Nov 2021. Boris Johnson

To go with story by Alex Watson. Flying Pigs column Picture shows; British Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks during the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) annual conference. South Shields, UK. Supplied by Chine Nouvelle/SIPA/Shutterstock Date; 22/11/2021

Everyone’s so tired of hearing about boring stuff like HS2, MPs with two jobs and Boris’s own maskless hospital visits; what we really want is fun and zany leadership! And then we find Boris fumbling around with his papers trying to sort out what he’s supposed to say next. Okay, it happens to everybody, perhaps,… Continue reading Nov 2021. Boris Johnson

Oct 2021. The NHS Crisis

Despite numerous new funding pledges in recent years, a welcome change from years of austerity, it remains the consensus that the new money is not enough. After almost a decade of underfunding, the NHS continues to struggle and the money promised to it does not allow for preparations for the future. The unprecedented coronavirus pandemic… Continue reading Oct 2021. The NHS Crisis

Oct 2021. Politics Bypassing the People

A record number of people are waiting to start routine hospital treatment in England, with nearly 10,000 procedures delayed for more than two years. New NHS figures show that a total of 5.7 million people were waiting to start treatment at the end of August 2021. This is the highest number since records began in… Continue reading Oct 2021. Politics Bypassing the People

Oct 2021. A Debate on the NHS

It is time to bring about a fundamental shift in how the NHS is reformed, learning from what has and has not worked in England and elsewhere. Politics and policy work on different cycles, which results in short-term political initiatives getting in the way of the long-term policy commitments needed to deliver transformational change. Large-scale… Continue reading Oct 2021. A Debate on the NHS

Apr 2021. Covid 19 Crisis in India Part 5

India’s healthcare system is buckling as a record surge in Covid-19 cases puts pressure on hospital beds and drains oxygen supplies. Families are left pleading for their relatives who are desperately ill, with some patients left untreated for hours. Crematoriums are organising mass funeral pyres. On Friday India reported 332,730 new cases of coronavirus, setting… Continue reading Apr 2021. Covid 19 Crisis in India Part 5

Apr 2021. Covid 19 Crisis in India Part 4

The spike in infections is India’s biggest crisis since Modi took office in 2014. It remains to be seen how his handling of it might affect Modi or his party politically. The warning about the new variant in early March was issued by the Indian Sars-CoV-2 genetics consortium, or Insacog. It was conveyed to a… Continue reading Apr 2021. Covid 19 Crisis in India Part 4

Apr 2021. Covid 19 Crisis in India Part 3

India reported another world record 401,993 new coronavirus cases on Saturday, while deaths from Covid-19 jumped by 3,523 over the past 24 hours. Experts believe the real figures are far higher. Compounding the misery, a fire broke out in a Covid-19 hospital ward in western India early Saturday, killing 18 patients. The fire, which broke… Continue reading Apr 2021. Covid 19 Crisis in India Part 3

Apr 2021. Covid 19 Crisis in India Part 2

A panel of Indian scientists warned officials in early March of a new and more contagious variant of the coronavirus taking hold in the country, it has emerged. Despite the warning, four of the scientists said the federal government did not seek to impose major restrictions to stop the spread of the virus, Reuters reported… Continue reading Apr 2021. Covid 19 Crisis in India Part 2

Apr 2021. Covid 19 Crisis in India Part 1

The United States has told its citizens to leave India as soon as possible as the country battles a devastating coronavirus wave. India reported 379,257 new infections on Thursday, the world’s highest single-day total. The US embassy warned that “access to all types of medical care is becoming severely limited”. The Level 4 “do not… Continue reading Apr 2021. Covid 19 Crisis in India Part 1