Sunday, September 21, 2008

The Sunday Cyril: "What is Nye Bevan" Jeannie


LOL are indebted to an anonymous commenter under our Saturday Spanker feature who reports on an encouraging absence of prior knowledge and presuppositions from former nurse/health hero/spanker apologist/favoured councillor Jeannie Ashworth (right, not in a good light).

If proof is needed that in order to become a loyal Cyril Smith cult follower and Rochdale Fib Dem you have to have your brain wiped blank then take a peek at this gem of a line from Cllr Jean Ashworth commenting on Rochdale Online about the opening of a new health centre in Rochdale named after the Father of the NHS. She writes -
"Bye the way pardon my ignorance but who or what is Nye Bevan ??"
Aw bless. Nurse Jeanie is no spring chicken and must almost be as old as the NHS so surely she must have some inkling as to the name.

Here's Nye my dear. Was a Liberal himself as a boy. Then presumably one day he woke up like a boy with a spanked arse and a groped ball bag and decided to have nothing further to do with them. Then as a Labour minister he stuck his neck out big style and eventually wore down vested interests into forming a National Health Service, free at the point of use.

Our commenter, under cover of anonymity naturally, though not I feel in my bones a Labour Party member, continues against Lady of the Lamp Jeannie (see in a better light, right):

Or has she got something against the Welsh as well as those pakistanis?

This being one of several anonymous hints that Saint Cyril and his "Liberal" acolytes have a few problems with a kind of Powellism when it comes to ethnic communities.

Funnily enough yesterday at conference I bumped into a peer of the realm, a Baronet from a long standing Aristo House, who had some light to shed on former Labour, Liberal, Independent and now Liberal Democratic buffoon Sir Cyril Smith MBE.

As an MP it seems Sir Cyril was vouching for, sponsoring or what have you, a Pakistani man of Rochdale Town who needed some assistance to get the needed result on his immigration case. Cyril was a stalwart supporter. Until that is he discovered that this constituent was a Labour supporter. Then Cyril's recessive anti-"without fear or favour" gene kicked in, perhaps choosing the recess for most impact, Saint Cyril dropped the man's case, withdrew his support, even perhaps recommended a negative decision. We're not sure.

Luckily a plucky peer rode to the rescue and picked up the man's case. Sod Sir Cyril! Sod partisan politics! This man deserves due process.

Perhaps a reader can throw more light on the case? From the dying days of Sir Cyril's parliamentary career. Before he was usurped - without fear or favour - by one of Paddy Pantsdown's bits on the side. Meanwhile here's a picture to conjure with, part of one of Saint Cyril's gifts to Rochdale. A glorious childhood playground for the Rochdale childer he was so fond of. Brilliant for BMX biking, being made of the gloriously soft asbestos fibres Cyril ate for his breakfast.



Coming soon, a "method statement" for the "safe" removal of this sunlit playground. Bringing our story a little more up to date.

43 comments:

Anonymous said...

Nye Bevan was the Architect of the NHS, the Father was William Beveridge.

You complain about drunakrds and yet want us all to worship at the Church of St Nye.

You bemoan bullying but are outraged when somebody admits that they are not a true believer.

Most importantly, you attack MPs who support dangerous industries when they provide jobs in their own constituencies but tou ignore the actions of this fat, old, bullying dypso who spent his entire career defening the glorious right of his constituents to die of pneumonoconiosis - a condition that had killed his own father.

And despte all that, Bevan was a giant compared to the pygmies that currently 'run' our country. He may have been the Architect of the NHS but he would probably turn in his grave if he saw that he was now being paraded as the Father of the PFI.

Chris Paul said...

at 21 September, 2008 11:59 Anonymous Anonymous said...

Nye Bevan was the Architect of the NHS, the Father was William Beveridge.


Did I say any different? Haven't discussed the matter.

You complain about drunakrds and yet want us all to worship at the Church of St Nye.

Did I say that? Or did I suggest that this genius councillor wasn't all that - an extremely ignorant person in fact. And please don't insult us by suggesting this was knowing humour. It clearly was not.

Clearly Hennigan is enslaved by the demon drink and behaves outrageously under the influence of the vodka, the beer and who knows what else. And while Nye Bevan is dead and gone and apparently functioned well enough to have some achievements to his name.

Drunkagain is in our faces, with his lies, bullying, nastiness, and specifically defence of the indefensible, and doing all this with the tax payer paying for his work. Which should be illegal. Which is in fact illegal.

You bemoan bullying but are outraged when somebody admits that they are not a true believer.

Don't follow you. There's being "outraged". Or more likely simply not accepting the defence of the indefensible in this case. And there's the racist, the snide, the smearing, the drunken, the attacking of non-combatants, the "we know where you live", the "we'll get you sacked", the "we'll recycle defamatory stories" and the whole sick bullying culture of the Smiths and Hennigan, and by direct connection Paul Rowen who presumably sanctions this.

On the taxpayer.

Most importantly, you attack MPs who support dangerous industries when they provide jobs in their own constituencies but you ignore the actions of this fat, old, bullying dypso who spent his entire career defening the glorious right of his constituents to die of pneumonoconiosis - a condition that had killed his own father.

I haven't ignored any of this. But it is I think supremely irrelevant to either the ignorance of this Jeannie woman or the defending the indefensible of Smith, Hennigan and Rowen, and not to mention this Jeannie woman.

Cyril Smith was way out there on the bosses side, as a bloated shareholding, self-interested old devil. No one who has contracted these terrible diseases as a direct result of his folly would praise him for saving their jobs. Saved with lies. And better off not saved.

And despte all that, Bevan was a giant compared to the pygmies that currently 'run' our country. He may have been the Architect of the NHS but he would probably turn in his grave if he saw that he was now being paraded as the Father of the PFI.

We'll never know now will we? In fact Bevan was extraordinarily pragmatic in his deals with the medics. But PFI is really nothing to do with him. And New Labour ... though he was pragmatic and he did win people over instead of rolling them over.

Stick to the points.

Rochdale Lib Dems are all over the

Hennigan is a drunken disaster.

Cyril was and is wrong.

Rowen is culpable for all this ridiculous carry on.

Chris Paul said...

All over the place ...

Anonymous said...

The point of Bevan being the Faher of the NHS is in your original post on this matter.

On the issue of drink, you most certainly did say that - repeatedly.

My reference to the bullying was again one about Bevan. Read his widow's biography of him as well as the writings of his contemporaries.

You claim not to have ignored the issue of other industral diseases that have been promoted by Labour politicians through the ages. That's a lie, you clearly have ignored it.

On one thing I agree with you - PFI is nothing to do with Bevan. That's the whole point, or was that just 'knowing humour'?

And please, don't ley anyone come on this site to paint glowing testimonials to St Nye Bevan without mentioning his dalliances with Oswald Mosley's New Party. Which also means that you can cut out the accusations of bullying and racism. Pot, kettle, black.

Anonymous said...

A classic from the Cyril Hennigan book of spin. After postings of late last nightnight's "bye the way who or what is Nye Bevan" fuckup.

Jeanie, Dave, probably best to think first rather than drink and type.

The wet sponge of history re-writing was attempted. A simple process used by Cyril for decades:

-Shout and bully
-Lie
-Insult others
-Make it a personal and political issue
-blame others
-quote some lame fact to cover the mistake
-ignore the fact you are wrong and move on to another insult.

Nye Bevan may have had his faults but Cyril Smith isn't fit to clean the boots of such a true visionary and national statesmen.

Famous for being ridiculously fat, eating pies and appearing on the Russell Harty show just doesn't cut it. Man of the people my arse. All Cyril has done up to now is make Rochdale a basketcase and laughing stock.

For Dave to attempt to use such a slur to defend Cyril Smith is pathetic.

Coal is not asbestos.Small quantities of coal don't cause terminal agonising cancer.

Rochdale Lib Dems are peeved about Nye Bevan House. How petty is that?

What did they want it to be called "Cyril Smith House?"

How about a compromise. Why not name the next civic building after, say, an elite university.

"Cambridge House". That has a certain ring to it.

Or was that the name of the boys hostel that Cyril visited in the 1960's to sexually abuse the inmates?

If there was true justice in this world the only public building that should have Cyril Smith's name on it is a prison cell.

Unless he wants to spend some of his ill gotten cash on an asbestos cancer ward.

Anonymous said...

Dear God, how the Liberal Democraps are trying to rewrite history, both Nye's and the LDcraps.

You know, in it's next post no doubt Anon will be telling us that Nye fought tooth and nail to stop the health service being set up by the Sainted Beveridge (who lost his seat in 1945) and the Tories led by that sober socialist Churchill.

GW

Anonymous said...

Small quantities of coal may not cause terminal illness but coal dust certainly does.

And yet Labour MPs were queuing up to preserve the right of the glorious National Union of Miners to die from the stuff.


That would include the blessed Anthony Wedgewood-Benn (who lost his seat in 1983 and pissed off sharpish when he saw he was going to lose another one in 2001).

There is no rewriting of history needed to show Bevan's flirting with the economic ideas of Oswald Mosley - tha 'national statesman' meets the national socialist.

Whatever the building in Rochdale is called, can anybody tell me who owns it - or is that moving this thread far too far back into the realms of policy and politics?


And talking of ball ticklers, isn't the usual request from doctors when performing a particlar medical test to "cough, man."

Chris Paul said...

Asbestos and coal. Coal and asbestos. Fact and fiction. I can tell the difference.

No, no, no you argumentative so and so. I didn't call Bevan the father of the NHS, though I'm not sure how Beveridge gets the credit.

It wouldn't have happened without Bevan. Perhaps Beveridge was the architect? And you are completely wrong anyway? bevan did the deals and built the thing. It opened on time and in splendid form. A modern miracle.

Bevan and Mosley? Like Cyril Oswald was a socialist once. He like Oswald was kicked out. Because he was a wrong 'un.

You'll have to spell out which Mosley-ite economic ideas Bevan flirted with. And there is a problem of course linking these two names over some alleged economics issue.

Designed as a smear no more and no less. You should be ashamed of yourself.

This strand of blog posts is about Cyril Smith being an unspeakably weak, immoral, predatory, abusive, bullying, pocket lining old bastard.

It's about the defending of the indefensible from the Rochdale Lib Dems and the disgusting manner in which that is carried out.

And it's about the Lib Dems in Rochdale - and indeed in much of the North - being a franchise of power at all costs idiots with narry an idea for the good of Rochdale people etc between them.

Lorna Fitzsimons btw was on top form today at conference. By no means my favourite strand of the Labour Party ... but 100 times better for Rochdale than the ineffectual Rowen could ever me.

Larger than life like that old fraud Cyril Smith. Whereas Rowen would have to be "smaller than life" if there were such an idiom.

Anonymous said...

Lets be fair. Not all Lib Dems are sex abusing perverts. Instead, some are corrupt. Others are incompetant.

Cyril Smith is indeed a rare thing.

All three.

Anonymous said...

* In the 2nd paragraph of your original post to this thread there is a reference to Bevan being the Father of the NHS. I realise that you are quoting somebody else, but it is your choice of quote and you didn't pick up on it.

* "Mosley was a socialist once" you say. In fact he was a sovcilaist until his dying day - of the national variety, as was Mussolini, Hitler, Mugabe, Caecescu, Stalin etc etc etc.

I could be wrong, but I doin't think Mosley was kicked out of the Labour Party, he walked. Bevan, however was kicked out. His flirting with Mosely's economic policies was about the latter's plans to reduce unemployment. I wonder what they could involve!

Don't you ever, ever accuse anybody of smearing you hypocritical creep. And don't ever accuse anybody of smoke-screens,. Unless you were being ironic, in which case I apologise.

Wasn't it Herbert Morrison who argued that "Socialism is what the Labour Party does at any given time”.

If that's not a description of the 'power at all costs' attitude that you accuse others of then I really don't know what is.

Anonymous said...

Dave isn't around. He has gone 'back to the future' clocking up a lot of expensive time on the meter in the De Lorean.

The one owned by "Lord" Nik Tuscan Speakman and the good Lady Eva. Scary fuckers right off the set of the Adams Family. Ex financial advisors (arse slapppingly high rate money lenders) now UK Gold celeb 'life coaches' who, for a fee, will allow troubled souls to find some quiet space in the De Lorean time machine.

Talking of fees, have they ever handed any cash over to the Lib Dems? Obviously not seeing as nothing has been declared.

Not that they have done well out of any little planning problems or the like. No doubt any good luck is simply down to the power of positive thinking.

A 13th century listed building now with with waney lap fencing and additional outline permission for a garage that has now turned into a residential plot.

Very classy. Those Pennine Township planning councillors have real taste.

As for his Lordship's De Lorean.
Was St Cyril impressed at his 80th bash with the wet dream car?

He was reportedly confused. "Who are they? Is that Chitty Chitty Bang Bang?"

Perhaps Dave Henmoron could pick Cllr Ashworth up in the De Lorean and go back to 1948 for a chat with Nye Bevan? Then pop over to the early 1960's to see Cyril asking young vulnerable men to cough as he squeezed their balls and spanked their arses to check for coal dust?

What would Dave and Jeanie then say in defence?

"Oh, but it was all such a long time ago. This is all so political and nasty? Attitudes were different then? They could have left"?

No. No. No. No.

If there was no consent, if there was a concerted cover up, if those young men were harmed then a CRIME has been committed.

BTW, Cyril was allegedly a Labour party councillor at the time.

Anonymous said...

I forgot. You didn't answer the question about who owns Nye Bevan House.

Anonymous said...

On that theme- who owns Rochdale Lib Dems - lock, stock and rolled out barrel?

Anonymous said...

Nice to have you back Dave from your healing trip in the De Lorean.

Hope you haven't been drinking and time travelling under the influence of strong spirits.

After the swearing it gets very ugly.

Anonymous said...

Don't tell me Dave. Is Nye Bevan house is owned by Chris Grieves?

Anonymous said...

As opposed to Manchester Labour Party - proprietors Messrs Bodgett & Runne.

Anonymous said...

This blog had a lot of swift comment about William Beveridge.

Nervous twitches from the Fib Dem bat cave on Drake Steet?

Could it be because Paul Rowen, piss poor current Rochdale MP and spawn of Spanker Smith is a member of the centre left Fib Dem "ginger" Beveridge Group

"Beveridge" That will get Dave Drunkagain's attention. But not that sort of beveridge. Never mind, time to crack open the WKD's in the lonely Heywood flat anyway.

A week in purdah for Dave, all alone trolling the net, sitting in his pants, knecking cheap booze and Bombay Bad Boy pot noodle might do Rochdale Lib Dems some good.

Just don't invite Cyril for a group hug - unless you want your balls fettling.

Anonymous said...

Isn't it amazing how the Liberal Democraps turm obscean when they start to lose ?

GW

Chris Paul said...

Let's have a by-election. Lib Dems can set the attack dogs on the long gone Nye Bevan and run their asbestos is safe to eat, same as coal line.

Meanwhile Labour can expose the Rochdale Lib Dem franchise for the toxic and useless creatures they are.

Everybody Hates Chris said...

"Coal - it's safe enough to eat"

Is that going to be your slogan in this putative by-election?

The whole point is that coal is and has been just as harmful to health as asbestos, both in the workplace and the immediate environment.

Many Labour MPs have campaigned to retain mining jobs in their own constituencies and yet you choose not to attack them along the same lines that you do against those not of your own party.

If you don't take my word for it then maybe you should take the Labour government's.

There are two ring-fenced funds in this country for sufferers of specific industrial diseases - asbestosis and pneumonicosiosis. Both of them have special provision for early pay-outs because of the short amount of time there often is between diagnosis and death.

And yet your attitude appears to be that asbestosis is wicked and, apparently, administered directly into the bloodstream by Smith and Hennigan, whereas pneumonicosiosis is soft, cuddly and noble.

Many in the Labour movement were so enamoured of King Coal that there was a year long strike in this country not about miners' pay but for the right of more of them to die of this disease by continuing to work down the mines. In the meantime, it was also pouring poison into the atmosphere and was responsible for a massive percentage of this country's carbon footprint.

I am absolutely not saying that asbestos is safe, as you claim, far from it. All I'm asking is that you don't single out one particular situation just because you appear to have personal political scores to settle.

While we're on the matter of a level playing field, would you like to comment on the antics of John Prescott - a sexual predator who, according to many eyewitness accounts, committed acts of sexual assault. Or is that different?

BTW, to say that Nye Bevan and Oswald Mosley just happened to be 'around at the same time' is a gross injustice. Please read history before deciding to rewrite it. On many matters they were in total agreement. Indeed, Bevan's main disagreement with his mentor was that Mosley decided to leave the Labour Party (not kicked out as you want to believe). Bevan wanted him to stay in the Labour Party so that they could fight together from within.

It seems to be heresy to even question the actions of St Aneurin, and yet you condemn the 'cult of the personality' that you perceive in others. More hypocrisy.

Chris Paul said...

Listen matey. This post is about Cyril Smith, Jean Jeannie and Dave Hennigan. It is about asbestos. It is about toxic campaigning. It is about Lib Dems in the health sector who have never heard of, who do not even know whether "Nye Bevan" was animal, vegetable or mineral.

Coal can be nasty stuff too. I can't see anyone denying that. My view is that nobody should have to go a mile under ground to scratch a living. But really that is completely beside the point.

Cyril has been caught out as completely in the company's pocket in their attempt to spin their yarns about asbestos fibres.

And like it or lump it those fibres are noxious. The company knew this for a very long time. Health and safety arrangements were piss poor whatever they may say.

There are many other shadows over his career. A sexual abuser of vulnerable young men. Who played a blinder on the miscarriage of justice for Kiszko and who has countless other sins to his name.

Start you own blog if you want to chunter on about coal, to villify national hero Nye Bevan, to make spurious connections and deflections.

Offer some proper defence. Or just accept that Cyril and all who sail with him are a poisonous franchise that really should be stamped out.

Anonymous said...

Your views on coal are not 'beside the point', it's one of the few things you've ever said that isn't!

Indeed, people should not be sent a mile underground to scratch a living, but why then did many people in the Labour Party demand their right to carry on doing so? Because they had collieries in their constituencies!

It isn't beside the point it IS the point.



Who exactly does own Nye Bevan House, Chris? Surely your apparent web of contacts in Rochdale could find that out for us.

And while on the subjects of sexual abuse and dodgy land deals, I notice no comment on John Prescott. Do you think there should be a by-election in Hull.

Let me guess ...

Anonymous said...

This Cyril Hennighan spin on coal is BRILLIANT. keep it up together with Dick Dastardly's defence of asbestos.

Have Shennighan MP. Has quite a distinguished ring to it.

Hope the Rochdale Obscurer are on side with this clever tactic.

Genius.

Everybody Hates Chris said...

And your point is?

tory boys never grow up said...

Trying to excuse Cyril's behaviour by comparison's with Bevan's is entirely odious. Bevan lost his father to pneumonicosis and constantly supported his constituents in claims for compensation from the mine owners and the NCB - Cyril did not and took the side of TBA against the victims of asbestos and those MPs who were campaigning for its abolition.

When Cyril was "working" for TBA - the dangers of asbestos were well known - there wasn't a safe level, and large numbers of people were dying from it in Rochdale and Hebden Bridge. Lots of people were pointing this out - and Cyril just called them scaremongers. Nye never called anyone a scaremonger for pointing out the dangers of black lung.

Black lung is a horrible disease - but back when Cyril was MP for Turner and Newall there were alternatives to asbestos. In Nye's day it wasn't so easy to argue such a case for coal (or even much later on - perhaps someone might want to point out the leukaemia clusters around nuclear power stations).

DOes this smear come from the same source as those who tried to smear Roger Stott?

As for the Turner and Newall Lib Dem who didn't know who Nye was - why am I not surprised at the level of ignorance demonstrated.


Yes Nye had his faults - but perhaps Cyril and his ilk should try and point to their own political achievements before opening their stupid mouths in future. Their lying and obfuscation regarding Cyril and his role in Asbestosgate show their true colours.

Chris Paul said...

This person is suggesting that Hennigan and Smith are trying to unseat Rowen who Smith never much liked in the first place.

In my view the question of coal production is clearly more nuanced than asbestos. You'd really have to be a complete and utter gibbering idiot to say any different.

British industry ran on the stuff. The war effort ran on the stuff. Homes fires ran on the stuff. And of course the alternative of gas wasn't an alternative as back in the day it was coal gas ...

On the other hand TBA and the rest of the asbestos industry continually came up with things e.g. to use the damned stuff for as they clearly made more money the more products were made of it.

Asbestos cement is a prime example of an unneeded innovation that put the lethal stuff out into more and more of our homes and public buildings. TBA et al, and Cyril meanwhile pretended that there were no substitutes and that all use was essential.

Absolute coughing bollocks.

Chris Paul said...

Well said TBNGU, my response was en route when yours went up so I didn't see it.

Paul Rowen does know who Nye Bevan was which is presumably why his face went white when the "by popular acclaim" name was announced on Saturday by Alan Johnson.

Nye Bevan House is of course in the Deeplish ward where Rowen was the useless bag-of-shite councillor for 20 years, completely failing to help residents with their chronic and desperate multiple deprivation.

Deprivation including no private transport and two bus rides to get to the Infirmary.

Shiny new health centre lands on the plot ... called after a man who renounced the Liberals and went on to be one of Labour's finest - delivering the NHS as a free at the point of use service for the whole nation. Completely revolutionary.

Nurse Jeannie meanwhile has spent her whole working life both working for and muttering about the NHS. Once again carrying out a noxious attack on all those who work in the service and those who for better or worse try to manage an improvement.

I've just been told a horrendous story about Nurse Jeannie's campaign team and their best lines in Smallridge. Paul Rowen had to go and personally apologise to local residents who to their credit found the neanderthal racism against Amna Mir absolutely bloody disgusting.

Everybody Hates Chris said...

All well and good. Just a couple of points though.

If there are cancer clusters around nuclear power plants, why aren't you dishing out the same amount of schoolboy abuse to the MPs who support these plants because they provide employmwnt in their constituencies. Indeed, why don't you reserve your vitriol for the Father of the UK Nuclear Energy Industry - Anthony Wedgewood Henn.

And if alternatives to coal have been found, why are this government pressing for the opening of a new coal-powered genearting station in Kent.

I accept that there were few alternatives to coal for most of the 20th century, but there certainly was by the mid 1980s when many Labour MPs supported a year long strike in order that miners could continue going underground in order to contract pneumonoconiosis. How's that for nuance?

Anybody that says differently is a gibbering idiot.


PS Who does own Nye Bevan House?

tory boys never grow up said...

Of course the idiot may think that it is schoolboy abuse - but perhaps he should work out how many people died in Rochdale (and elsewhere) from asbestosis. And if there are any MPs Labour or otherwise who think that they should let employers disguise dangers to their employees - rather than seek to control and manage them in proper fashion, and then be held to account for them - then they should expect a similar level of abuse in the future. Perhaps if Cyril is held to account for his negligence in this regard - then it can act as a similar warning to others to do their job properly in the future.

Very little in the world is risk free - the construction industry is the biggest source of work place injury and deaths in the UK - but no one is arguing that it should be abolished rather than managed. The risk for asbestos was known about and not managed - Cyril played his part in the cover up.

Mr Koppi in the Rochdale Observer - refers to employees not handling asbestos properly despite proper instructions - WHAT DID THE EMPLOYER DO TO ENFORCE THOSE INSTRUCTIONS?? He also mentions the wet spinning process - this was introduced by Turner and Newall at the end of the 1960s/early 1970s (they even got a Queens Award for it in 1971) - SO WHY WASNT THE IMPACT OF THE NEW PROCESS MONITORED AFTER THE INTRODUCTION? WHAT WAS KNOWN ABOUT THE NEW PROCESS IN 1981 AND 1983 WHEN CYRIL DELIVERED HIS APOLOGIA AND CRITICISED THE SCAREMONGERS EVIDENCE??

Everybody Hates Chris said...

You'll be blogging in green ink next.

Everybody Hates Chris said...

I’ve spent some of the evening trying to find out the story behind the NHS and Cllr Ashworth from Rochdale – or “that Jeannie woman” as Chris Paul so condescendingly puts it in his typically sexist way.

If I have left anything out it is not intentional, but what I have found out purely from the internet does seem to provide a full narrative. I will try to set it out objectively because I think it does reveal something about the state of mind of some of the peripheral characters in the tale.

Jean Ashworth has worked at Rochdale Infirmary as a nurse for somewhere between 25 and 30 years mostly (wholly?) on the children’s ward. She is also one of the leaders of the campaign against the reorganisation of hospitals within the local NHS Trust. For her sins, she is a Liberal Democrat member of Rochdale MBC.

Jean has been very vocal in her opposition to the reorganisation. It seems that many of the services new offered in Rochdale will in future only be available in neighbouring towns. She argues that this is a poor deal for Rochdale, others that it means that overall services will improve and everyone will gain. I make no comment.

On several occasions, Jean blew the whistle on the tactics of the NHS Trust, its board and senior managers – particularly about the ‘sham of consultation’ as she put it.

A Labour councillor under a false name emailed the local health bosses to suggest that they sack her for campaigning against these cuts while being an NHS employee.

And what is Chris Paul’s version of this story:

“Nurse Jeannie meanwhile has spent her whole working life both working for and muttering about the NHS. Once again carrying out a noxious attack on all those who work in the service and those who for better or worse try to manage an improvement.”

Those comments say far more about you, Chris, than they ever could about anybody else – especially someone who has worked for 20 odd years as a nurse, has committed the heinous crime of campaigning against Labour health cuts and is subject to a cowardly attack in order to get her fired.

It shows you for the venal, tribal, vindictive, tenth-rater that everybody in Manchester Labour Party says you are. Just how long did it take you to come up with that mendacious forms of words that translates:
· “dedicated campaigning” into “muttering”
· “leading a fight of people from all parties and of none, plus the unions and many of the health workers” into “noxious attack on all those who work in the service”
· “senior management and NHS Trust board members” into “those who work in the service” – as though it include doctors, nurses and ancillary staff and
· “carrying out drastic cuts” into “managing an improvement.”

If, for instance, Jean had been a mental health worker and trade union activist in North Manchester who was in a similar position, I suspect your attitude would be slightly different. Ah well, we’ll never know.

Anonymous said...

Wow that was quite a rant in defence of Christine Akram's, er, friend.

Anyone notice that when Dave H gets rattled, a bout of diahorreal verbage ensues.

Hurry up Dave, Bargain Booze closes soon.

Everybody Hates Chris said...

And just to prove my point, see above.

Anonymous said...

"Health campaigner" Nurse Jeanie is featured in the latest press release by the Rochdale bully whizz kid.

Bully whizz - Cheap and dirty.

Anonymous said...

And just to prove my point again, see above.

Chris Paul said...

Nurse Jeannie and Curse Davey are LYING not in any honest sense of the word CAMPAIGNING about the Infirmary. And MUTTERING and GROUSING is about right for their carry on.

A very large proportion of the existing services will remain on site - as the local MP and his overpaid and politically toxic parliamentary staffer and even Sir Cyril know damned well - and I'd estimate a minimum of 75% and probably getting on towards 90% will be there in 20 years time - along with other NEW services on site and elsewhere in the Town.

Often far more convenient for local working people and muddle classes like me too.

More convenient for example for the citizens of Deeplish which Paul Rowen failed to assist for 20 years as their councillor and latterly as their MP too in his spare time. Yes, that's the Nye Bevan House which that man Davey and that woman Jeannie failed to either attend t'opening of, or send a press release out welcoming, or even mutter and grouse in one of their counter factuals.

Yet, because of Jeannie and Davey's and that man, their boss, Paulie's misinformation campaign we have residents dashing to other hospitals, believing the RI closed. To North Manchester, to Oldham, and so on and so forth. Ridiculous. All because of lies on Lib Dem leaflets and press releases and general fear mongering on the doorstep.

And we have taxi drivers refusing to take people there - "it's closed mate" - and in short we have a situation which has far more in common with John Leech's apalling scaremongering over Christie, which he suggested was in danger of closure, which was of course 100% poppycock - than anything related to Nurse Karen in South Manchester SC and MH Trust. NB Not North Manchester you muppet Dave.

I'm not a Rochdale citizen and the fellas from Rochdale Lib Dems and the Labour one who went after poor Jeannie's job - secretly and in public respectively - are no friend of mine. That is not acceptable Dave. As you would no doubt say - when you are not trying to get someone or other sacked or intimidated to shut up. What a hypocrite you are.

I'll march the streets, barefoot if really necessary, though the press are getting bored with that, in solidarity with Dave if Cyril tries to have his job.

Join my Union mate - meaning I recommend Unite, rather than the NUJ. We are currently organising amongst the parliamentary bag carrying proletariat and you will be most welcome to join.

So get on board. We know how much you Lib Dems like Trade Unions and NMW and rights at work after all.

Some questions:

Is Jeannie an elected Trade Union officer of some kind?

Does her contract stipulate that she may speak with the press on her employer's business?

Is there any danger of a Standards offence when she does so?

Is she an authorised or elected union press spokesperson?

Is she in any way implicated as a Lib Dem councillor in the absolutely shocking failure of the Councillor Dale Mulgrew* led Adult Social Care in the town? Getting even a single star from inspectors. Not even a lone star town like Lib Dem Liverpool?

Rochdale Health Unison will no doubt support her if idiots calling for her to go continue. But if they were having a drink in central Rochdale, say overlooking the site of the former Smith Street cottage frequented by the lads from Knowl View on their nights out, would they say she was right?

* That's Jimmy Cricket junior to readers outside Beknighted Rochdale.

Anonymous said...

Whatever the truth about the future of the NHS in the North West, I suggest that you get yourself round to whichever ones deals with myopia and get it sorted immediately.

You think that the proposals will have long-term benefits for the people of Rochdale. Fair enough. On that your are in agreement with the Labour government, the local Labour PPC, other senior Labour politicos, the NHS Trust members and the medical consultants who work within the Trust.

Those who disagree with you include the rest of the medical staff, ancillary workers, the health unions, patients' bodies, 70,000 people who have signed a local petition and virtually everybody who submitted to the "consultation".

I only had 15 minutes to look all this up, so I may have missed somebody out.

You say that 75% of services will remain in Rochdale. Are you claiming that A&E is one service and Chiropody is another. If so, then your figures appear to be right. Totally misleading, but mathematically correct.

As far as I can tell, A&E IS closing. so is the Maternity Unit - just the sort of services that people feel should be provided in a towen the size of Rochdale.

They could be wrong, but could it not just be possible that they know more about it than you do.

If Rochdale is like any other town in this country then I suspect that the taxi drivers know exactly what services are delivered where. Most of them will work for companies that have contrcats with the hospitals. Urban myths about taxi drivers thinking the hospital is closed are just implausible and betray your true motives. (I also suspect that in Rochdale they never use the word 'mate' and that you've been watching too many episodes of Eastenders ie 1).

By all the accounts I've read, Jean Ashworth has led a very dignified campaign against this reorganisation. To accuse her of scaremongering, while not mentioning all the other individuals and organisations that agree with her, is just another indication of your true intent.

Your original post about her on this thread was so warped as to be a pack of lies. It was also brutish and entirely politically motivated. But then that's just my opinion.

Chris Paul said...

No answers to any of the questions I've raised Dave?

You are a disgrace. Perhaps we need to get these matters raised in the House instead? Where evasion and abuse are less acceptable in response to hard questions.

As part of a series of Rochdale flavoured EDMs that are coming at ya soon.

There will still be an A&E function as far as I know at RI. You may be right about maternity services. In an ideal world of course these are a relatively routine thing where a few extra minutes going to a superior facility is no problem.

More worrying in the case of emergencies. But then again in an emergency you'd want to go to a well-equipped hospital with experts on the case 24/7 now wouldn't you?

Obviously Rochdale Lib Dems are scare mongering about health services. Obviously RLDs are failing to acknowledge the general increase in quality of facilities, number and skill of staff, state of the art health centres.

Even the question of a positive change in prescription charges for cancer patients to be followed we hope with similar arrangements for other chronic conditions and also fast tracking of practical applications of new medical science.

Even these things have drawn a snide response from the toxic RLD franchise. Tell me this ... is Paul Rowen actually requesting and approving the output of his parliamentary office?

You really couldn't make it up. So incredibly cynical, corrosive and hopeless. That's libdemology for you.

Anonymous said...

So the health unions, most of the medical staff, the support workers and 70,000 local people have got it absolutely wrong and you have got it absolutely right. Is that it?

I don't know the answer, living (according to AA Routeplanner) 91.3 miles away from Rochdale Infirmary. But you decided to pick a fight with somebody over a totally separate matter and then to rubbish everything else she has done. It is called obsessive behaviour and character assassination and I'm sure Karen Reissmann will have come across similar cases.


By the way, that figure of 91 miles is just about twice the distance it will be for my family to get to Accident and Emergency when our local one closes soon. It's supposed to be no more than 42 minutes away to conform to all the accident survival criteria - which is why I have a Direct Debit to the Air Ambulance Service.

Oh, and my name isn't Dave (or Rodney). Although, if you ate about 5 tons of wet fish oil, you could be Trigger.

Anonymous said...

Health campaigner slams Labour's 'illness lottery'


Rochdale health campaigner, Councillor Jean Ashworth, has slammed Gordon Brown’s decision to allow free prescriptions for cancer patients in England but not all patients suffering from long-term illness. The Prime Minister announced in his speech at the Labour conference that as of next year this new policy would be put in place. Currently Scotland is the only country in the UK that enjoys free prescriptions for all.

Councillor Ashworth said: “I welcome the decision for free prescriptions for cancer patients but I think Gordon Brown has missed a golden opportunity to help many others suffering from life threatening conditions. Take asthma for example. At the moment one in four children suffer from asthma in the UK and when they reach 16, many of them can’t afford to pay for their prescriptions.

"Asthma is a life threatening disease. If people do not receive the medication they need they will die. Nobody should have to pay to breathe.

“I have campaigned for free prescriptions for people suffering from life threatening diseases since 2000. I have written many letters, given presentations and attended rallies in support of this cause. I have even had many high profile people such as Sir Trevor Mcdonald, Richard and Judy and Sir Cyril Smith backing me in my campaign.

"Gordon Brown has let millions of people down yet again. Nye Bevan will be spinning in his grave at this decision.

"I promise the people of Rochdale that I will continue my campaign for justice and fairness in the NHS.”

Rochdale MP Paul Rowen said: “This is a welcome decision but only part of the problem. We’ve heard about postcode lotteries in the NHS, this is a lottery based on illness.

"I will be pressing the Prime Minister when Parliament sits again to widen his policy, just like in Scotland.

"I know that Jean has been at the forefront of this campaign for many years and I am pleased to back her.”

Anonymous said...

Yes Jeanie, Nye Bevan would be turning in his grave with all the drivel that Dave H is writing for you.

All this 'campaigning' for those with life threatening diseases by someone who says those stupid ill workers knew the risks and could have left rather than get paid so well for going to work to put food on the table.

Interesting choice of 'high profile' people including a shameless plug for Cyril Smith, who is still helping in the great cause for long-term illness.

You/Dave are right about one thing- Cyril is high profile. More and more people are talking about him. There is getting quite a buzz.

Might even be a photo and much bigger story in the Daily Express soon - and all without the need to hack into an open source website to create a bit of chaff.

Like Cyril was in Westminster, Dave is seen as a bit of a joke.

"Stop clowning about Dave and do the simple job your public funded wage pays you to do".

These are the words of local Lib Dems not members of other parties.

Anonymous said...

Please don't call this woman "Nurse", she's not a nurse, she's a healthcare assistant.

Secondly, the LibDems have a history of scaremongering about health services, think back to the appalling and irresponsible campaign by John Leech in Withington.

Maybe they should get someone to look at health services who actually knows what they're talking about for a change, instead of coming up with knee jerk emotional blackmail stories that get them column inches, rather than focussing on the real clinical issues about service provision.

Anonymous said...

Please don't call this woman "Nurse", she's not a nurse, she's a healthcare assistant.

Secondly, the LibDems have a history of scaremongering about health services, think back to the appalling and irresponsible campaign by John Leech in Withington.

Maybe they should get someone to look at health services who actually knows what they're talking about for a change, instead of coming up with knee jerk emotional blackmail stories that get them column inches, rather than focussing on the real clinical issues about service provision.