Embed from Getty Images My first encounter with what I call the black dog was in the early months of 2010, not long after I went off work the previous autumn. I initially rebuffed my GP’s offer of antidepressants. That was partly because of a misplaced idea that it would be an admission of weakness […]
Op-eds
Civil Liberties and the NHS App
The NHS has launched a tracing App for trialling in the Isle of Wight. How does it measure up against the civil liberties checklist that I authored on Lib Dem Voice on 15th April, along with some excellent additions within the comments? First, the positives: I urged that opting in should be voluntary. It is. […]
We must revive Britain’s history of bold policy
Coronavirus has blown open many of the issues contemporary society faces as a whole. The UK Government has acted radically in the last few weeks. The furlough scheme has guaranteed many workers pay, and a huge effort has provided support for charities and businesses. Yet many have been left behind. Those laid off have joined […]
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times
Embed from Getty Images ‘It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity’ (A tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens) In the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, we […]
Public scrutiny of lockdown exit strategy
The Government must publish its “exit strategy” for easing the “lock down” for public scrutiny to avoid repeating past mistakes and ensure that when the time comes it is ready and it does not overlook anything or anyone. For example as a former Director of Social Services and Non-Executive Director of an NHS Trust it […]
Clap For Carers Must Be Followed Up With Action
We have all witnessed or better still participated in the clap for carers initiative which has grown out of the current crisis. I am sure that the carers themselves are lifted by our support. However what they really need is practical help, something that the government has been slow in coming up with. Britain’s carers […]
Going back to normal would be the worst outcome of this crisis
Embed from Getty Images This global pandemic, and the consequent unprecedented changes to how we live, has laid bare the inequality that exists in our society. Covid-19 has given inequality a human face when previously it was understood by many in the form of stats and figures, news reports, policy documents, while many more were […]
We need to talk about the healthcare workforce
As a nation, we have spent the last month endlessly talking about PPE, testing and even ventilators, remorselessly picking over the technical details of things which most people still do not understand. The government is pleased for us to do this because it keeps us off the one topic they have no answer for; the […]
NHS – indefinite leave to remain
It’s not just non-British NHS workers who should get indefinite leave to remain. Our party has rightly come out and argued that doctors, nurses and paramedics at the frontline who are not British citizens should not just have their visas extended by one year (as reported in the Independent, but be given an indefinite leave […]
Making a drama out of a crisis? Taking the harm out of the virus!
Embed from Getty Images If we believe in anything, it is the Harm Principle of John Stuart Mill. People should be at liberty, to make their own choices, unless they do harm, to others, or to themselves, if in ways that might harm others too. The bar for the deciding of what is a harm, […]