Waiting for failure

 Total of British Soldiers killed in Afghanistan = 364

The King’s Fund is shaping up to being the authentic independent critic of the NHS. They report that NHS waiting lists are at a three year high. Colin Leys, Honorary Professor at Goldsmiths College London, and co-author with Stewart Player of 'The Plot Against the NHS' described the future of the NHS in a climate of cuts and reform.

In January I speculated that the Tories have solved the tricky problem of NHS waiting lists that have long been a headache to Governments.

Waiting lists are not an efficient way to measure the quality of the service, but they have a great effect on public perception. Many patients have been driven to unwisely impoverish themselves by going private rather than demanding better NHS treatment for urgent treatment.

In January’s debate on the NHS bill, no Tory had the generosity to admit that Labour has cut the waiting lists down to a level that was insignificant. Those present steadfastly refused to say whether this bill would increase waiting times.

But they have a plan. It's confirmed on Page 59 of the Commons Library note on the bill 'The Department of Health no longer publish waiting times data (the final publication was March 2010).

I tweeted about this today. The claim in the HOC document had been denied by the Department of Health. The figures today came from the King’s Fund, as I understand it, not the DOH.

 

Waiting lists are only one item of Coalition policy that has turned to dross. There were the botched bonfires of the Quangos, Gove’s blunders, the Big Society, plus the NHS reforms.

 

Civil Slaves

A new report from the Institute for Government, Making Policy Better, looks at what has gone wrong in Whitehall's core business. It shows how civil servants are too keen to flatter. One former minister is quoted as saying:

"When you become a minister you become the most interesting person in the world because everybody sits around nodding at you. You also become amazingly funny. Every half-witted remark you make, every pun that you attempt, is met with gales of laughter from the people round the table. It can lull you into thinking: 'I must be right about everything'." By the same token, some ministers are so "scary" that civil servants are too frightened to challenge them. So officials just do what they are told by ministers who are often not up to the job. No wonder coalition policies are going pear-shaped.

 

Ieuan feeble

Why does Ieuan Wyn Jones appear to be weak?

Spotted tonight in his interview with Vaughan Roderick was his failure to make any clear statements. He used the diminishing expression ‘If you like’ at least six times.

What if we don’t like?

Guto's gobbledegook 

An irritating mis-representation repeated ad nauseam this morning by Guto Bebb is that under AV unpopular candidates have their votes counted more than once.

Balderdash. Losers’ votes under AV are eliminated at each round. Votes that are counted 'more than once' are the eventual winners.

 

From the BBC Wales website

 Ie i AV 

Pam cefnogi'r bleidlais amgen?

Paul Flynn

Aelod Seneddol Llafur Gorllewin Casnewydd

 

Er nad yw'r 'Bleidlais Amgen' yn berffaith, mae'n llawer tecach na'r system 'Cyntaf i'r Felin'. O dan y system bresennol, mae Etholiadau Cyffredinol yn cael eu penderfynu gan ychydig filoedd o bleidleiswyr mewn dim ond nifer fach o etholaethau. Mae angen newid yr anghyfiawnder o bleidleisiau pobl sydd ddim yn cyfri'. Mae hwn yn gyfle mawr o ddiwygiad democrataidd a allai arwain at ddiwygiadau pellach.

Byddai Siartwyr Casnewydd wedi dweud 'Ie' i Bleidlais Amgen. Yn fy etholaeth i yn 1839, bu farw 20 o Siartwyr. Roedden nhw'n protestio am ddemocratiaeth, ac yn erbyn yr anghyfiawnderau mawr yn yr etholfraint yn 1839. Heddiw, mae'r holl bwyntiau yn eu siarter wedi'u cyflawni, heblaw am ethol seneddau pob blwyddyn. Petai'r Siartwyr yn fyw heddiw, rwy'n credu y bydden nhw eisiau gwneud pob pleidlais o werth cyfartal. Mae Pleidlais Amgen yn mynd yn bell ar y ffordd i gyflawni hynny. Er nad yw'n cyrraedd y nod terfynol o wneud pob pleidlais o werth cyfartal, mae'n welliant mawr.

Mewn dau Etholiad Cyffredinol diweddar yng Nghymru, enillodd y Torïaid 20% o'r pleidleisiau ond dim un o'r 40 o seddi yng Nghymru. Mae hynny'n newyddion braf i mi fel AS Llafur ond mae'n ddemocratiaeth erchyll. Mae Cyntaf i'r Felin yn ystumio'r dymuniadau'r pleidleiswyr.

'Swydd am oes'

Lwc yw hi bod y glymblaid presennol wedi gorfodi'r Torïaid i roi refferendwm i ni.

Mae llawer o'r gwrthwynebiad gan ASau yn cael ei ysgogi gan hunan-les. Maen nhw'n meddwl, 'rhaid bod y system sy'n ethol pobl mor wych â ni yn ffordd dda o wneud pethau. Pan fyddwn yn cael ein ethol dro ar ôl tro mae'n rhaid i'r system fod yn berffaith. Pam newid?' Y gwir trist yw bod y system Cyntaf i'r Felin yn galluogi ASau i gael 'swydd am oes' yn y rhan fwyaf o etholaethau.

Fel y mae pethau ar hyn o bryd, gall ymgeisydd ennill etholaeth gydag ychydig dros draean o'r bleidlais, tra bod dau ymgeisydd arall gydag ychydig o dan draean yr un o'r bleidlais. Byddai'r enillydd ddim yn dderbyniol i'r rhan fwyaf o etholwyr ond fe fyddai'n AS beth bynnag. Gallai Bleidlais Amgen sicrhau bod yr enillydd ddim yn ennill ei sedd tro nesaf.

Er gwaethaf y newidiadau enfawr mewn cymdeithas ac yn ein harferion pleidleisio yn y 50 mlynedd diwethaf, mae gennym system bleidleisio sydd heb newid i gydnabod y newidiadau hyn. Y gwir syml yw bod y system Cyntaf i'r Felin yn gweithio pan fydd y rhan fwyaf o bobl yn pleidleisio dros un o ddwy blaid wleidyddol. Nid yw'n gweithio pan fydd pobl yn pleidleisio ar gyfer amrywiaeth o bleidiau fel mae pobl yn gwneud heddiw.

Dyna pam y byddaf yn pleidleisio 'Ie' ar Fai 5.

 

Comments

[Junican]

it amazes me that your blog is all about political point-scoring. How silly!

The EU is ripping off the taxpayer in this country with total abandon. No one can stop it because it is too complicated. But who was responsible for allowing the EU to become too complicated?

The EU needs to be brought under control. It needs to be cut down to size - how, for example, did the EU become involved in Global Warming?

Of what consequence is AV? It will make little difference. No one gives a toss. I will be voting against - I detest coalitions,

[HuwOS]

I applaud that you vote at all Junican, but am not surprised that your vote will go a particular way for a ludicrous "reason".

But obviously you have been very happy with the governments that have come about from constituency representatives being elected by FPP and don't want to change that in any way.
So more power to you, vote what you believe.

[patrick]

"Of what consequence is AV? It will make little difference. No one gives a toss".

Credit should be given to you Junican for highlighting the mindset and apathy of the average British voter.

Why not get a T-Shirt printed with -

'I hate the present political system'
on the front

'I'm voting to preserve it'
on the back

[Paul Flynn]

FPTP is a cheat. But it served both main parties well in exaggerating the support we get. A vote for labour or Conservative is worth half a dozen votes for small parties. If that it is not clear to Junican mayb he and others like will not vote. then the sensible people may win.

[D.G.]

"it amazes me that your blog is all about political point-scoring."

It amazes me that Junican managed a whole post without mentioning the you-know-what

[Guto Bebb]

Paul bach, you describe my comment as gobbledegook but it is, in actual fact, the truth. A BNP voter supports the fifth placed candidate - he has backed a loser under FPTP. Full stop. But under AV his second choice will be counted (and possible even his third). Gobbledegook? No Paul - fact. That is why a majority of your fellow Labour Members of Parliament will also be voting 'no' to AV.

Cofion gorau,

Guto