Dear Chief Secretary to the Treasury,
I'm afraid to tell you there's no money left.
Signed, Liam Byrne

(Outgoing Labour Chief Secretary to the Treasury. May 2010)
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Thursday 8 October 2009

Compare and contrast

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Compare and contrast the background of these two stories carried in the Mail :-

Transsexual turned down for breast enlargement claims sex discrimination in case that will cost taxpayers thousands

A transsexual who wants bigger breasts must have her plea for surgery on the NHS heard in the High Court, a judge said yesterday.

The ruling is likely to cost the Health Service more than £100,000 in legal fees and paperwork on top of taxpayerfunded legal aid costs for the unnamed transsexual.

and

Judge Nicola Davies QC declared that the transsexual must have her day in court after hearing that she had undergone 'significant suffering' because she has not had cosmetic breast enlargement.

and

The transsexual, who has been living as a woman for more than ten years, claims the surgery is essential to her female identity and emotional well-being and that the refusal of the operation is sex discrimination and a breach of her human rights.

Then there's this story:-

Plumber with shattered arm left horrifically bent out of shape has operation 'cancelled four times'.

A plumber whose arm was left twisted grotesquely out of shape in an accident ten months ago has had an operation to correct it 'cancelled four times'.
and

Mr Eeles claims his first two operations at the Queen Elizabeth II hospital in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, were cancelled due to a lack of beds and operating time respectively.

His third operation in February was postponed after he was found to have high blood pressure, while the fourth, scheduled for May, was abandoned because of concerns about his smoking.

and

'How the Jobcentre can say I'm fit I don't know. I was on incapacity benefit until a few weeks ago when I went to be assessed by a doctor in Luton.

'He said because I can turn on a tap and I can lift my arm I don't qualify for help.

'Now I'm worried about losing my house. I've got a mortgage on it and there are credit cards debts I'm struggling to pay because I can't work.'

The key difference in treatment, or lack of it, is of course in the text.

Mr Eeles appears to have no right to proper treatment to mend a badly broken arm, even though he has paid his National Insurance and wants to earn a living.

The un-named "C" who is becoming a Mrs is allowed to appeal on grounds of equality and human rights.

There would appear no consideration of either equality or human rights regarding health care of cigarette smokers - unless it means being treated with contempt.
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2 comments:

Anonymous said...

mrs. rigby is an no brain teacher.

Mrs Rigby said...

Did you know that the "Mrs Rigby" whose blog this is isn't a teacher?

So it looks as if you've bad-mouthed the wrong person.