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methodicalmadness.bsky.social @methodicalmadness.bsky.social · 10/06/2025

Paying the private sector won't lower waiting lists. It'll just bump the wealthiest people/regions to the front. Going to a third party to up capacity will cost more & give us less. And I'd rather the gov got beat up over positivity about immigration than beat up while being a Farage tribute act.

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methodicalmadness.bsky.social @methodicalmadness.bsky.social · 08/04/2025

Nothing is ever "settled" in a democracy, and Streeting has zero authority to tell me or any voter the issue is settled. He's a public servant, that's all. The voters will decide what is and isn't settled, and at the ballot box if necessary. redfieldandwiltonstrategies.com/joining-or-s...

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methodicalmadness.bsky.social @methodicalmadness.bsky.social · 31/03/2025

It's a public health emergency. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35254913/

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methodicalmadness.bsky.social @methodicalmadness.bsky.social · 23/03/2025

It's part of a public health emergency. But it's never reported. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35254913/

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methodicalmadness.bsky.social @methodicalmadness.bsky.social · 19/03/2025

I daresay this 👇 should be of more concern to our American cousins. 170 million children exposed to high levels of lead, "824,097,690 IQ points" lost in the US "as of 2015". Certainly explains a few things. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35254913/

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methodicalmadness.bsky.social @methodicalmadness.bsky.social · 11/03/2025

We can - and should - introduce more progressive tax structures. But we also need to see that welfare is largely acting a corporate/landowner subsidy by supplying increasing tax credits to supplement stagnant incomes & extortionate housing costs. 1/2

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methodicalmadness.bsky.social @methodicalmadness.bsky.social · 11/03/2025

Exactly. Disability payments aren't the problem. Tax credit/housing spend has grown the most since the 90s - not disability support. Driven by stagnant wages/rip-off rents due to profit over people policy. A subsidy for wealthy landlords & business. Cuts for the vulnerable ifs.org.uk/articles/ben...

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methodicalmadness.bsky.social @methodicalmadness.bsky.social · 11/03/2025

When you examine welfare spending as a whole, the largest rise in the last 30 years goes to tax credits. Disability welfare isn't a problem. Rather, we're increasingly subsidising businesses who don't pay workers enough, or landlords/banks who fleece us for housing costs. ifs.org.uk/articles/ben...

A graph showing an increase in tax credits over time - an in-work benefit used to top up low income.

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methodicalmadness.bsky.social @methodicalmadness.bsky.social · 25/02/2025

Women are turning away from the right? What a puzzler 🤦.

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methodicalmadness.bsky.social @methodicalmadness.bsky.social · 05/02/2025

Not only that, but he is perpetuating dangerous myths about our NHS. If he can't be bothered to Google his own moronic and ill-informed opinions to fact check before vomiting them in public, he definitely shouldn't be running the national audit office. www.kingsfund.org.uk/insight-and-...

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methodicalmadness.bsky.social @methodicalmadness.bsky.social · 12/01/2025

This is why social media in its current form needs to go. The flow of disinformation is just too unmanageable, and the ones who profit from lies don't have to do a damn thing, because it doesn't matter what the lie is that people believe, as long as it obscures the truth.

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methodicalmadness.bsky.social @methodicalmadness.bsky.social · 10/01/2025

And my point is that I'm afraid there's no evidence to suggest it will actually bring down lists overall (merely help wealthy areas at the expense of poorer areas - as below from the article shared). And it opens the door to more privatisation - bearing in mind there was no NHS outsourcing pre-'97.

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methodicalmadness.bsky.social @methodicalmadness.bsky.social · 10/01/2025

Except evidence shows the improvements had little to do with increased capacity from ISPs & everything to do with increased funding, strict targets/management and hard working NHS staff. We're already using ISP capacity, iand it's made little difference. www.health.org.uk/reports-and-...

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methodicalmadness.bsky.social @methodicalmadness.bsky.social · 10/01/2025

Always see the same replies-that it's short term & necessary. But there's no evidence that the private sector has the capacity to help. Instead, it will increase health inequality/costs. This is the reality, & I can't find any evidence to the contrary. www.health.org.uk/reports-and-...

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methodicalmadness.bsky.social @methodicalmadness.bsky.social · 09/01/2025

Further, I never see it discussed that there's legal precedent to block websites which routinely break the law. We do so already to protect company revenue (copyright violations). Hate speech is a crime. If the owners can't control it, their sites should be blocked. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...

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methodicalmadness.bsky.social @methodicalmadness.bsky.social · 08/01/2025

Also, locum doctors aren't allowed to set up as limited companies - other sole traders are able to do so, and avoid paying full income tax. Locum doctors always pay full income tax. www.business.hsbc.uk/en-gb/insigh...

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methodicalmadness.bsky.social @methodicalmadness.bsky.social · 08/01/2025

2/2 ...without the expense of hiring someone full time - especially useful when current GPs are off long term sick. There's also the issue of the ARRS contract which allows funding for 18 roles, excluding GPs. There are also many hospital locums, but they never get the same bad press as GPs.

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methodicalmadness.bsky.social @methodicalmadness.bsky.social · 08/01/2025

Unfortunately, there's no evidence to suggest that private healthcare has enough spare capacity to make a difference to waiting lists. Better to spend extra on fixing social care crisis than handing public money to private healthcare shareholders for no gain. www.health.org.uk/reports-and-...

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methodicalmadness.bsky.social @methodicalmadness.bsky.social · 08/01/2025

The thing to also remember is that it wasn't always so unequal. People treat neo-liberalism like it's the natural order. It isn't. You are producing more $$$ into the economy, but being paid no more to do so, but that wasn't always the case. Change can happen.

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methodicalmadness.bsky.social @methodicalmadness.bsky.social · 08/01/2025

To understand the scope of how problematic this really is in the UK - Meta owns the top 3 most used social media tools in the UK. They also make a ton of money here - which means the gov can leverage this to ensure we maintain proper fact checking standards here. But we have to demand it.

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methodicalmadness.bsky.social @methodicalmadness.bsky.social · 08/01/2025

The Independent is wrong to imply causation between gov disapproval/Musk intervention. Disapproval with gov here hasn't changed much recently, and is mostly caused by unpopular domestic policy choices in Aug/Sep. Plus, the more we hear from Musk, the less we like, so causation is unlikely 👇.

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methodicalmadness.bsky.social @methodicalmadness.bsky.social · 07/01/2025

Private health is already being used by the NHS, but there's no evidence they're increasing capacity/making a difference to waiting lists. The amazing turnaround in the NHS during the last Labour gov was down to hard working staff, good but tough management & fair pay/conditions. 1/3

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methodicalmadness.bsky.social @methodicalmadness.bsky.social · 07/01/2025

The only people worth listening to in this debate are the survivors themselves. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

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methodicalmadness.bsky.social @methodicalmadness.bsky.social · 07/01/2025

Even if gov are doing this for genuine reasons, it's the wrong strategy. There's no evidence that private health has the capacity to make a difference, and where privatisation has already happened, it negatively effects NHS services. www.chpi.org.uk/reports/out-... www.health.org.uk/reports-and-...

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methodicalmadness.bsky.social @methodicalmadness.bsky.social · 06/01/2025

This is myth. Evidence suggests private healthcare providers made little impact to capacity. What worked was increased competition and heavy handed targets. Which won't work now because we've got a workforce shattered by covid and piss-poor pay/conditions. www.health.org.uk/reports-and-...

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methodicalmadness.bsky.social @methodicalmadness.bsky.social · 06/01/2025

There is no quick fix, and no magic bullet. And even if there was, the private sector is not it. At best, the competition between private and public will improve the public (with private taking the credit), but staff are more demoralised than in the 90s. www.health.org.uk/reports-and-...

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methodicalmadness.bsky.social @methodicalmadness.bsky.social · 06/01/2025

Indeed. The most concerning aspect of neo-liberalism is that "conventional wisdom" suggests it is the natural order. It isn't. Keynesian economics was the standard post-war to 1980. Income inequality was reduced, growth was high. equalitytrust.org.uk/scale-econom...

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methodicalmadness.bsky.social @methodicalmadness.bsky.social · 06/01/2025

Nor will putting it out to the private sector. People don't understand the relationship between private/public healthcare. At all. They employ the same doctors as the NHS. All this will do is let the wealthy jump to the top of the list. keepournhspublic.com/myth-of-spar...

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methodicalmadness.bsky.social @methodicalmadness.bsky.social · 06/01/2025

Yes. By tying them in to certain providers, and pumping up the cost. Give the article a read, it's good 👍.

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methodicalmadness.bsky.social @methodicalmadness.bsky.social · 05/01/2025

And further: while attitudes towards immigration are at risk of becoming authoritarian due to multiple factors (media bias & people treating it as common knowledge without evidence, for example) Britain isn't "authoritarian", as you claim. Evidence matters. iea.org.uk/media/uk-ran...

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methodicalmadness.bsky.social @methodicalmadness.bsky.social · 05/01/2025

Not comparing apples and oranges, I'm afraid. You didn't say Britons were anti immigration, you said they were "authoritarian" towards it. You have provided no evidence for this, I have provided evidence to the contrary (with further evidence below). www.kcl.ac.uk/news/uk-atti...

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methodicalmadness.bsky.social @methodicalmadness.bsky.social · 05/01/2025

Neither of these give any credence whatsoever to the claim that Britons have an "authoritarian" view of immigration. And indeed, other research shows quite the opposite. migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/resources/br...

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methodicalmadness.bsky.social @methodicalmadness.bsky.social · 05/01/2025

That would be my concern, though I'm not an expert (suggest reading the article shared, it's informative). I also can't find any evidence to suggest GPs are making bad referrals. The evidence may exist, but if so, it doesn't appear to have been published.

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methodicalmadness.bsky.social @methodicalmadness.bsky.social · 03/01/2025

As others have remarked, the article doesn't confirm that at all - rather it refutes it (screenshot from the article below).

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methodicalmadness.bsky.social @methodicalmadness.bsky.social · 23/12/2024

Not sure if it helps, but it comes up first on Brave search

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methodicalmadness.bsky.social @methodicalmadness.bsky.social · 19/12/2024

The thing is, this can really only happen if the people allow it. Wealth is immaterial. It's not real. The power they have is the power we give them. Each and every one of you has the power to stop this, if you work together and co-ordinate.

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methodicalmadness.bsky.social @methodicalmadness.bsky.social · 18/12/2024

And that is exactly the problem. If the only concern they have is whether they "suffer electorally", and their actions are discussed in those terms, it gives a sense of them being self- rather than public-serving - even if they aren't. And something is definitely hurting them electorally 👇.

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methodicalmadness.bsky.social @methodicalmadness.bsky.social · 18/12/2024

I really want this Labour government to succeed. We need it to succeed. But we see them giving handouts to bankers & corporations, while tightening the purse strings on ordinary people - despite many of the now cabinet ministers personally supporting the WASPI movement in opposition.

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methodicalmadness.bsky.social @methodicalmadness.bsky.social · 17/12/2024

"These are not the drones you're looking for."

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methodicalmadness.bsky.social @methodicalmadness.bsky.social · 17/12/2024

The money will come from where it always comes from, a parliamentary order to the BoE to spend it. Relatively straightforward. And a quick reminder of two things. 1. The country with the highest spend/lowest life expectancy is the most privatised. 2. The UK spends less than most.

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methodicalmadness.bsky.social @methodicalmadness.bsky.social · 06/12/2024

I'd suggest the FT goes back and checks its numbers. www.health.org.uk/publications...

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methodicalmadness.bsky.social @methodicalmadness.bsky.social · 03/12/2024

It's also worth looking at the breakdown of UK welfare spend. High % of payments go to people in work. "The benefits system is a system of patches applied to problems that we have not found better ways of addressing, such as low pay, ill health and high housing costs." ifs.org.uk/publications...

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methodicalmadness.bsky.social @methodicalmadness.bsky.social · 01/12/2024

Except that by and large, people on benefits *are in work*. So while the approach to immigration may be more sensible, the rhetoric around getting people off benefits and into work is flawed. In work benefits are a failure by gov to ensure employers pay workers fairly. ifs.org.uk/publications...

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