West of Centre

As I write this latest blog, the world is learning of the passing of the comedy genius of Ronnie Corbett. He was famously one half of the Two Ronnies often playing the straight guy to the comic genius of Ronnie Barker. That is how it often goes in the world of entertainment; the collaboration of two talents in which one gets more than it's fair share of adulation and attention. So too it was with Ronnie Lane but what a story there is to tell. Tomorrow is April 1st and appropriately enough, this icon of English whimsy would have turned 70 but fate dealt him a rotten hand. So who exactly was Ronnie Lane you may ask? Well, if you lived through the ground breaking music of the mid sixties through to the late seventies, you will probably be familiar with lots of songs which wouldn't have even existed but for Ronnie. He was one of the founding members of a group whose brief time together has influenced Led Zepellin, Oasis, the Jam and Blur to name but a very few. The Small Faces ...

Have you ever heard the expression "Parity of esteem"? If so, you might still want to read on. If not, you really should read on if only because you will be hearing rather more of this budding sound-bite. Before I move on to parity of esteem in the context of healthcare, it is better to start with the origins of the expression. In sociological terms, "Parity of esteem" broadly equates to equality of opportunity. One of the earliest origins of the expression was in 1964 when the newly elected Labour Government of Harold Wilson elected to ditch the 11 plus exam. It was felt that introducing a comprehensive secondary education for all would bring greater parity of esteem. In other words, the new comprehensive education would promote greater equality of opportunity for school children up and down the United Kingdom. But what of it's use since then? It is interesting to note that "Parity of esteem" as a concept underpinned the peace processes in both So...

A cursory glance at the world around me reminds me that tribal tendencies are as vibrant as ever. From many angles, the world appears more at odds with itself than ever before. But perhaps this perspective is just a variation on an age old theme? I woke this morning to learn that Nicola Sturgeon intends to present a revised case for Scottish independence. Although not surprising given the name of the political party which she leads, it is surprising in many other ways. Having wiped the Labour party off the map North of the border in last year's general election, she has been ideally placed ever since to mount another challenge for Scottish independence. But why? At the same time, the UK is presented with an opportunity to have a say on membership of the European Union; the first since our grandparents in 1975. Already, the "In" group and the "Out" group are hurling insults at one another and tribal lines have been drawn not by individuals but rather by other...

At a time when the fortunes of the NHS continue to dominate the news, I was fortunate this week to attend a medico-legal training day. Rather than bore people with the latest legal positions on various aspects of healthcare, I would instead prefer to concentrate on some of the frankly extraordinary facts which emerged on the day. I found many of them so astonishing, I felt the need to share them with a wider audience for reasons I will explain later. Before I dive in to a statistical frenzy, let me quote the words of the Health Secretary of Tony Blair's first Cabinet in 1997, "The best place for a lawyer is on the operating table.......Lawyers are milking the NHS of millions of pounds every year - money that would be better spent on healthcare". But do we all appreciate the validity of those words? In 1996/7, there were around 4,000 claims for clinical negligence - negligence being the breach of a legal duty of care owed to one person by another which results in damag...

Since David Cameron concluded his negotiations for the UK's current relationship with Europe, it is as though a starting gun has been fired for a race in which tired, out of touch politicians parade like grotesque peacocks in a desperate bid for attention. This is the way of such things in the UK. This is why I'm only surprised that our European colleagues would still want us to remain in Europe given the vanity of our political classes. So what is the problem here? The problem is painfully simple. There are literally millions of British citizens who have never been deemed worthy of of their say over Europe. It is the views of the latter which would take precedence over the politicians. The behaviour of the politicians merely confirms most of what is ailing British life today. We have a political class who have all the answers and a public whose views are deemed tertiary at best. After 41 years of being in the club, I think it's fair to assume that the majority of UK ci...

The quest for democracy is a long road with a seemingly intangible destination. The last week has shown us just how elusive it can be. The Labour Party in the UK continues to struggle with the decision of their electorate to choose Jeremy Corbyn as their leader. Whatever one's political leaning, the behaviour of Labour Party MPs in recent weeks has hardly emboldened the public to engage with the political process. If democracy is the result of asking the people what they want, the recent election of Jeremy Corbyn has provided one of the most overwhelming mandates in history. Such was the public desire for his election, there was no need for a second ballot. We might be forgiven for thinking that even the most arrogant of MPs would have to take such a result on the chin with a modicum of good grace. Not so. Their behaviour in recent weeks has been an insult to the masses who did their bit by engaging with the leadership election during the summer. The legacy of such behaviour is c...

In a way, it would have been easier not to write about the events of last night in Paris. Add to that recent events in the Lebanon, Baghdad and Kenya and we must be be in no doubt that we are now living in very dangerous times. Dangerous on so many levels. For one thing, the aftermath of events such as these frequently provide much needed ammunition to fuel the arguments of extremists on both sides of the debate. But putting that aside, we must now face up to the fact that the enclave which  now stretches from Iraq to Syria has the potential to impact on the lives of all of us at any time. So, the question is: What to do now? When Francois Hollande today referred to the Paris atrocities as an "Act of war", he probably spoke for a great many in France and far beyond. But we would do well to remember that it was war which gave rise to this sorry mess in the first place. By logical extension, it is difficult to envisage a different outcome if we once more follow that time serv...