Groovin' on a Saturday Afternoon

A big thank you to Pat for dragging me out to Shortfuse for a brilliant night with John Hegley, Andrew Bailey, Kevin Eldon, Fran Landesmann and her son Miles. Looks like there's a slot for me to perform there in September if I am fully fit by then (fingers and legs crossed).

This week, MacMillan and Waterstones both announced plans for self-publishing, aka vanity publishing. Looks like a scam, but more on that when I have some time to vent spleen.

In other news...
So! Hopefully you have voted, probably for the least unacceptable party to you. If you found it hard to choose between the parties, you're not alone; politics today is about populism and not conviction, meaning that policy differences are minor. That's mainly the fault of the electorate - we don't ask the right questions and we keep our political views secret. Contrast this scenario with the USA, where people will argue about politics and are happy to tell you who they're voting for.

Things can only change when they're out in the open - don't wait for someone else to do it, as your ass is involved too.

Now that the election has ended, hopefully the nation's collective suspension of disbelief - allowing folks to hide from reality and believe whatever the politicians tell them - will pass. The big chill is coming. To know why, just think about the areas of policy that weren't discussed in real detail - transport, health (ignore the sideshow about funding & MRSA) and the environment.

If politicians had the courage of their convictions, they would have told the electorate the following:

• The idea of totally free health care is unsustainable
• We have a pensions black hole that is getting bigger
• Personal debt is at an all time high, with personal bankruptcies rising
• Much of the UK transport infrastructure is outmoded and beyond repair
• Oh, and the economy is slowing down
  

But that is an election loser, so they deferred it, like a bunch of cowards. Indulge me a sec and look at healthcare. Here are the accepted facts:

• We are living longer
• The kind of drugs that keep us living longer are becoming increasingly expensive
• Western governments have made it hard for the 'generic' drug producers in India & Cuba to introduce lower-cost substitutes, so that will come back and bite us in the butt later
  
• The remit of the NHS has increased over the last 30 years in terms of treatment offered
• There are fewer babies being born, so fewer adults to pay taxes when we're pensioners
• Many of the community GPs that were the backbone of the NHS (Indian immigrants) are retiring and unable to find replacements

Put numbers next to that, and you will see that the NHS becomes more expensive with each year, both to maintain the existing capability, and expand it modestly. What are the solutions? Well, you can increase taxes and continue the current level of NHS funding for the next 20 odd years, or you change the system, i.e. the NHS restricts itself to life-saving, and the rest, i.e. general wear and tear, is dealt with by private health care providers, which would necessitate private health care insurance; perhaps compulsary.

Any economist can work this out.

This is just one of the hard choices we have to make, and it's not being discussed - it's our own fault, because we don't ask ourselves the uncomfortable questions, and hence appear uninformed (and deferential as only the Brits can) to the politicians.

Twats.

Remember - if you ask yourselves the wrong questions, by definition, you get the wrong answers.

Send policy wonks to Fearless to be shot.