Firefighters and other front-line heroes also hit by 2017 Commons vote
Boris Johnson, Rishi Sunak and other Tory MPs cynically milked last night’s public applause for our NHS heroes, in spite of the government’s abject failure to protect front-line NHS staff by providing enough proper personal protective equipment (PPE) and coronavirus testing capacity.
But the exploitation sparked anger among staff who know all too well the Tories’ real record on the NHS.
And nowhere is that record better encapsulated than in this short video showing the Tories cheering in 2017 as they ‘successfully’ blocked a desperately-needed pay rise for nurses, along with firefighters – just a couple of weeks after the Grenfell Tower blaze – and other key front-line workers:
Johnson and his fellow culprits must not be allowed to ‘clapwash’ their history.
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Yep. NEVER forget they cheered.
‘There is no magic money tree’
I’m quite certain our NHS staff could do with something a lot more substantial than a fucking pointless happy-clap parade.
We’re grateful. Don’t allow this charade to distract from the day-to-day shit we’d be suffering without this pandemic sweeping the globe.
I urge people NOT to take part in this distraction ploy. Our NHS staff KNOW we’re as grateful now as we EVER were to them.
And this toerag ‘splurge’ will come at a massive cost. And once again, it WON’T be them paying anything back. They’re only very carefully ‘spending’ (If it is indeed a ‘spend’ at all) because they HAVE to.
‘We’re putting our arms around the workers’
LIKE F**K YOU ARE. SHOW US THE SMALL PRINT.
Toffee, I’m not sure you’re right about frontline workers knowing they’re appreciated – I read that they’re abused and assaulted on a regular basis in A & E – drunks & junkies will still be junks & drunkies with CV.
If applause or opera from our front doors – or balconies – seems a bit too Italian how about the old Morse ‘V’ for Victory, da-da-da-daah?
Or maybe daah-da, da-da-da-da, da-da-da for N, H, S.
Easy enough to toot as you drive by.
More seriously I’ve suggested to other old folks who like me live alone on nearby boats that we could schedule daily phone calls to each other so nobody suddenly taking ill and unable to respond will go unnoticed.
Anyone moving away obviously lets the others know so nobody breaks in or calls an ambulance.
Neighbours living alone in houses could do the same whatever their ages.
We’ve been looking out for one another for centuries and will continue to do so until all the rabid dogs are gone.
<b<Boris Johnson has tested positive for Covid-19
https://twitter.com/bbclaurak/status/1243496497729191936
Laura Kuenssberg
@bbclaurak
The Prime Minister has tested positive for Corona virus. He has mild symptoms and will self-isolate in Downing Street. but he will still be in charge of the government’s handling of the crisis.
*Awaits 6pm bbc news headlines deifying de piffle for his ‘selfless bravery’ in working while ‘under the influence’.
Oh, but I DO hope the bastard SUFFERS.
Covid-19 tests positive for boris johnson…
Now that de piffle’s got the bug, can the nation have a clapathon?
Asking for michael gove…who looks like he’s that pleased at the news, that he doesn’t need ask anyone
https://i.makeagif.com/media/7-04-2016/9OYE-o.gif
…..it’s not the same without Dennis Skinner!
The bad news is that if Johnson is too ill to continue Dominic Raab will take over.
johnson self isolating.
The things this vile non human will do to avoid scrutiny
Me dad’s just said the exact same thing.
+1 like.
Breaking – Boris Johnson CV-positive and self-isolating apparently.
Yawn.
Fucking hiding more like.
and another thing
Given that he is a compulsive liar.
Is this not another lie to garner sympathy?
I demand a second opinion
A very apt and timely reminder (not that many of us needed it). Good that The Swawkbox has highlighted the abject hypocrisy of the Nasty Party, clapping and cheering whilst doctors and nurses face a potentially fatal threat without proper protection, purely because of Tory incompetence. Shameful.
Not surprising that Boris and his henchman have run away!
A bit like the first world war. so I believe.
The generals hiding miles away while shouting
over the top to the people on the front lines.
I found the debate (on Hansard) that the vote in the video clip was about, and just spent a good hour reading through some of the contributions made by a number of (mainly) Labour MPs, but I must admit I’m still not sure what they ended up voting for and against, and although the debate was in relation to ‘Health, Social Care and Security’, I can only assume it was something to do with the Queens Speech – ie the Tory Goverment’s proposed legislation – as several of the speeches I read by Labour MPs mention how they were going to vote against it. But THAT’s where the confusion comes in, cos the Tories all voted No, and Labour vice-versa. Anyway, here’s a couple of excerpts from the debate:
As for pay, while workloads have increased, nurses have been handed a 1% pay cap for seven years in a row. That does not even cover the rise in inflation. During the election campaign, the PM said that nurses went to food banks “for a variety of reasons”. I suggest that the only reason is that the Government have made them £3,000 worse off since 2010, while continuing to give tax breaks to the richest.
We know that their current conditions are causing more staff to leave the NHS out of desperation. Many of those vacancies are left unfilled. According to the Royal College of Nursing, there are 40,000 registered nurse vacancies in England, and an average vacancy rate of 11.1%. The rate has doubled in the past three years, and we are seeing the effects in NHS hospitals up and down the country. Furthermore, the Government’s shambolic approach to Brexit has created a feeling of uncertainty among EU nationals. No wonder the number of applications from EU nurses to work in the UK has plummeted by 96% since last year.
Gill Furniss
I know people are going to be saying, “Where do we get the money from?” I will tell them where we can get it from. We can get it from the same magic Tory Government money tree that can give the Democratic Unionist party a £1 billion bung to save their necks in office. We can find it from the same magic Tory Government money tree that gave the top 1% of richest people in this country tax cuts. We can get it from the same magic Tory Government money tree that gave the richest 2% of estates in this country a tax cut. And we can get it from the same Tory Government magic money tree that gave the top 5% of richest corporations in this country tax cuts. That is where we will get the money from. I look forward to voting against this Queen’s Speech tonight and voting for a Queen’s Speech that will bring fairness to this country.
Stephen Hepburn
I can only assume that part of what the Tories were voting against was removing the pay-cap on nurses etc.