I’ve had the occasional run-in on Twitter with Gary Walker, the NHS ‘whistleblower’ who has been getting his face in the papers a lot lately – primarily because he’s swallowed the line of ‘Cure the NHS’ (Cure) hook, line and sinker and now seems to consider himself an expert in a position to pronounce on events at Mid Staffs.
I’ve also outlined on this blog the bullying and mobbing tactics used by Cure to try to intimidate dissenters into silence, as well as wild and unfounded accusations they make freely against those who venture to contradict them. Saying anything they disagree with risks incurring a concerted smear campaign.
Both these factors came together today when Mr Walker – who styles himself ‘modernleader’ on Twitter – threatened me with police action for ‘harassing’ Julie Bailey, the founder of Cure.
Mr Walker has a poor grasp of the law – and an even poorer level of self-awareness. I have published several articles about Ms Bailey, based on evidence including ‘whistleblowers’ very close to her who are sick of her behaviour. Mr W, on the other hand, has made libellous accusations against at least one person on the basis of no information whatsoever:
No evidence – just the claims of, yes you’ve guessed it, another Cure supporter, as well as various equally libellous claims by Ms Bailey herself and other supporters and members of Cure.
Weirdly, I’m grateful for Mr W’s pathetic threat. It provides me with an opportunity, in responding, to highlight his and Cure’s bullying behaviour again. Walker appears not to perceive the amazing irony of someone who is gaining celebrity because of his claim that he was gagged by his former NHS employers trying to bully others into silence for daring to voice opinions and expose information to which he takes exception.
He, and his friends in Cure and related groups, wish to present themselves as the altruistic saviours of the NHS. I’ll let you decide what their aggressive reaction to dissent says about their motivations.
I’m not in the mood to be bullied by weak people who are so desperate for attention that they’ll lash out at anyone who threatens their ‘darling of the media’ status.
If Gary Walker decides to go to the police, he’ll be saying far, far more about himself than about me by doing so. As someone I don’t know observed very pithily on Twitter, in response to his threat:
It is not without history, fascists paid parliament money to shout, fight and harm.
Maybe Mr Walker should call the police though I think it should be Ms Bailey herself who takes you through the courts………….now that would be very interesting Ms Bailey being cross examined by a questioned by a barrister! I doubt she or her friends would get away with bullying in a courtroom!
If a campaign is maintained by unsubstantiated opinion, recycling of old or incorrect information, aggressive non-engagement with a lack of insight then eventually the facts will catch up with you. This may be happening in this case.
As far as Stafford Hospital/Mid Staffs is concerned, the 51,000 (and all who they actually represent) may feel a bit frustrated and powerless against the limited number of seemingly teflonised individuals in CTNHS and their supporters – but believe me, they aren’t fooled.
Did I read Kay Sheldon’s Tweet right that the PM also thinks you should be strung up (or at least be investigated by the police!)
If so either a) the PM is not busy enough or b) you are majorly winning the argument. Carry on lieutenant!
Maybe someone should ask the PM if that is what he does think you should be strung up or whether the tweeter has as much imagination as her friends.
Apparently Aidan Burley MP had a chat with Cameron about calling in the police on ‘harassment’. The so-called hate campaign against Julie Bailey seems to be vastly exaggerated or even made up, but in any event I doubt they were thinking of online criticism. If they were, it would be vile and ridiculous.
🙂 Thank you very much!
I think it is pretty incredible how much political time this whole rumbling row is taking up – The way in which the very small number of people involved in the campaign to trash the NHS have managed to dominate things like the select health committee and PAC, the amount of time that the PM has had to use on it, the amount of time with vexatious motions at the borough council and the complete waste of months of police time are all quite astonishing.
The quote in the Sunday times about the PM and the issue indicated that Bill Cash and Charloote Leslie (who seems to be the MP of choice for the campaigners at the moment) had made an approach to Cameron (now that would have been interesting!) and there was a very non committal comment indicating that the matter of “harrassment” had been referred on to the police. Well this is nothing new of course, The police keep a watching brief on matters, > a lot of that was connected with fear of problems at the cafe, but that of course is no longer an issue as it re-opens under new management tomorrow.
I found the Police helpful when I contacted them about the harrassment I had been suffering, but they, like all the rest of us just keep hoping it will all eventually fizzle out.
I would say that the energy behind the campaign is no longer coming from Cure. there is this complex network of associated interests that have come together – initially around Mid Staffs, but now around Leeds, Morecombe, the complaints system and whistleblowers. I actually feel quite sorry for the patients groups who i think are being used as a form of human shield by some of these other people.
You have been writing bollocks about the NHS. What is it – a religion with you? you’re happy for working class people to be treated like shit and left to die unnecessarily in hospitals to protect some kind of false belief you have? There was a time when the NHS was the best in the world. now it is a crock of shite. I know from my first had experience. and I’ve lost track of the number of people I know who work in NHS Hospital Trusts and say that they wouldn’t want their gran admitted to them. Youd be doing the NHS some good if you strive to improve it, rather than protect its worst failings with your abuse. I don’t give a flying fuck about the backgrounds of people who have been exposing NHS shortcomings. But I tell you for sure – Im bloody glad for the sake of the working class of this country that somebody is trying to do something. and its nothing to do with money. You could hurl money at some of the shit that Ive seen as an NHS patient. Much of it is about incompetence, and sloppiness. Low standards and a lack of care or concern. Let’s get the NHS back on track the way it was by ensuring that incompetents are weeded out and high standards are reinstated.
Sent from Windows Mail
The NHS had record approval levels in 2010. If things have slipped, it’s primarily down to cash-starvation by this government, including massive cuts in nurse nos.
Your comment about working class people is just ridiculous. You’re clearly failing to see the big picture – that the NHS is under massive attack and all this highlighting of its supposed failings plays straight into the hands of those doing the attacking.
The NHS isn’t perfect. Nor is any health service, public or private. Nor is any company or institution of any kind, for that matter.
Fund it properly, give the staff – who are almost all only there because they want to help people – the resources they need to have a chance of doing the job they want to do. That’s all that’s needed to ‘get the NHS back on track’. The rest is propaganda.
#Lots of trolls coming out of the woodwork & making a lot of noise, with little real information or understanding of the issues.
Please keep up the good work.
No doubt a Cure stooge. I’ll tell you this, if the Tories (never wanted the NHS in 1948) had their way, and the people pulling Cure’s strings – there’d be no NHS for us working class, if you dont have money and become ill tough. If you can’t afford treatment tough. That’s their attitude, but hey it keeps their taxes to a minimum. That’s why we fight for the NHS. So it’s there when you need it, not when you have money.
Simple fact: death is cheap – keeping people alive is expensive
Suggested GCSE English question:
You are provided with a blog from SKWalker and the responses. Read the blog. Compare and contrast the responses from Diana Smith and heardn@blueyonder in terms of:
Content
Strength and development of argument
English prose style
Appropriate (or otherwise) use of English vernacular
Your emotional response to each contribution
Which do you feel is the more effective piece of communication?
(8 marks)
My thoughts exactly, but put so much better! 🙂
Reblogged this on paurina and commented:
Is there a conspiracy to undermine the NHS. (Hint – yes.) Interesting to read the comments too.
Yes and this example of the denigration of Prof Spiegelhalter by Gary Walker and his desperate flailing against the recent article by the Prof is staggering..
http://www.bmj.com/content/347/bmj.f4893
http://www.theguardian.com/society/2013/aug/07/nhs-health
https://skwalker1964.wordpress.com/2013/08/08/guardian-comes-fully-out-of-closet-on-needless-death-distortions
There are “faults with this analysis”.
It is “Sloppy research”
It used “unverified &..unreliable sources”
It was “flawed”, “painfully biased” & “not objective”
https://twitter.com/goonerjanet/status/367367502562476032
“Just because someone [Prof Spiegelhalter] works at Cambridge doesn’t make them [Prof Spiegelhalter] an expert”
ALL 14 Trusts failed.
13k needless deaths was a “Reliable ‘indicator'”
https://twitter.com/WikiPickie/status/368889039409004544
Great work!
Ha, how much do you want to bet that I’m the ‘known to be unreliable’ source GW blames DS for quoting? The ‘leader’ is very, very fond of assuming his conclusions.. 🙂
Yes, there’s no doubt he was referring to you!
Mind you, if he denigrates Prof Spiegelhalter with such gay abandon, any denigration he metes out to others must surely raise eyebrows – or at least severely furrow them.
Indeed. The lack of self-awareness in that kind of regard is one of the most striking characteristics of GW and his pals.