Forum Topic

Not a good week for Boris ...

First the PM of Luxembourg has a rant at his empty lecturn, then a father has a go at him about the empty posts for doctors and nurses in an NHS hospital; I wonder what the Supreme Court has waiting for him?https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-politics-49740419/boris-johnson-confronted-on-east-london-hospital-visit

Michael Ixer ● 2611d19 Comments

There are nearly always protestors to face when on public appearances. Part of the PM's job description.

Sue Hammond ● 2611d

It will be interesting to see what the Supreme Court decides.But the father having a go at him is great; a father with a  child in hospital can be very stressful indeed and I admire the father's initiative of complaining about the lack of doctors and nurses.  One registrar for the wards and the intensive care unit?  Frightening!

Ivonne Holliday ● 2611d

@Ivonne"But the father having a go at him is great; a father with a  child in hospital can be very stressful"How is it "great"? You sound very happy about Boris being confronted, instead of expressing any empathy for the father. Unbelievably crass.

Sue Hammond ● 2611d

I think what's interesting is that in both these instances - Luxembourg and the NHS hospital - one has two people that have just got exasperated with the situation and I suspect - whatever Johnson says - rightly or wrongly they no longer believe him because of the way he's carried on since becoming PM. (He was against proroguing parliament at one time, he's produced nothing substantial towards a new deal that anyone can evidence, he said a no deal was a million to one ...) Now one can argue Luxembourg's PM as a professional politician shouldn't have broken ranks with his EU colleagues and should have restrained his rant (as Varadkar did) but, yes, one has to sympathise with a father with a child in hospital who expresses hias opinion while, I assume, stressed. Having visited hospitals too frequently over the past couple of years because of elderly relatives I can see how the NHS is being stretched. The nursing and medical, and support, staff are amazing in their dedication - although many of these are EU citizens who may well leave soon - but one feels austerity is beginning to bite when you see the queues in A&E and the shuffling of patients between wards to find beds, and the waiting for doctors, etc.  

Michael Ixer ● 2611d

Cromwell says: it's good they've got the scaffolding up to fix parliament 🙂https://flic.kr/p/2hhfvg7

Michael Ixer ● 2611d

"How is it "great"? You sound very happy about Boris being confronted, instead of expressing any empathy for the father. Unbelievably crass."Taking the moral high ground to dilute an argument? Seems to be a bit of a thing.

Freddie Francis ● 2611d

Yes Michael, having a sick child in hospital is very stressful indeed.  From my own experience, my son was very ill for about 8 months and at the time, the hospital did not have sufficient "hoods" to give my son the nebulisations he needed; we took the pushchair hood to use instead.At that time, there were enough doctors and nurses.  I cannot even imagine what it must be like with only one registrar in charge of the pediatric wards plus intensive care unit....Of course I sympathise with the father completely and also congratulate him for speaking up.  Many people would not do so.

Ivonne Holliday ● 2611d

The father is apparently a  Labour supporter (and that means he can't confront Boris with the truth  apparently.)

Lucille Grant ● 2611d

Unfortunate for Boris that some fathers with sick children just happens to be an articulate Oxford graduates who are labour party member. I don't think that's relevant to the valid points he was making. Johnson heads a party that has damaged the health service through its austerity measures. 

Michael Ixer ● 2611d

I am very sorry this man has a sick child and I hope his little girl makes a full recovery. Her father, who just happened to be be in the hospital at the same time as Boris to heckle him, is not just an ordinary Labour member. He is very vocal Labour activist called Omar Salem who worked for Emily Thornberry for over 2 years. Was this a staged protest by this man or was he just in the right place at the right time?https://order-order.com/2019/09/18/boris-heckler-labour-activist/

Sue Hammond ● 2610d

His one week old daughter had been admitted to A and E. It's ridiculous for anyone to suggest this encounter was staged in any way.

Clare Noeken ● 2610d

I heard on the radio that his daughter is 7 but really her age is irrelevant. If I had a 1 week old baby in hospital I would be by her side, not patrolling the corridors to confront the PM, or anyone else for that matter.

Sue Hammond ● 2610d

You sound rather angry this morning Clare. Are all the 'Get Ready For Brexit' ads getting you down?😇

Sue Hammond ● 2610d

@Sue. I think there are several aspects to this:Boris, to quote his tweet, "I’ve been PM for 57 days, part of my job is to talk to people on the ground and listen to what they tell me about the big problems. It doesn’t matter if they agree with me. I’m glad this gentleman told me his problems. This isn’t an embarrassment this is part of my job. https://twitter.com/bbcpolitics/status/1174291989203959808 …", seems to feel this father had a right to express his view. I share Digby Jones's comment on the BBC news review last night that it's good we have a democracy where someone in hospital can approach and express a view directly to a leader. I can't see that happening in the US or Trump giving such a magnanimous response.I think the man was in the wrong place - I'm sure he didn't want to be in hospital with a sick seven day old child - but at the right time?I heard on radio news one of the hospital consultants said to a reporter that the father had expressed the views many of them wanted to but couldn't (presumably because of their employment contracts and instructions).It was interesting how Johnson denied it was a photo opportunity when the cameras were capturing the whole episode! Is it so difficult for him to be honest?The father tweeted about the episode himself and I believe made no attempt to hide his allegencies.I feel sorry for Laura Kuenssberg who I believe was just trying to report the facts.Huffpost has quite a good summary of all the tweets: https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/laura-kuenssberg-hospital-boris-johnson_uk_5d829408e4b0849d4722e93a?utm_campaign=hp_fb_pages&utm_source=main_fb&utm_medium=facebook&ncid=fcbklnkushpmg00000063

Michael Ixer ● 2610d

It doesn't matter whether it was a staged protest or not.  The PM did not deal with it well.  There aren't enough staff, not enough are being trained either - so we have to bring in a lot from other countries.  Those that we do have also don't have good enough working conditions which includes having adequate cover on the wards so it is harder to keep staff.  There have been shortages for ages and there has been a call for legislation in England to set the patient to staff ratio.  They already have one in other countries.  Haven't you seen how the numbers also drastically drop overnight?  Patients who are not very mobile should be turned every few hours to avoid bedsores.  Technology may be improving but you still need two members of staff together to deal with many tasks.  Don't you remember the nurse telling Theresa May that she hadn't had a pay rise for EIGHT years?  How many years ago was that?  Theresa May replied that money didn't grow on trees.  Now that an election is looming a flipping financial forest seems to have conveniently materialised.

Philippa Bond ● 2610d

@Philippa. Agreed. One of the worrying things about this is Johnson seemed to handle it very badly. It seemed to be a classic case of someone saying the first thing that came into their head to get out of a difficult situation; that, is "the press, what press?" fib, as Mr Salem pointed towards the TV cameras! I expect a PM to be able to respond better under pressure than this. Unlike PM's question time, he'd not been able to prepare any witty responses as he would for an Oxford debate. 

Michael Ixer ● 2610d

Indeed, this bloke does it better:-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pmBC_CrQS4

David Ainsworth ● 2610d

"If I had a 1 week old baby in hospital I would be by her side, not patrolling the corridors to confront the PM" - on a roll today aren't we! A few more plausible scenarios as to why he's not with his baby for you as you seem bent on seeing a plot in this story: maybe he was taking a loo break, maybe on his way to see a consultant, get a drink, something to eat, go pick up his wife from reception. Not as hand-rubbingly consiratorial as ohh look a Labout atcivist just "happened' to be there - this can't be a coincidence? I'd have done the same if I'd met Boris in that corridor and I'm a lifelong Tory, or should I say was. The party can jump in a lake as far as I'm concerned (phraseology toned down due to forum Ts and Cs).

Freddie Francis ● 2610d

Well said Freddie

Lucille Grant ● 2610d