Non-motoring > Controversy anyone? Miscellaneous
Thread Author: No FM2R Replies: 26

 Controversy anyone? - No FM2R
BBC Headline - UK attitudes on immigration and welfare 'toughening'

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-19621020

Bear in mind its reported by the BBC who are very prone to editorial bias on this sort of thing. Nonetheless, the absolute figures will be correct, just be wary of misleading comparisons.
Last edited by: No FM2R on Mon 17 Sep 12 at 17:51
 Controversy anyone? - Manatee
Looks a pretty straight report to me, as far as it goes - but editing is de facto biased.

The source -

bsa-29.natcen.ac.uk/read-the-report/key-findings/introduction.aspx

which I will have a look at - maybe I'll change my mind.

If you think the BBC is prone to editorial bias, it'll be interesting to see the Daily Mail version.
 Controversy anyone? - No FM2R
It does, but its also been reissued. When one links to a BBC report you generally see the latest version of it. Sometimes these change somewhat.
 Controversy anyone? - John H

>> Bear in mind its reported by the BBC
>>

www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2012/sep/17/british-social-attitudes-historic-data

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2204341

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/immigration/9546301/Britons-increasingly-negative-about-impact-of-immigration.html

 Controversy anyone? - John H
edit:

Independent's take on it:

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/bad-news-for-george-osborne-most-voters-want-more-public-spending-8143766.html

 Controversy anyone? - No FM2R
I think you're confused John. I meant the articule I was pointing to was reported by the BBC. The ones you've pointed to were reported by the Guardian, the Mail and the Telegraph respectively.

They're different companies you see.
 Controversy anyone? - John H
>> I think you're confused John. I meant the articule I was pointing to was reported
>> by the BBC. The ones you've pointed to were reported by the Guardian, the Mail
>> and the Telegraph respectively.
>>
>> They're different companies you see.
>>

I think you are confused.

My replies had no narrative except to point to articles by different companies.

Nonetheless, the absolute figures will be correct, just be wary of misleading comparisons.

 Controversy anyone? - Mike H
Trouble is, the UK just rolls over and does as it's told. Despite the fact that EU citizens are supposed to have a right to live and work in any of the other EU states, we had to pass a means test here in Austria to allow us the right of residency. Totally not allowed under EU regulations, but they do it anyway and charge €15 per person for the privilege. If you don't pass, you're out!
 Controversy anyone? - Dutchie
Out of curiosity what is a means test? Do you have to learn to speak German and have a job and a home to live in.In times of recession peoples attitudes harden and the blame game starts.I've seen this in Holland this year.It was all the Greeks fault.Predictable human behaviour.
 Controversy anyone? - tyro
A little off topic, but I once took part in the British Social Attitudes survey.

It was about 20 years ago, and I was contacted beforehand, and arrangements were made to do a face to face interview with me. The lady came from over 30 miles away, and interviewed me in my living room. It was all most professionally done.

I was asked all sorts of questions, most of which I had no opinion at all on, and had never really thought about. They got a lot of "don't knows" out of me!
 Controversy anyone? - Dutchie
Attitudes regarding the NHS have changed over the last few years.I'm not a expert maybe Lygonos can explain.
 Controversy anyone? - Lygonos
NHS?

Improving attitudes coincide with better access to services I imagine.

When I began in partnership at the start of the millenium the local waiting time for a hip replacement was 26-104 weeks.

It's now about 8-12 weeks.

A fair amount of formerly hospital work (eg. diabetes care and warfarin management) is now done in GP land which is much more convenient for patients - it takes up more of our week than it used to but not being on-call overnight means we can spend more time on this during the day. In theory this opens up more hospital/consultant time for more specialised duties, but I reckon a large bulk of the diverted duties from hospital to non-hospital has simply enabled hospitals to comply with the working hours directive for junior hospital doctors.

Since we (mostly) opted out of 24hr cover we're more focussed on non-emergency treatment through the week - the amount of chronic disease management GP surgeries provide is far greater than 10 years ago - asthma, stroke, heart disease, kidney problems, mental health, dementia, etc, etc.

Health care is certainly better organised compared to a more ad hoc provision before the contract changes. It needs to be as the number of people living with chronic diseases has jumped sharply in the past 20 years (due to higher rates of diagnosis multiplied by longer life expectancy with the conditions).

The dip in the last 12 months? Likely a reflection on the past couple of years of austerity and general dissatisfaction of the populace.

Considering the gigantic deficit the country is still running I think we can safely expect much more cuts or increased general taxation into the next parliament - plenty of room for productivity improvement but it would help if politicians were open about rationing health care, rather than simply devolving the decisions to Quangos like NICE (as difficult/unpopular decision-making usually is despite the 'Bonfire of the Quangos' crap spouted by every parliament I remember back to the 70s).

The new Commissing groups being started up in England appear to be yet another layer of management who can have the flak diverted onto them by the DoHealth when rationing decisions need to be made.

Once there is actually a proper influenza epidemic (none of yer crappy Mexican swine 'flu rubbish) we'll see things grind to a halt as the lack of in-patient beds comes to light.

This is not due to Coalition policy - this has been happening for decades as older hospitals are replaced with newer ones with less beds - which is fair enough as many hospital stays are shorter than previously (and hospitals are dangerous places to be when you are frail!), but has not taken into account the continually aging and more dependent population - I think we are close to a turning point where shorter hospital stays due to changes in care become overtaken by more (complicated) admissions.

This will, however, have the added 'benefit' of getting rid of a few hundred thousand expensive-to-look-after pensioners, thus saving the country from bankruptcy...

I guess this doesn't really answer Dutchie that well, but as the survey is probably about as useful as a J.D.Power one, it's probably the usual G.I.G.O. story.
 Controversy anyone? - Lygonos
Also just in from the GMC:

www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-19627606

"The number of complaints made to the General Medical Council about doctors has risen 23% in the past year, the regulator says.

The GMC report showed there were 8,781 in 2011 compared to 7,153 in 2010.

The rise is similar to the one the year before and continues a trend which has seen complaints jump by 69% in three years.

But the regulator said there was no evidence to suggest care was getting worse.

Instead, it claimed the rise was down to greater expectations and willingness to complain."



:-)
 Controversy anyone? - Mike H
>> Out of curiosity what is a means test? Do you have to learn to speak
>> German and have a job and a home to live in.
>>
Effectively we just had to prove that we had enough money to live on without sponging off the state, whether from a job, pension etc. There was no requirement to learn German as such, but the process is done by interview. They get awkward if you can't speak German, as some English friends of ours found out. They had to make several journeys (of around 40km each way) over a number of weeks to bring various bits of paperwork that were suddenly "required".

We had no issues as we coped with the whole thing in German, one visit and it was done, certificate of residency acquired and wallets €30 lighter. They put the most unpleasant beaurocrats they can find on this particular job in our area ;-). Because it's all regionalised, other friends who live in a different "Land" (equating to county) had no problems and were helped through the process by some very sympathetic administrators.
 Controversy anyone? - Zero
Controversy anyone?

Yeah

Is it pronounced

Controversy in one long flowing word

or

Con - troversy

or

ConTroversy with an emphasis on the T
 Controversy anyone? - Manatee
controversy
 Controversy anyone? - L'escargot
I never imagined that the pronunciation of controversy could become so controversial!
 Controversy anyone? - R.P.
...and don't even start on the pronunciation of pronunciation.
 Controversy anyone? - Crankcase
ConTROVersy for me.

Mixture here:

www.forvo.com/word/controversy/

 Controversy anyone? - Manatee
Telegraph articule - goo.gl/IzG7J

conTROVersy is the deviation. Even the Americans can manage to say CONtroversy.

One that isn't mentioned in that article is harass, which Michael Crawford single-handedly changed from HARass to harASS - a once hilarious comic pronunciation now adopted universally by the ignorant (most people under 50). Or maybe they are just being comical, but nobody laughs any more?

www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-11642588

Don't start me on haitch.
Last edited by: Manatee on Fri 21 Sep 12 at 10:29
 Controversy anyone? - Zero
OMG, crankcase is a deviant.


new respect man!
 Controversy anyone? - smokie
...and what about schedule?

I'm a shedule man, not a skedule. Seems either is correct in the UK but most I come across use skedule.
 Controversy anyone? - Roger.
>> Controversy anyone?
>>
Contróversy.
 Controversy anyone? - Bromptonaut
Tribunal, as in appeal tribunal, is another one that's changing. In my younger days it was invariably pronounced trybunal as in trident.

More recently a pronunciation, trib-unal, based on tribune, as in the old labour 'ginger' group, has crept in. The latter probably more correctly reflects the word's roots which are to do with latin usage for a person who upholds public rights and not the number three as commonly supposed.
 Controversy anyone? - Crankcase
I guess one the biggest changes that never was involved the word "escalator". We all know how to pronounce it, but when Otis was first producing them it was pronounced, and bear with me here as it's hard to convey:

ess KALLA ter

But it's easier to say the way we do now so that's what it became, even by the manufacturer.
 Controversy anyone? - No FM2R
>>Is it pronounced Controversy...............

Either.

Or Either.
 Controversy anyone? - CGNorwich
You say eether and I say eyether,
You say neether and I say nyther,
Eether, eyether, neether, nyther,
Let's call the whole thing off!
You like potato and I like potahto,
You like tomato and I like tomahto,
Potato, potahto, tomato, tomahto!
Let's call the whole thing off!
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