(1135) Post-cod brunch … quite warm out there already. (1445)

11. Comparison between two versions

The original with Johnny Kidd and the Pirates:

… and the version by Winnipeg’s Guess Who (the more famous one):

10. Yorkshire Wolds Weather

To which I replied:

9. Rupert Lowe on health tourism

I’ve had a response from the Department of Health for my question on health tourism. How much is the British taxpayer losing through treating ‘chargeable overseas visitors’ and not recovering the fair cost? The results are staggering.

In 2022/2023, the ‘aggregate income identified’ was £100,000,000. Enormous. Cash payments received that year? Just £32,000,000. The year before – £67,000,000 with £25,000,000 recovered. For 2020/2021? £61,000,000, and £21,000,000 paid. Not only are we losing vast amounts of money, it’s a rapidly growing problem.

The NHS is the National Health Service, not the International Health Service. Something must be done to recover these funds, and ensure that British taxpayer money is treated with far more care and respect moving forward.

8. From my hillside

7. Now and Next

It’s quite possible to not agree on this point or that, even a centre-left stance overall, whilst admiring the way things are written up by a good blogger … and Rolf is one of those:

Lord Mandelson is said to be behind the gifted-clothes hoo-ha about Lord Alli, the PM and his wife. Nonsense: this is Hamlet without the Prince. 

Casey Michael in the Mail on Sunday says that Tony Blair ‘is offering extensive advice to Sir Keir Starmer behind the scenes.’ Alastair Campbell, too – maybe Ali was behind Starmer’s headline-catching visit to Italy’s Giorgia Meloni ostensibly to learn from the right-winger how to deal with immigration. Mandelson – wasn’t it Blair who mused that maybe Mandy wasn’t as good as his sofa cabinet had thought?

Blair fancies himself as an expert on presentation, though his facial expressions and gestures belong in the am-dram classic ‘The Art Of Coarse Acting.’