Those who say they support nurses but not nursing strikes are absolutely infuriating, writes Iain Maciver.
A couple of weeks ago, we discussed what to have for Christmas dinner.
Daughter number one suddenly shouted: “Duck.” I agreed a Donald would be better than dry turkey again. Then the broom, which I had earlier propped badly up against the wall, fell and struck me on the side of the head. Ouch.
She was actually warning me about the toppling broom but, at the same time, chose our festive dinner.
My sore head is better now – thank you for asking. I didn’t have to go to A&E. Oh, and you must remind me to tell you later about another strike I have been struck by – the nurses’ one.
After the duck, we had cheesecake. Not just any old cheesecake. This one was a foot wide. It was also a foot long, but, like pizzas, that may not have just been a Christmas feature.
I mean, most cheesecakes are round, but not so many are also so big and deep, but not even. It wasn’t even because it had those very lickable Lindor mini-gobstopper chocolates, still in their wrapper, to lick later at your leisure.
It had lashings of those whisky creams. Mrs X, what are they called again? Liquors? Nope. Liqueurs? Lick your own. Oh, I see what you mean. Yes, liqueurs.
Thank you to the ladies at Mocha Muffin in Back. To turn out such yummy creations, they’re very talented.
A model moment for Alanna
Also very talented is international fashion model Alanna Lily MacNeil, who is from the Isle of Barra. Amazing, eh?
It’s not so amazing being from Barra, as there are many talented people there. The really amazing thing is that Alanna is just 10 years old.
Regularly in front of the cameras to show off the wares of well-known names like Mango, Zara and River Island, Alanna showed us on the BBC Alba programme on Christmas Day that some people, even on an island, can have a very different way of life to ourselves.
Alanna plays football with her classmates and helps with the animals on her dad’s croft, and then hops onto a plane to Barcelona. Whilst showing the challenges involved in living on a tiny island, we saw that even living somewhere perceived by many as remote doesn’t stop exciting opportunities for this young girl.
She looks cool and unflustered, whether in front of the cameras or not. She still has to keep up with her schoolwork. Really? Must she? I suppose.
She admits that modelling is not what she really, really wants to do. Nope, this grounded lass has made it clear what she really wants to do is be a footballer.
Ooh, the memories. I wanted to be the same as Alanna. Then I found out I had two left feet. If only I’d decided to be a model, it could all have been very different.
Nurses are both underpaid and overworked
One job I couldn’t do is be a nurse. They do so much and get little thanks for it. It’s non-stop, and pig-headed governments in the UK don’t want to recognise that. In fact, many people in Scotland don’t recognise their own hypocrisy.
It’s infuriating to see street interviews with people who peddle the line that they support nurses but do not support them striking. So, you support them being exploited?
If you don’t support nurses striking, you are a useless windbag whose life is about grabbing something for nothing
Nurses are both underpaid and overworked, due to stupid policies that have caused staff shortages. They are needed more than ever, and it is upsetting to see politicians, who we assume have a brain, arguing there is no more money to pay them.
They consistently underfund healthcare, so most targets aren’t met, and the level of creative blame-shifting is nauseating. Unfortunately, the commentators don’t always explain that nurses’ pay has fallen 16% in real-terms in the last decade.
The video I hoped I'd be making today. RCN Scotland nurses will be going on strike alongside our UK colleagues. You can play it straight from Twitter #NHSStrikes #NursesStrike pic.twitter.com/95KZwoPJo9
— Siobhan (@NHSActivistRN) December 21, 2022
If you don’t support their right to strike to get a reasonable standard of living, you absolutely don’t support the nurses. You also don’t support the NHS, and you, and people like you, are happy to stand by as it slowly dies and falls into the hands of profiteers. That’s not being political. It’s already happening in other places.
If you don’t support nurses striking, you are a useless windbag whose life is about grabbing something for nothing. The surefire way to work out who’s a decent politician in Holyrood, Westminster or wherever, is to see whether they support the nurses striking. That’s the test. Simple.
I know a lad called Tommy who recently became a nurse. It’s great when you know someone in the medical profession. You can get free health advice.
He’s still learning, but I asked Tommy why I have had a cold for a few weeks, but I always feel better on Saturdays and Sundays. He said: “Ah, I’ve heard about this. You have a weekend immune system.”
Iain Maciver is a former broadcaster and news reporter from the Outer Hebrides
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