July 2006.

Hospital Cleanliness.

There is a renewed campaign fronted by Leslie Ash the Actor concerning this matter. Apparently she contracted MRSS in a hospital, this is a form of MRSA. A while ago to my knowledge a late Tisbury Resident contracted the latter in Salisbury’s Odstock. It alarmed me that he did so as at the time we co-habited a Ward. One must not doubt that if those in the know attribute such infection to a lack of cleanliness there is probably substance to the allegation. Our ward Floor was swept everyday and sheets were washed on the same basis. However the window ledge behind my bed was dusted by me alone. When sharing that Ward I had cause to complain to a young male nurse that it would not be a good idea, so far as I was concerned, to stick a drip line into my arm immediately after he had dropped it on the Ward Floor. He treated me to the news that it was really very hard to pick up and infection in a Hospital Ward! Well that incident or some other caused a lesser infection in me that cost the NHS a vast quantity of penicillin.

There are other problems too. Patients tend to be shuffled about with the dexterity of a card sharp. After admission ward, I made it into four more, (plus another one ) in the course of ten days. These ranged from that afore mentioned shared ward, through the seemingly terminal Geriatric, then into an Oncology Bay where I was assured that my Oxygen would be following in a minute. I told the Nurse that I had no such need, but when he proffered pills I though to ask the man if he knew my name? Silly question really, one that in all seriousness received the reply
‘You don’t know who you are’?
There was no advice to ask Matron. However one should of course ponder ones Ego, even at the best of times. After the hospitality of Oncology one found a permanent berth in a different section of the Ward.

Medical persons advise me that we all carry MRSA, be one in hospital or not. Possibly it thrives amidst the ill, especially if in possibly overheated Wards where none of the windows can be opened. In former times Matrons would sweep through both Hospital and School opening every window, would have supervised the Ward Cleanliness, and terrorised the Housemen and Nursing Staff, and too both Patients and Visitors. In those times there was a lot of hand washing amidst the staff ,whilst trips to the bathroom tended to be forbidden even to ambulatory patients. Then of course there were sufficient Staff Nurses about the place, without recourse to Bank Nurses. The Latter may be in Swindon one day, Bath or Salisbury etc the next. Surely this must be a contributory cause of cross infection?

Possibly Infection is attributable more to the circumstance of the Hospital, than to the admission of random visitors? I thank the heavens above that I was not really ill. All that apart , the Salisbury Odstock is an excellent Hospital.

Parliamentary Matters. (Or does it ?)

BBC News Blair and Cameron suffer in double by-election rebellion Times Online - 2 hours ago By Times Online, Sam Coates and Greg Hurst. Tony Blair and David Cameron were both dealt by-election blows in heartland seats last night. Voters in Blaenau Gwent, South Wales, snatched by the late Labour rebel ... By-election blows for Blair and Cameron Independent Bring back the crossbench Guardian Unlimited

My apologies for ‘nicking’ this news report from the Beeb. There was reference to an article in the Guardian’s ‘commentisfree.’ Site on the web, this one written by Martin Bell,
(He that dresses for that ‘Alec Guiness’ role.)
Bell’s recommendation being that we should,

‘Bring back the Cross Bench’.

Blair and Cameron have indeed suffered a double by-election rebellion clearly a few more Independents are what we need.

I tend to vote Conservative in General Elections, however do not do so out of any sense of Political Conviction, but do so because there is such little choice. ‘Always hanging onto Nurse for fear of finding someone worse’

The Conservative Party has been a shambles for most of my adult life. I owe it nothing, and have been disadvantaged by most of it’s Policy and Legislation. Whether the latter was the enfranchisement of Leaseholds, the sale of Council Houses, the Poll Tax or the Council Tax. There was the withdrawal of Immigration Officers from our Ports and the debacle they made over the Railway System, the sale of Water and other Services. Etc etc. The only effective legislation was financed by cash from our natural gas and oil reserves.

Now we have this nonsense concerning the ‘A’ list thrust upon us. As if it is not bad enough to have members of Parliament and our Councillors more or less chosen for us by a handful of local Party Activists the current proposal is that they are supplied wholesale by Central Office. Could this be because Smith Square realises that the current system is faulty? I have no argument with such an opinion, but am uneasy concerning the proposed solution.

This is a system akin to the one that filled Parliament with Blair’s Babes, or once fuelled many an Eastern European ‘Democracy’. Choosing ‘Pop’ candidates smacks of the Labour Party’s receptions for such folk at ‘Number 10.’

Party Lists are no substitute for the home grown candidate. I have no knowledge of how other Political Parties run, however my past experience of the Conservative Party has been sufficient to acquaint me with the fact that most of its troubles arise from the grass roots.

If the Candidacy of women was repressed so that they were under represented in Parliament, it was often other women on Selection Committees whom one might best blame, if only because of the obdurate application of their Veto. I recall a selection committee where all the men wanted a particular (male) candidate, the two women backed the other (male) candidate and being unwilling to negotiate, their man won. For that was the only way of resolving the matter.

Furthermore it is also likely that when it comes to the selection of lesser candidates, it is not unknown that some on the Selection Committee be they of either sex, tend not to turn up on the appropriate day. This is unfortunate because a County Councillor probably has far more influence on ones lifestyle than does a rank and file MP.

‘OUR’ Railway Franchise.

Is coming up for renewal, South West Trains remain the Leading Contender. One notes that forty million pounds of Tax payers money contributed to their recent ‘Profit’. The Service from Tisbury seems reasonable enough for all who live in the sticks. Does one really need all the upgrading some clamour for. Two Platforms to accommodate twin tracks? It would all be very expensive, and enhancement would attract more and more commuters to Tisbury, and then of course, after some thirty years none of their ‘Children’ will be able to afford a house in the Village of their birth, so more houses will need to be built. Not in Hindon Lane of course. Maybe RAF Chilmark would be a fine site, or possibly between Upper and Lower Chicksgrove. We will have to wait and see, well I won’t be around, but all those new commuters will be.

Tisbury is convenient for Eurostar at a high price, even for those benefiting from the associated concessionary fare up to Waterloo. Our Station Master assured me that the discount was better than would have been available using an OAP Travel Card . I have been going to France once or twice every year for the past thirty five years and have always previously travelled by Car Ferry. Eurostar was an interesting experience but I have no intention of using the services again. I can understand those living in London might be more grateful of it than I.

Collecting the pre-debited tickets at Waterloo was a complication. These could not be collected unless one there and then, produced the actual debit or credit card that one had used to pay for the tickets over the internet . Then there were no seats to sit on whilst waiting for the Eurostar Barrier to be opened. Once through, one was more or less ‘mugged’ by the Security Staff when the metal detector took exception to the buckle on my belt. I noticed that all four of the Security Staff happened to be Black Brits. Of itself that was unremarkable, however some days later I espied that the Security Staff at that same Security check point were all of Anglo Saxon origin. This suggests to me that deployment is less than Politically Correct. Are these teams deliberately racially segregated in any way? A matter I commented upon to the Race Relations Board, had a very nice e.mail back from Sumena Hussain, (or Sumena as we surfers address one another) with encouragement that I personally take the matter further. It just seemed to me that since we are now multi-cultural, that fact might have been better represented at the Eurostar terminus.

At the Gare du Nord in Paris, the Main Station’s own Information kiosk refused to have any dealings with a Eurostar passenger, and certainly was unwilling to tell me whether or not the Station still operated a ‘Left Luggage Office’. That was the only information I needed.

Two persons travelling from Tisbury to Paris and back pay more money than the same two and a car cost on a wisely booked Ferry. Our trip was however an interesting experience one which possibly everyone else has sampled years back.

It seems outrageous that more money be invested in the proposed ‘Chunnel Link’ , as ‘the game really isn’t worth the candle’. The tunnel has financial difficulties, it is nice that it is there, and if need be, it should be allowed to become insolvent, it would cost the Banks a lot of money, but the share holders have lost theirs already. What niggled me most was that at the Gare du Nord there was a Poster offering a week end trip to London for seventy, I am tempted to say seven euros. The French put their dots and commas in curious places. Possibly as on the Ferry one can save money by booking the return leg when in France!

Inequity of Anglo American Relations.

This Enron business and the matter of sending three of our Countrymen to America to face charges in the American Courts.

The Legislative Agreement requiring the Delivery of these men, was intended to be used against Terrorists, not for cause of alleged financial malfeasance or for which ever the actual charge is. The UK. Is required to hand these persons over without sight of any sort of evidence against them, once in America they are due to be indefinitely imprisoned pre trial. In theory the UK has a similar privilege of delivery, in practice there is no reciprocal arrangement.

What sort of a Government do we have that it plays Poodle to America’s interests. It is time that Blair resigned.

However it is not a foregone conclusion that he will be replaced in Office by Gordon Brown.

Such obsequiousness to America, whether on Iraq, or Afghanistan, or re. Guantanamo Bay is the sort of embarrassment that encourages one to support the Conservative cause, as there is no other effective choice. However it would be an excellent idea if that Party stood up to be counted on such issues. If misplaced Patriotism too is indeed the last refuge of the scoundrel, there is little point in voting for anyone ever.

Metropolitan Police. There is another Blair hitting the headlines. One must await the Police Statement concerning that Forest Gate incident, not to mention the shooting on the London Underground. Of course if information is received it is right the Police act on it as they see fit. However seemingly the information was wrong. Being a Policeman is no longer an easy occupation. Senior Officers need much better training than currently available. It was a mistake to abolish the former mode of Officer entry via what was then the Trenchard Police College at Hendon. We read that currently the standards of entry to the Police are no longer what they once were, semi literacy alleged to be now acceptable to comply with political correctness. It is unacceptable to dilute what was once the best Police Force in the World with under achievers, whichever the cause of that under achievement. If some are disadvantaged maybe it would be better to deal with that aspect of our humanity. If one dubs down standards, the Police Force will become an unattractive career move.

That of course was were Lord Trenchard came on the scene in the first place.

‘If you want to know the time, ask a Policeman the Music Hall refrain’

Referred not to the customary helpfulness of the British Bobby, but to the fact that he had probably got your watch in his pocket.

Our Government had, maybe still has plans to amalgamate County Police Forces. The suggestion was met with resistance from many quarters, especially Senior Officers who realised that avenues of promotion would be unavailable to them. It was opposed by Police Committees which saw their local influence disappearing. Existing cosy arrangements have done us well enough in the past, but the world which still includes the UK is changing. All manner of Crime has to be fought on a global front and the fragmentation which subsists in the UK is in the current fashionable term ‘unfit for purpose’. Apart from the Met. which comes under the Home Secretary, there are many other autonomous bodies, including ,the Railway Police etc. The Ministry of Defence Police have authority over us all within a specified distance of any military establishment, which would include much of Tisbury. Surely we should have some sort of National Police Force. What we have is of good account, and usually acquits itself well, but there is a limit to its effectiveness against organised crime.

Is but the tip of the Iceberg being called to account?

Panegyric Appreciation of Lord Rawlinson of Ewell. PC.QC. Born 26 June 1919 died 28.June 2006.

Formerly the Member of Parliament for Epsom and Ewell, who amidst many other legal and other accomplishments, rose to the Office of Attorney General under the Premiership of the late Edward Heath PC. CH. but received no advancement under The Premiership of Margaret Thatcher, even though there was at the time the suggestion that he should have become Lord Chancellor.

In his retirement he came to live at Wardour Castle, so becoming the most senior of the many Old Gregorians scattered in this locality. He was at Downside from 1932-1938. RIP.