks after ornithologists discovered a pair of Great Tits, who have taken up residence in Downing St, as well as an increasing number of cocks which have been making their homes in government departments over the last 5 years.

a Great Tit

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Largest ever privatisation deal for the NHS agreed – more Tory corruption. (#UK #Politics #Health #NHS)

Order Of Truth

We have exposed the government and their greedy self-serving tactics time and time again, and now one of the biggest and most obvious abuses of their power has taken place through the largest privatisation deal for the NHS yet.

After making the NHS impossible to operate through their meddling the government have initiated the privatisation of surgery, x-rays, and other diagnostic tests through the back door.

Using a little known about body called ‘NHS Supply Chain’, a highly lucrative £780 million deal has been struck with eleven companies, three of them having previously been heavily criticised, including two by the NHS regulator, for providing poor quality of care in hospitals and care homes.

The total value of the privatisation is made up of five national contracts with a maximum value of £240m, £160m, £240m, £80m and £60m – adding up to a total of £780m.

The companies include several that…

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Love ’em or loathe ’em, NHS targets are here to stay

Original post from The Health Foundation

An extract

‘………..Discussion of the forthcoming UK general election is dominated by military language: battle lines have been drawn, salvoes have been fired, skirmishes are underway. So it seems appropriate to suggest that the political arms race over the NHS has now well and truly begun.

The campaign promises on the NHS we’ve heard so far – and doubtless also the promises we’ll hear between now and 7 May – essentially split into two categories. First are commitments about resources, ie pledges to either provide additional funding or make existing budgets go further by cutting perceived waste (NHS managers will be wearily familiar with this terrain). Second are commitments about setting priorities for how the NHS will use those resources, such as extending GP opening hours, speeding up cancer diagnostics, improving access to mental health services, and so on.

The basic purpose of that second set of commitments is essentially to convince the public that the political party making them has the right plan for the NHS. But recent polling suggests only 16% of the public generally trust the political class to tell the truth, whereas 90% of people trust doctors to do likewise. So why do politicians continue to compete over who has the right priorities for the NHS, if the public doesn’t really trust any of them? ………….’

Tesco; Every Little Helps- Now Coffee Shops

Harris + Hoole

When you shop at an establishment, do you ask who the owners are or who the shareholders are? No you do not, you shop there as you may like the shop, it has what you want and hopefully at a price you are prepared to pay.

Many of our High Street and some non- High Street shops are owned by multinational organisations and I assume many, if not all, are doing as much as they can to manage and reduce, where possible, their liability to tax. Do not we all, or am I assuming all these people complaining of tax avoidance have not got at least one ISA.

Tax avoidance will always be with us, it is one of the actions of the Governments of the day to minimise the opportunities for all, companies and individuals, to be able to avoid paying tax.

In an ideal world tax avoidance would not occur, but where is this ideal world? I am not saying it is right to avoid paying tax, as this deprives the country of income needed to fund the running of the country and its services. All Governments should do all they can to minimise this practice. However, close one loophole and the tax avoidance experts, Chartered Accountants, employed by these companies will do all they can to find another. You could say it is providing employment, if only for the Chartered Accountants.

You have to give it to Tesco, they appear to know about marketing, as they say’ Every Little Helps‘ even money from coffee shops.  What will they try next, or is there something to try?

They appear to be very successful in what they do, what about ‘Tesco Government’, could they be any worse. They could start by sponsoring their own MP’s, at least you would know what they stand for, just look at their shops.

Obesity; Ban Fast Food

Obesity appoint Tsars

An obesity ‘tsar’ should be appointed at every NHS trust to tackle a crisis affecting  millions, leading doctors say. Is this feasible, can the NHS afford for each trust to appoint an Obesity Tsar, when apparently there is already a NHS funding crisis.  Wards closing, fewer nurses and complaints rising, perhaps an additional member of staff for each Trust is pushing it.

But what can be done, lets have a look.  Over the years some other activities have been cause for concern and they were or are being dealt with.

Cigarettes are bad for your health, so they are heavily taxed, advertising is virtually banned, plain wrapped cartons with explicit health warnings. Alcohol is bad for health, still heavily taxed and threat of minimum prices and buying offers to be banned to try to restrict binge drinking.

Now it is obesity, lets look at some causes, lack of exercise, bad diets and drinking. What more can be done about drinking, with the exception of banning it completely. Oh, just a minute, tried in the USA 1920-1933. Exercise, favourable taxes could be applied for Gym membership, but this would favour some of the rich (Labour and Lib Dems object) and no money available due to current financial circumstances of the country.

I know, what about banning or heavily taxing fast food, precedent set , see cigarettes and to some extent drinking. This is unlikely to affect the rich, therefore Tories may be in favour. But just a minute, what about the not so rich, Oh go ahead, does anyone care.

But obesity is a problem, but is mainly of ones own making, the only way for obesity to be tackled is for everyone who has an obesity problem, to want to over come it. But in the first instance, it may be convincing some people that they have an obesity problem.  Possibly a second is the thought that they have a right to be obese, if they so wish. Obesity will be a major problem for some time, possibly for ever, do you have the answer?

Now it is too much sugar

So The Royal College of Physicians needs to alter their thinking, an ‘Obesity Tzar’ is not required, just reduce sugar content.

But if sugar content is reduced, how will the food taste, we have all grown accustomed to the sweetish taste in our foods.

Lets face it, ingest too much of anything and it is in some way not good for you.

There are now so many answers to so few questions, so how do we know what to do?

Cameron makes changes

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2197874/Andrew-Lansley-Health-Secretary-faces-axe-NHS-reforms.html

I welcome the changes and will wait and see how they progress.

Over the few years of this government there have been things I agree with and some that I do not. I do believe that it is impossible for any government actions to be agreeable to all, even the supporters of that governments political party.

Those of you who wish to see a change of government, should first view the alternatives. Although we have many political parties the way in which the voting structure is at the moment will mean there is only a choice of 2 parties Labour or Conservative. We have all seen the mess the last Labour Government left the country in. The Liberal Democrats do not have the power base to form a government on their own. That is why they wish to have voting on a PR basis, which in effect would mean, in most cases, a coalition government. This is what we have at the moment, yet people are not happy and wish change. None of the other parties would be able to form a government on their own.

This means the only alternative which has not been tried in the last few years is a fully Conservative Government.