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Discussion in 'Plymouth' started by Plymborn, Jun 25, 2017.

  1. Plymborn

    Plymborn Well-Known Member
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    NHS & Dentistry.

    I've always wondered how the majority of Dentist Practices and the NHS seemed to have gone in separate directions.

    My Dentist informed me 15 years (approx.) back... that they were going to be a private set-up.....at the time it seemed that all dentists locally were doing the same and those few that didn't were only offering the most basic of services, so I stayed with them......they where offering a monthly dentist plan that covered two check-ups a year at about £14 a month.

    Today I have had a check-up....and I need work on one filling....it has over the years eroded away and now needs to be replaced

    With a reduction taken into account for my dentist plan....a new filling....quite a modest size....will cost me what I think is not a modest amount....£171....I did enquire with the receptionist that it was only a filling that I needed....not shares in the practice....and my joke seemed to be lost on her.

    How has it been allowed that Dentists have broken away from the NHS system and over 90% of them are private.....it's bad enough every two years having to pay roughly £500 for new glasses....and now a modest filling can be valued at £171....just imagine if you needed more expensive work done.....would you have to re-mortgage your home to have the work done.
     
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  2. Greenarmyjoe

    Greenarmyjoe Well-Known Member

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    Fill the tooth with some plumbers mate .. I had a filling last year and a check up 41.00 NHS dentist now called oasis
     
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  3. sensiblegreeny

    sensiblegreeny Well-Known Member
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    I never bothered with registering and always, if I had a problem, I went to Seven Trees to the emergency people. Never had a problem getting in as I always played the wounded soldier who was in huge pain. I am excellent at acting if I need to be. Until recently that is or rather about 20 months ago. My Mrs had a problem but there was basically no way she could get into that place due to the numbers on a waiting list. We made inquiries and learned we had to register on a computer system on a waiting list to get an NHS dentist because you couldn't just walk in anywhere and register. She had a problem recently so we had to go to a private dentist. £733 altogether for what seems little work. Guess what..................within a couple of weeks we got a letter to say we could register with Orchard Dental Practice on Wolsley Rd. Bit late as she had already committed to the expensive treatment and had half the work done.

    We have now registered and have our initial appointment at the end of this month. The cost of treatment is still bleddy expensive I think because I still think of Dentistry as part of your health and should be free. However it is a fraction of the private costs which are just plain robbery. How people can afford to get their teeth fixed these days is beyond me given some people's income levels. Ok I can afford it but that isn't the point. My wife got a prescription a while ago which she has to take probably for evermore. Instead of getting it for 56 days at a time now it's 28 days at a time. Probably the new guide lines. When I first took my blood pressure tablets I got 84 days or pretty much 3 months worth. So it has been reduced by a third. If you have to pay for a presciption that is triple what you paid before. Any thoughts the medical side is going the same way?
     
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  4. notDistantGreen

    notDistantGreen Well-Known Member

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    Donald Trump declares a "tremendous success" as he loses the Congress in very bitter and divisive mid term elections. Talk about Fake News..

    Typically, the young, well educated, urban and suburban and better off reject the Trump government together with a majority of women.

    Older, blue collar males in rural areas support Trump's racist rhetoric.

    Compare and contrast with Brexit Britain...


    Sent from my mobile phone - E&OE
     
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  5. Plymborn

    Plymborn Well-Known Member
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    Emmanuel Macron, the French president, has called for a "real European army" to defend the continent against Russia, China and even the US.

    Mr Macron, who has pushed for a joint EU military force since his election last year, issued the call in northern France in the run-up to the centenary of the end of the First World War.

    "We will not protect the Europeans unless we decide to have a true European army," Mr Macron said in the interview at Verdun, the scene of France's most bloody battle.

    Mr Macron said the continent could no longer rely on protection from America, citing the recent decision of Mr Trump to withdraw from a cold war-era nuclear treaty, and he even suggested its old ally posed a potential threat.

    "We have to protect ourselves with respect to China, Russia and even the United States of America," Mr Macron told broadcaster Europe 1 in his first radio interview since taking power.

    This article continues for a few more paragraphs end with the following comments......

    Defence analysts yesterday expressed scepticism over the concept of a European army. Bruno Alomar, professor at the School of War in Paris, said the idea of creating a "common strategic culture" was interesting.

    "But there exists a fantastic gap between European defence dreams of Emmanuel Macron and the reality of very powerful disagreements between European partners on defence issues,"

    Daily Telegraph...7/11/2018.


    My thoughts.....Macron is an extreme Federalist....he is aware that Angela Merkel's reign is coming to an end and he is making a play as the strong leader that the EU will need in the future......this man is dangerous and I'm glad that in the future this man will have no say in what the UK's armed forces will get involved in.
     
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  6. Plymborn

    Plymborn Well-Known Member
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    Although Trump will have a bigger majority in the Senate...possibly 55-45 .....there were more Democratic seats up for re-election to the senate then Republican at half-term....which played into Trump's hands.
     
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  7. sensiblegreeny

    sensiblegreeny Well-Known Member
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    I haven't seen Boris on the tele lately. Is he in the US doubling up with Trumpy. I heard on the news earlier to day that the rural area folk are still very much trumpies and it is in the Urban areas he has lost some ground. For rural folk you should read Deliverance lookalikes.

    As for a European Army or rather Defence Force well it isn't that surprising it might eventually come to that and to be fair it would probably be cheaper in the long run. But, as you will never get more than two countries to agree on anything that important it is doubtful it will be realised anytime soon. I don't see Macron as dangerous though. Why is he that just because he thinks a European Army is a good thing to defend Europe? It seems fairly logical really even if I wouldn't necessarily vote for it. They seem to get together often enough now when it comes to bombing countries and stuff.
     
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  8. Plymborn

    Plymborn Well-Known Member
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    It's Macron's Federal beliefs....that everything should be controlled from Brussels and the rights of individual countries would be taken away and sovereignty weakened....and with him gaining ascendancy in the EU as Merkel's reign comes to an end, it doesn't bode well for Europe.
     
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  9. notDistantGreen

    notDistantGreen Well-Known Member

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    Firstly, it's true that we cannot rely on Trump's America for defence.

    I read an interview with Ann Coulter in the Sunday paper. She's an extreme right wing commentator. She is opposed amongst other things to abortion, same sex marriage and hate crime laws and doesn't believe in the theory of evolution. She says she is an Presbyterian but mocks the message of Jesus, summarising it as "something along the lines of 'be nice to people'". She endorsed Trump but has since stepped back from him because he's not extreme enough on immigration but she has been tipped to be Trump's next press spokes woman. She casually threw out that she'd prefer it if the USA to drop its allies and be closer to Russia and China as America's natural bedfellows.

    Nothwithstanding that, forming a European Army or common foreign policy would require another treaty. I can't see any British Government signing up for that.......
     
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    Last edited: Nov 7, 2018
  10. Plymborn

    Plymborn Well-Known Member
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    We wont need to sign up to it end of March next year anyrate.
     
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  11. sensiblegreeny

    sensiblegreeny Well-Known Member
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    So why are you worried about Macron then.
     
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  12. notDistantGreen

    notDistantGreen Well-Known Member

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    No. We'll be alone with no allies, no trade agreements and pretty quickly, no financial services sector and no hi tech manufacturing. Wetherspoons will still be open for anyone with a wage and Dyson will be OK making his vacuum cleaners in the Far East.

    Sent from my mobile phone - E&OE
     
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  13. notDistantGreen

    notDistantGreen Well-Known Member

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    Immediately after the mid-terms, Trump has sacked his attorney-general, presumably in an attempt to stifle the inquiry into his links with Russia.

    Meanwhile, May is reluctant to release our attorney-general's legal advice on any draft Brexit agreement. Ever had the feeling we're being sold a pup?

    Sent from my mobile phone - E&OE
     
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  14. sensiblegreeny

    sensiblegreeny Well-Known Member
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    German firm shutting factory in Estover and moving it back to Germany. 500 jobs going with it.
     
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  15. Plymborn

    Plymborn Well-Known Member
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    1.....Britain's poorest families are almost £300 a year worse off as a result of unskilled migration, a major study has claimed.

    Impoverished communities where unskilled migrants tend to settle pay more than average for unskilled EU immigration because the cost in public services fall directly on those regions, according to a report published today by Economists for Free Trade (EFT).

    Ian Duncan Smith the former work and pensions secretary, called on the Government to treat unskilled EU immigrants the same as unskilled non-EU immigrants in any post-Brexit immigration system in the wake of the study.

    He said: "The poorest in society should not be funding unskilled immigrants from the EU. It simply doesn't make any sense. The Government must adopt a post-Brexit immigration system that works for everyone."

    The EFT report found that in a region such as Leicester, the burden of unskilled immigration costs £287 every year or £6 a week.

    This equates to around one per cent of average UK household disposable income per head.

    The report found that if it costs the UK £3.5billion to support unskilled EU immigrants or £3,000 per year per adult immigrant.

    Daily Telegraph...12/11/2018.

    My thoughts.....Too many unskilled EU Immigrants are pushing our own poor classes lower down chain.


    2.....A thief stole a marked police van from outside a station, and took it on a 15-mile ride.

    The vehicle was found dumped in the early hours of yesterday after going missing from the Lowestoft Police Station car park.

    A 27-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of aggravated vehicle taking.

    Daily Telegraph...12/11/2018.

    My thoughts.....Now if that had been the theft of a non-police van....a crime number would have been issued and filed away for posterity.


    .....and on the same theme.

    3.....Police forces could be forced to suspend their 101 numbers so they can cope with emergencies, the Police Federation chairman has claimed...(shouldn't that be chairperson).

    John Apter's warning came days after Bedfordshire Police said it could not answer 101 calls due to "unforeseen resourcing issues".

    The service was suspended for two hours on Tuesday night to allow call handlers to prioritise 999 calls following a "high demand".

    Mr Apter told 'The Independent' : I see more forces starting to suspend 101, and I think they should if it means we can prioritise the here-and-now emergencies.

    " The sad reality is that there are officers across the country not answering 999 calls in the time they should because there are simply not enough resources going around."

    Daily Telegraph...12/11/2018.

    My thoughts.....If that's the case people will stop phoning 101 and directly phone 999 ?.....which will cause chaos.
     
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  16. notDistantGreen

    notDistantGreen Well-Known Member

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    I have a question.

    Most who voted for Brexit had immigration on their minds.

    Brexiteer politicians who dream of the Days of Empire want non EU migrants to have equal priority with EU citizens and it's obvious that pretty soon post Brexit, any Government is going to have to allow non and low skilled workers in if we wish to continue to have care homes, fresh UK fruit in the summer, fast food outlets etc. etc. British people just don't want those jobs.

    So we'll end up with brown non Christians from South Asia doing those jobs rather than white Christians from central Europe. Is that going to what people who voted Leave want? I don't know, I voted Remain. Just asking.
     
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  17. Plymborn

    Plymborn Well-Known Member
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    There are more Muslims in Europe than a lot of people realize.

    44 million in Europe (6%) ...of which 19 million are in EU countries already.....so quite a few EU citizens coming in could already be of a Muslim faith.

    In Europe at the moment %age Muslim.

    100/90%.....Azerbaijan, Kosovo & Turkey.
    70/80%.....Kazakhstan.
    50/70%.....Macedonia.
    10/20%.....Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Montenegro & Russia.
    5/10%.....Austria, Sweden, Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Liechenstein, Holland, Switzerland, UK, Norway & Denmark.
    4/5%.....Italy & Serbia.

    So white Europeans who are not Christians have been flooding into the country for years.....Mrs Plym helps lots (all religions) to learn English from many of these countries at present through a support club run by a Bromley Baptist church.

    This support group also have people of all ages coming from S America....white/black/brown...mostly Catholics....from places such as Brazil, Agentina, Uruguay, Columbia, Peru & Chile, escaping poverty/crime that is uncontrolled by corrupt governments....some of these are well educated, who want no support from the welfare system and are so thankful for being helped without any cost.

    Asians quite often have family links here already, and seem to 'wriggle' there way through the system anyway....many of these don't show up on Government stats ?

    The Government keep crowing about the low unemployment figures that they have achieved....but they have no accurate figures to tell you how many people are coming into the country.
     
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  18. sensiblegreeny

    sensiblegreeny Well-Known Member
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    Can I point out the fact that being a Muslim is a religious statement and it is not a country anymore than there is a country called Jewland. Being jewish is also a religion. Nobody ever refers to the number of christians living anywhere. Not every Muslim comes from an Arab or Asian country.

    If the people refered to got off their idle backsides and did some work then there wouldn't be any spare jobs for low paid workers to come into the country for. I often heard people refer the benefits they received as wages. That in my opinion says it all.
     
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  19. notDistantGreen

    notDistantGreen Well-Known Member

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    We're all racist. I'm racist. We all prefer to be with people like us. So I'm a racist at heart and so is the average Afro-caribbean and the average Pole and so on. No point in pretending it isn't so.

    The thing is though, I choose not to be biased against people that way, to the best of my ability.

    So I agree with Sensible. If people want to come here to work and pay taxes and support their families, good luck to them.

    Those that want to blow me up or deal drugs, I have a different view of.

    Sent from my mobile phone - E&OE
     
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  20. sensiblegreeny

    sensiblegreeny Well-Known Member
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    I agree with your statement that everyone wants to be with people like us but I do differ in the how they are like us. You go for Poles being with Poles but I go for people who contribute to the society they live in. I wasn't fortunate to never having been unemployed. I looked for work when I had to and took what was on offer at the time. I then made the best of that I could and paid my way for myself and family. I don't care where anyone comes from or what colour they are I care what their values are and if they are the same or similar to mine then I am happy to be with them. I do not want to be associated with people who do nothing in life.
     
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