Press reforms, hospitals and the price of a pint

28 November 2012

After days of saying very little about the murder in the town, today we have a name for the victim and the man now charged with her murder.  It seems that she died from head injuries.  Anthony Hall was remanded in custody yesterday and will appear at Warwick Crown Court sometime today.  What a waste of two lives! 

The Report on the enquiry in press standards was released today.  Radio 4 had the new boss of News International on giving his views on what should happen next.  He majored on government interference in the press and I would agree with him on that; the press should be allowed to report as and when it finds stories.  But the inquiry was set up to look at how they found the stories to begin with and the follow up stories.  It also looked at the issue of privacy.  The horrendous way that the Sun and the News of the World (do you remember being a broadsheet years ago - I do!), reporters hacked into mobile phones and used other invasive methods was totally out of order.  Then there was the issue of the certain sections of the press turning on various people who spoke out against what they were doing and worked hard to smear them and their efforts.  Top and bottom of it was all the press, and News International in particular just got too full of its own importance and too big for their boots.  They needed to be brought down and sorted out.  That ultimately will be good for the British press in my view!

A hospital in Cannock is due to close but someone has come up with the idea that it should perhaps be run by local people thereby being kept open and out of the hands of private companies.  Ideally is should remain open as a NHS hospital, as should all hospitals and therefore they should be fully funded by central government.  It got me thinking about the future of the Hussy Hospital here  Dorktown and if it could happen here.  The Hussy has already contracted out to private companies a number of its services already.  Indeed, all hospitals have done that anyway.  During the time Mad Maggie all the catering and cleaning services were contracted out.  I wonder if there is any coloration between that and the rise of C/Diff and MRSA?

Staying on the health theme then ... NICE has come out with the idea that all car park charges should be significantly increased to force people to walk to work or to the shops thereby getting and staying fitter by doing so.  It's a nice idea - the pun is intended - but it seems to me to be unworkable.  Why?  Well the days of rolling out of bed, out the front door and down to the bottom of the street to work are long gone.  Now, commuting to work is very  much the done thing.  But be honest, how many people can really walk to work?  Added time alone would make it difficult.  Mums working part time after dropping the kids at two or three different schools on her way in and collecting them on the way home again.  There was also something about going walking to the shops - but can you imagine walking home with a months worth of shopping in one go?  No, nor me!

Another health issue ... the possibility of a minimum price for alcohol is to be consulted over.  The suggested price is 45p a unit.  Strong beers are 3 points a pint but I have never paid such a low price of £1.35 for a pint.  These days most beers are all priced above that level.  The problem of over drinking is a big one that needs tackling but as I see it, it's the happy hours and drink promotions in bars, clubs and supermarkets as well as the longer opening hours of the pub and clubs that are causing most of the problem.  That is where action is need to be taken.  Top and bottom of it all is that booze is far too easy to get hold of.  Within a five minute walk of our flat there are three off licences and a pub.  We don't need that many!

So it's time to look for a photo ... yes, I know ... 

found at the entrance to the Hussy hospital.

And today's funny ...

  
Three old mischievous grandmas were sitting on a bench outside a nursing home. An old grandpa walked by, and one of the old grandmas yelled out saying, "We bet we can tell exactly how old you are." The old man said, "There ain't no way you can guess it, you old fools." One of the ornery grandmas said, "Sure we can! Just drop your under shorts and we can tell your exact age." Embarrassed just a little, he dropped his drawers. The grandmas stared at him for a while, asked him to turn around a couple of times, asked him to jump up and down for a little while and then they all piped up and said, You're 84 years old!" "How in the world did you guess?!?" The onery old grandmas snickered and laughed. Slapping their knees and grinning from ear to ear, all three happily yelled in unison, Because we were at your birthday party yesterday!!