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Michael Sheen delivered an amazing piece of oratory yesterday on the importance of the NHS. He is one of the most powerful speakers I've ever seen, I barely noticed I was stood in the mud in the driving sleet.
If man evolved from monkeys why do we still have monkeys?
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Michael Sheen on the NHS on 23:18 - Mar 2 with 5977 views
He's an actor, Cotts. A bloody good one. He's got a reputation for meticulously researching his roles and it looks as if he's zeroed in on the style and mannerisms of A J Cook's perorations. I would have enjoyed watching that live.
"...slavered with voracious self interest..." He's nabbed that straight from the dais at the 1923 Durham Gala.
An idea isn't responsible for those who believe in it.
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Michael Sheen on the NHS on 07:49 - Mar 3 with 5855 views
Is sheen now an mp? Is Russell Brand going to become an mp? What these celebs say is hot air- they aren't standing for us in parliament so what they say is irrelevant.
[Post edited 3 Mar 2015 7:53]
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Michael Sheen on the NHS on 09:15 - Mar 3 with 5806 views
Michael Sheen on the NHS on 23:18 - Mar 2 by Swanseajill
Yes that was a indeed passionate and I found it interesting. The Tories are going to love it! Thanks for sharing it.
The obvious retort being that, given Sheen lives in LA, precisely how much in tax is he paying towards the NHS?
No doubt Sheen has something to say about the disparity in quality of care in the NHS between England and Wales; of course he'll note the WAG is riddled with Labour members.
Michael Sheen on the NHS on 07:36 - Mar 3 by Lohengrin
He's an actor, Cotts. A bloody good one. He's got a reputation for meticulously researching his roles and it looks as if he's zeroed in on the style and mannerisms of A J Cook's perorations. I would have enjoyed watching that live.
"...slavered with voracious self interest..." He's nabbed that straight from the dais at the 1923 Durham Gala.
It was definitely an "I was there" moment and was an absolute tour de force of public speaking although I'd expect no less from someone who makes a very good living by talking out loud.
His use of the English language, whether borrowed or not, was much more enjoyable to listen to than the 6th Form "poetry" of Patrick Jones, who has managed to make a career as a poet without ever mentioning that he's Nicky Wire from the Manic's brother, who also spoke.
If man evolved from monkeys why do we still have monkeys?
Michael Sheen on the NHS on 12:23 - Mar 3 by blueytheblue
Ironic he shouts about the Tories yet conveniently ignores Labour in Wales spend less on the NHS... it was the WAG who applied further cuts.
Luvvie singing to a mindless mass springs to mind.
Selective hearing or did you not watch it all the way through? He, like most of the speakers on the day, was critical of all the parties its just that all of the speakers and the crowd whether they were successful actors or not were united in their hatred of the Tory Party.
You conveniently ignore that the Tories in Westminster have overseen a costly, unnecessary top down reorganisation of the NHS without a mandate for doing so and in the face of opposition from the health sector. Spending on the NHS in England has decreased in real terms since the Tories came to power despite promises that it wouldn't.
You also conveniently ignore the recent Nuffield Trust report that found that there was little difference in performance between the NHS in Wales, England, Scotland and Northern Ireland and that there isn't, as Mr Cameron has repeatedly said, a line between life and death at Offah's Dyke.
If man evolved from monkeys why do we still have monkeys?
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Michael Sheen on the NHS on 13:38 - Mar 3 with 5670 views
Michael Sheen on the NHS on 13:15 - Mar 3 by Cottsy
Selective hearing or did you not watch it all the way through? He, like most of the speakers on the day, was critical of all the parties its just that all of the speakers and the crowd whether they were successful actors or not were united in their hatred of the Tory Party.
You conveniently ignore that the Tories in Westminster have overseen a costly, unnecessary top down reorganisation of the NHS without a mandate for doing so and in the face of opposition from the health sector. Spending on the NHS in England has decreased in real terms since the Tories came to power despite promises that it wouldn't.
You also conveniently ignore the recent Nuffield Trust report that found that there was little difference in performance between the NHS in Wales, England, Scotland and Northern Ireland and that there isn't, as Mr Cameron has repeatedly said, a line between life and death at Offah's Dyke.
To be fair, no I didn't watch it all. Fed up of luvvies in LA claiming to know the reality. Critical of all the parties just more critical of Tories. Gotcha. Which party championed PFI, meaning Trusts are having to pay massively over the odds for hospitals? Labour, by any chance? Yup, those are the ones responsible. Still, Labour luvvie can't really criticise Labour as much, eh? As I said, playing to the gallery.
Spending has decreased in Wales under WAG, more than in England. Quality has decreased too. Claiming otherwise... eh...
Labour cheerleader Polly Toynbee, I recall, tried to excuse mortality rates by making the farcical claim people were dying in Welsh hospitals as there are no hospices in Wales!
Money isn't the problem with the NHS, other than the wastage of money. The fact remains front line staff are repeatedly treated an angels; it's evil to point out some are less than competent. My dad was in hospital with bronchitis; having had a stroke 20 yrs previous, it was serious. He was kept in over 6 weeks more than was necessary. Why? Because a stomach bug had crossed wards. Serious bug affected numerous people yet no note was made in his records. Why did the bug spread? Difficult to say but given front line medical staff were routinely moving between wards without applying the hand gel - nor were they insisting members of the public did so - then it's guessable.
Maybe it was Tory cuts who enabled a male nurse, when asked by my mum to help my elderly dad get to the toilet, to reply under his breath "got better f**king things to do" then walked off.
Maybe I should think it was Tory cuts that could have killed my wife when a registrar tried prescribing a medicine containing penicillin which she's allergic to - the pharmicist was on the ball thankfully.
Maybe I imagined the useless triage guy when my wife was miscarriaging - ambulance guys were fantastic and arranged proper care. Ambulance guy also threated to punch the incompetent triage guy if he screwed up again.
Maybe heartless Tories were responsible for the nursing staff treating me like s*** for asking for a bowl of water to help clear my wife up during that time in hospital.
And before you respond, I've better things to do than make the above s*** up before anyone comments.
The fact remains, you can throw as much money as exists into the NHS. There still exists incompetence in places yet you can't dare question peoples competencies. Got into nursing etc because they care, y'know.
There's also plenty of wastage in the NHS. As part of some ongoing medical issues, my GP noticed eardrums were inflamed - due to hayfever. Was going to prescribe me some OTC stuff! I pointed out I could pay for that stuff myself and was going to do so.
Some of that wastage is also down to patients believing A&E is a catchall for any and everything. My wife had to be hospitalised for a night a few months ago. Opposite her was an overweight valleys girl. Howling in pain - whenever medical staff were nearby, whining about the poor treatment. Rest of the time, she was happily chatting to her parents that she felt hungover from the night before, could murder a burger and was going to go outside for a fag. She took up a bed and medical resources for what was indigestion...
Michael Sheen on the NHS on 13:38 - Mar 3 by blueytheblue
To be fair, no I didn't watch it all. Fed up of luvvies in LA claiming to know the reality. Critical of all the parties just more critical of Tories. Gotcha. Which party championed PFI, meaning Trusts are having to pay massively over the odds for hospitals? Labour, by any chance? Yup, those are the ones responsible. Still, Labour luvvie can't really criticise Labour as much, eh? As I said, playing to the gallery.
Spending has decreased in Wales under WAG, more than in England. Quality has decreased too. Claiming otherwise... eh...
Labour cheerleader Polly Toynbee, I recall, tried to excuse mortality rates by making the farcical claim people were dying in Welsh hospitals as there are no hospices in Wales!
Money isn't the problem with the NHS, other than the wastage of money. The fact remains front line staff are repeatedly treated an angels; it's evil to point out some are less than competent. My dad was in hospital with bronchitis; having had a stroke 20 yrs previous, it was serious. He was kept in over 6 weeks more than was necessary. Why? Because a stomach bug had crossed wards. Serious bug affected numerous people yet no note was made in his records. Why did the bug spread? Difficult to say but given front line medical staff were routinely moving between wards without applying the hand gel - nor were they insisting members of the public did so - then it's guessable.
Maybe it was Tory cuts who enabled a male nurse, when asked by my mum to help my elderly dad get to the toilet, to reply under his breath "got better f**king things to do" then walked off.
Maybe I should think it was Tory cuts that could have killed my wife when a registrar tried prescribing a medicine containing penicillin which she's allergic to - the pharmicist was on the ball thankfully.
Maybe I imagined the useless triage guy when my wife was miscarriaging - ambulance guys were fantastic and arranged proper care. Ambulance guy also threated to punch the incompetent triage guy if he screwed up again.
Maybe heartless Tories were responsible for the nursing staff treating me like s*** for asking for a bowl of water to help clear my wife up during that time in hospital.
And before you respond, I've better things to do than make the above s*** up before anyone comments.
The fact remains, you can throw as much money as exists into the NHS. There still exists incompetence in places yet you can't dare question peoples competencies. Got into nursing etc because they care, y'know.
There's also plenty of wastage in the NHS. As part of some ongoing medical issues, my GP noticed eardrums were inflamed - due to hayfever. Was going to prescribe me some OTC stuff! I pointed out I could pay for that stuff myself and was going to do so.
Some of that wastage is also down to patients believing A&E is a catchall for any and everything. My wife had to be hospitalised for a night a few months ago. Opposite her was an overweight valleys girl. Howling in pain - whenever medical staff were nearby, whining about the poor treatment. Rest of the time, she was happily chatting to her parents that she felt hungover from the night before, could murder a burger and was going to go outside for a fag. She took up a bed and medical resources for what was indigestion...
So you're going to write off someone as a 'Labour luvvie' playing to the 'mindless masses' without actually listening to what he said? Ignore the fact that he was damning of the political class as a whole just argue against a strawman to support your position.
Spending on the NHS has decreased in Wales but due to cuts to the Welsh budget at Westminster. Present your contrary findings to the Nuffield Trust if you disagree with their report that there is little difference between the NHS in the 4 nations of UK.
Anecdotally your personal experience of the NHS has been poor but anecdotally my experience of the NHS has been very good. Neither proves anything.
If man evolved from monkeys why do we still have monkeys?
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Michael Sheen on the NHS on 17:47 - Mar 3 with 5583 views
Michael Sheen on the NHS on 09:15 - Mar 3 by blueytheblue
The obvious retort being that, given Sheen lives in LA, precisely how much in tax is he paying towards the NHS?
No doubt Sheen has something to say about the disparity in quality of care in the NHS between England and Wales; of course he'll note the WAG is riddled with Labour members.
Apparently he wants to be close to his daughter, so I have read.
[Post edited 3 Mar 2015 17:48]
Continually being banned by Planet Swans for Porthcawl and then being reinstated.
Michael Sheen on the NHS on 17:49 - Mar 3 by trampie
You didn't listen to the man did you, Labour has done as much damage to the NHS as the Tories.
Labour have done more damage due to PFI.
I agree, didn't listen to it all, got bored very early on.
Did he suggest any solutions or was it just rabble rousing waffle with no real content? Did he reference any other health systems on the continent which are efficient, provide good service yet don't have similar funding to here?
It was a greatly delivered speech, loads of Nye Bevan material in there, it was the best speech I have heard for decades, probably since Kinnocks 'thousand generations' speech.
Real fire in Sheen's belly, a master class fairplay.
Continually being banned by Planet Swans for Porthcawl and then being reinstated.
Michael Sheen on the NHS on 18:07 - Mar 3 by blueytheblue
Labour have done more damage due to PFI.
I agree, didn't listen to it all, got bored very early on.
Did he suggest any solutions or was it just rabble rousing waffle with no real content? Did he reference any other health systems on the continent which are efficient, provide good service yet don't have similar funding to here?
We all know the solution sh*g, raise taxes and spread the wealth.
The British nationalist parties will continue to cut services in the shape of the Tories, the Kippers, NuLabour and the Lib-Dems. It the likes of Plaid and the SNP that offer a social justice route, but they are not UK wide parties, so expect our once great country to decline further and further, no post offices, no village junior schools, street lights switched off, pot holes in the road, bins collected every month, no community police stations, libraries and swimming pools closed down, parks not maintained, no free milk for school kids, no legal aid, no free eye tests, no free dentistry, no free education or health service even. Benefits cut back, housing stock sold off, no nationalised industries, zero hours are here, workers rights disappearing and food banks and soup kitchens are becoming the norm.
We have gone backwards as a country, its shameful, all because of greed, Thatcher offered tax cuts and the English fell for it, Wales and Scotland didn't vote for her [although many did] but the English fell over themselves to sign up for what she was offering and now the country is in a shameful mess. Its very sad but there you go.
[Post edited 5 Mar 2015 8:34]
Continually being banned by Planet Swans for Porthcawl and then being reinstated.
Michael Sheen on the NHS on 18:32 - Mar 3 by blueytheblue
Tax and spend. Good old Labour solutions.
Other European nations ( think Germeny etc ) have damn good health systems , dare I say it at worst comparable to the NHS.
Throwing more money at the NHS isn't the solution. Eliminating waste, working smarter, targetting resources where needed is the key.
The health service is funded through taxation, the more money put into it the better the service, it might be a generalisation but its broadly true, tax has become a dirty word and politicians are afraid to say that taxes need to be raised, they rather cut taxes and services and privatise everything which is fine if you are healthy and have age on your side, are educated and have a decent job but that is not everybody is it ?, in fact the majority are struggling and without the safety net of the welfare state, in some cases people are looking at becoming destitute in this country.
Its just not our health service its our British way of life that is going down the swanee, all those things that I listed in my previous post that were created and or nurtured after the second world war, the country had come together and wanted a better society, it lasted a while before greed and self interest took over and now our society is going backwards at a rate of knots.
Continually being banned by Planet Swans for Porthcawl and then being reinstated.
Michael Sheen on the NHS on 18:49 - Mar 3 by trampie
The health service is funded through taxation, the more money put into it the better the service, it might be a generalisation but its broadly true, tax has become a dirty word and politicians are afraid to say that taxes need to be raised, they rather cut taxes and services and privatise everything which is fine if you are healthy and have age on your side, are educated and have a decent job but that is not everybody is it ?, in fact the majority are struggling and without the safety net of the welfare state, in some cases people are looking at becoming destitute in this country.
Its just not our health service its our British way of life that is going down the swanee, all those things that I listed in my previous post that were created and or nurtured after the second world war, the country had come together and wanted a better society, it lasted a while before greed and self interest took over and now our society is going backwards at a rate of knots.
Britain has always had greed. Christ, look at WW2 - a wonderfully happy notion of everyone pulling together is portrayed, reality was crime occurred, looting occured..
Raise taxes a la France? Wasn't the rate there something crazy like 75%? Ok, work 4 hours, get paid for 1. Can't see many going for something like that one.
With regards to the NHS, one approach is raise tax, increase the money. Well, if the money is being wasted then it'll still be wasted. Indeed, I'd suggest the biggest drain on the NHS right now is the appalling waste of money going on the absolutely bonkers PFI deals instigated by Labour. Those contracts still remain.
Throwing money at a problem doesn't solve the problem because it means the underlying cause never gets addressed at root. Medicine in particular needs to be practised smarter; address the problems at root cause. Obesity causes many associated problems; rather than addressing that ( and I'm well aware there are many medical reasons for obesity that cannot be easily treated ) it seems the ethos is "love yourself as you are". Molly coddle and hope lifestyle changes magically occur. There's plenty wanting society to handle everything, abjecting personal responsibilities.
Michael Sheen on the NHS on 18:57 - Mar 3 by blueytheblue
Britain has always had greed. Christ, look at WW2 - a wonderfully happy notion of everyone pulling together is portrayed, reality was crime occurred, looting occured..
Raise taxes a la France? Wasn't the rate there something crazy like 75%? Ok, work 4 hours, get paid for 1. Can't see many going for something like that one.
With regards to the NHS, one approach is raise tax, increase the money. Well, if the money is being wasted then it'll still be wasted. Indeed, I'd suggest the biggest drain on the NHS right now is the appalling waste of money going on the absolutely bonkers PFI deals instigated by Labour. Those contracts still remain.
Throwing money at a problem doesn't solve the problem because it means the underlying cause never gets addressed at root. Medicine in particular needs to be practised smarter; address the problems at root cause. Obesity causes many associated problems; rather than addressing that ( and I'm well aware there are many medical reasons for obesity that cannot be easily treated ) it seems the ethos is "love yourself as you are". Molly coddle and hope lifestyle changes magically occur. There's plenty wanting society to handle everything, abjecting personal responsibilities.
Britain like anywhere else has always had some greed, but greed won the day under Mrs Thatcher the majority of the UK voted for it, they may well have not understood the consequences but nonetheless Mrs Thatcher won the war and we are still left with the legacy today.
You talk of Labour as if they are some how different from the Tories, you need to go back 30 odd years for that, Blair was every bit as right wing as Mrs Thatcher, Cameron and Milliband are extreme right wing, you can barely get a fag packet between their policies on lots of issues, UKIP and the Lib-Dems are all the same.
The electorate don't have a choice because they are all the same, there is some choice in Wales and Scotland because of their social justice parties but as regards the Government of the land its going to be more of the same over and over again, whether its red, blue, yellow or yellow and purple Tories they are all the same.
[Post edited 3 Mar 2015 19:39]
Continually being banned by Planet Swans for Porthcawl and then being reinstated.
Labour moved to the right for the simple reason the electorate did. Smith and kinnock at least realised Labour needed freeing from the shackles of the unions. Sadly Labour now have a leader so enamoured of the unions he relied upon their votes to stab his brother in the back.
Labour's own voting figures showed amongst the activists and members, Dave was the choice. The unions wanted Ed, their votes swung it for him. I'd not say Ed is centre right, more a power hungry opportunist. And an incompetent one at that.
The point about tax is people at any level are only going to want to pay a set amount - that's not greed, it's human nature. Workmen providing services cash in hand to avoid going through the books. There's a whole "black economy" that never pays tax. That's every bit as bad as someone using offshore schemes to avoid tax. Equally, there's a myth HMRC exist to collect "fair tax". HMRC interpret taxation laws as they see fit. The only way their interpretation is proven/disproven is via court ruling. Even then, HMRC have a massive advantage. Use a scheme for X years, it's now deemed illegal? HMRC can persue you for years BEFORE it became illegal. So be part of a scheme legally, you can still get done for it... which is against any semblance of fairness or justice.
Look at the taxation upon car fuel. Ridiculously high, yet the nation still clamours for more tax to be paid. That's why I'd say the tax revenue collected isn't the issue, the issue is the way it's being used.
The problem, especially with the NHS is you can't have the discussion about the way money is spent beause it's so emotive.
Michael Sheen on the NHS on 19:43 - Mar 3 by blueytheblue
Labour moved to the right for the simple reason the electorate did. Smith and kinnock at least realised Labour needed freeing from the shackles of the unions. Sadly Labour now have a leader so enamoured of the unions he relied upon their votes to stab his brother in the back.
Labour's own voting figures showed amongst the activists and members, Dave was the choice. The unions wanted Ed, their votes swung it for him. I'd not say Ed is centre right, more a power hungry opportunist. And an incompetent one at that.
The point about tax is people at any level are only going to want to pay a set amount - that's not greed, it's human nature. Workmen providing services cash in hand to avoid going through the books. There's a whole "black economy" that never pays tax. That's every bit as bad as someone using offshore schemes to avoid tax. Equally, there's a myth HMRC exist to collect "fair tax". HMRC interpret taxation laws as they see fit. The only way their interpretation is proven/disproven is via court ruling. Even then, HMRC have a massive advantage. Use a scheme for X years, it's now deemed illegal? HMRC can persue you for years BEFORE it became illegal. So be part of a scheme legally, you can still get done for it... which is against any semblance of fairness or justice.
Look at the taxation upon car fuel. Ridiculously high, yet the nation still clamours for more tax to be paid. That's why I'd say the tax revenue collected isn't the issue, the issue is the way it's being used.
The problem, especially with the NHS is you can't have the discussion about the way money is spent beause it's so emotive.
Yes Labour moved to the right because they thought they would never get back in again, the electorate had been bought, seduced by tax cuts, Thatcher sold off our housing stock for a song and sold off our nationalised industries, people could not see the wood for the trees.
Now all our institutions and public services are crumbling, Labour and the Tories are the same, people that have socialist leanings these days dislike Labour every bit as much if not more than the Tories, the Tories are true to their class, Labour are class traitors as well as Tories. So when you are talking about Labour in this day and age, you are splitting hairs as regards comparing them to the Conservative party because they are the same.
Continually being banned by Planet Swans for Porthcawl and then being reinstated.
Red Ed is certainly more old Labour. The bile, the jealousy seeps out every now and then, he just can't help it. He knows that won't get him the power he desparately craves.