Comments on: Left behind

By: Kate Belgrave

Kate Belgrave — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 12:41:45 +0000

Are you saying they were involved with iPlayer? They seem to be on course to provide IT during the Olympics as well. Interesting that they do a second line in gynaecology. Talk about men of parts.

By: sanbikinoraion

sanbikinoraion — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 11:18:55 +0000

One word, Kate:

iPlayer!

By: Kate Belgrave

Kate Belgrave — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 18:27:23 +0000

Interesting point, there, john b - the Greens were rather playing the anti-foreign card, now that I think about it. There was no real reason to point out that Atos was French.

I don’t think the Atos contract is a good thing, though. My reading of it, and experience of these companies, is that they undercut other bids, then start sweating the assets (ie, cutting salaries, etc) when they win the contract, and thus end by providing a much-inferior service. Certainly has been the case with care-service contracts, etc. I might follow this one up a bit. It was the first I’d heard of the dispute.

By: cjcjc

cjcjc — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 15:45:43 +0000

Thing is, French patients would be able to choose an Atos clinic or someone else.

By: john b

john b — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 14:37:48 +0000

Health outcomes are definitely better in France than the UK, so the Greens’ use of Atos’s nationality to beat them with seems like a dubious piece of anti-foreign rhetoric.

[not that I'm saying the Atos contract is a good thing, just don't know enough about it...]

By: Kate Belgrave

Kate Belgrave — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 10:48:06 +0000

No, I’m not sure that health outcomes are better here than in the States, but the Greens are.

I personally think that would be an intensely complex one to iron out - probably all sorts of conditions to that kind of number - ie, would all vary depending on your income (ie, whether you were poor), what sort of insurance you had, etc, etc… anyway, we could always send an email to Heather Finlay & ask her where she got the number. Sounded like electioneering to me.

By: cjcjc

cjcjc — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 07:44:05 +0000

“overpaid and underworked bureaucracy”

Thanks for reinforcing my prejudices, Kate! :-)

“perhaps we can ask Mayor Boris to try the Atos clinic for us when he finally books the much-needed vasectomy”

LOL!

Though doesn’t Ken need that vasectomy just as much?!

Here (Atos etc.) we have the perfect example of Labour giving us the very worst of both worlds.
I support European style health insurance - private (including plenty of not-for-profit) provision, but the patient chooses which provider to use.

Here we have private provision combined with no competitive pressure.
Brilliant.

PS are you sure health outcomes are not better in the US?
I thought cancer survival rates for example were significantly better?

By: kate belgrave

kate belgrave — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 06:19:14 +0000

Sunny, you are bad. You just want to put the boot even further into Respect, even at the cost of missing Alan.

By: Sunny Hundal

Sunny Hundal — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 22:39:30 +0000

I half-raise my hand to ask Lindsey for news of Respect and the alternative left that the SWP has spent the last five years fragging, but remember I’ll never make it home in time for Alan Sugar if we kick off on that one. I decide to let the alternative left lie.

But it would have made great blogging material! You have to think about your audience Kate! :)

By: Kate Belgrave

Kate Belgrave — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 16:27:33 +0000

yep, yr right about the food. nice hall, too, really. Just - empty.

By: leon

leon — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 16:10:49 +0000

There’s another one in Kilburn, the main candidates are confirmed apparently…on a side note Ox House is a pretty decent place, have lunch there every now and again, good food and decent prices.