Election - bit of a non-entity from a health/benefits pov

BTW... I found the election compelling and exercised my right to vote. Being used to PR back in the old country I had no qualms about a hung parliament. As much as I hate the conservatives, a change was very much needed. Who knows what the current government will actually do? The election gave me no fodder at all for this blog as no one mentioned benefits, or mental health, or chronic illness. The NHS was mentioned but only in terms of targets and finances.

I'm hoping that the rhetoric of "choice" with regard to the NHS will be dropped. I don't give a fuck about choice. I want treatment. I want access to a specialist or two. I don't much care who it is, as long as they're competent, I mostly care WHEN it is.

Re benefits: I guess I'm not the only person wholly dependent on state handouts who feels anxiety at the broad rhetoric of public spending cuts and the complete lack of detail. We wait to hear whether it's the poor and the beneficiaries who will pay for the excesses of the financial markets with a sinking feeling. Let's hope we don't see anything like the California solution! (i.e. having run the 8th largest economy into the ground Greek style, refuse to raise taxes, and slash welfare - Arnie surely won't be back after this mess).

On the up side Fentimans now make their ginger beer in quart (750ml) bottles, and is stocked in the local supermarket; and I finally found somewhere that sells Rochester Ginger.