Ɖ Gardịn vy on NHS strîcs: a last rzort n a crî v dsper
(Transcription of a Guardian editorial of 30 Nov. 2022)
Cnsrṿtivz canot dflect blem fr a crîsis ɖt hz bn bildñ fr ɖ 12 yirz ɖe hv bn in guvnmnt
Wnzde 30 Nvmbr 2022
Industrịl ax́n cn hv mni cōzz, bt ɖr r tū rsponsz aveḷbl t guvnmnts – ngośieśn or confṛnteśn. Ẃć paʈ ministrz tec dpndz on a calkleśn abt public opińn. Simṗʈi wɖ ɖ strîcrz wl incurij compṛmîz; sspiśn ɖt ɖer dmandz r xesiv prmits intranzijns.
Fruntlîn hlʈwrcrz r jenṛli hld in hî istim, n ɖ Covid pandemic riinforst naśnl afx́n fr ɖ NHS. Ɖt sntimnt wl xtnd t s’port fr strîcñ nrsz in Ñgḷnd, Wêlz n Norɖn Îrḷnd, bt cmpaśn wl cmpit wɖ añzayti abt peśntcer. Mîndfl v ɖt baḷns, ɖ guvnmnt hz adoptd a stans v caḷbretd intranzijns, sigṇlñ redinis t tōc, bt nt abt ɖ mn iśu – pe.
Ɖ guvnmnt’s ofr, a flat-ret incris v £1,400 fr most hlʈwrcrz, amǎnts t a riyl-trmz cut, gvn dubl-dijit infleśn. Ɖ Royl Colij v Nrsñ sz ɖt its membrz hv sufrd a 20% fōl in incmz sins 2010. Ɖ yńn z ascñ fr a 5% pêrîz on top v infleśn.
Ɖ Dpartmnt v Hlʈ n Sośl Cer sz public sectr pe rstrent z un’vôḍbl in tîmz v stretnd naśnl fînansz, n ɖt ɖ hlʈsrvis hz bn trītd wɖ reḷtiv larjes. Ɖoz arğmnts wd cari mor oʈoṛti f cnstrents on ɖ Treẓ́ri wr’nt a rzult v ɖ guvnmnt’s ǒn c’losl msmanijmnt v ɖ icoṇmi, n f ɖ public sectr wz nt stl suḟrñ fṛm ɖ ifcts v ɖ last dos v Cnsrṿtiv osteṛti.
Ɖr z litl flex in bujits bcz Liz Trus’z wîld fiscl xperimnts ruind Britn’z creḍbiḷti on fînanśl marcits. N ɖr z les cpaṣti t mc d wɖ les in ɖ NHS bcz its stāf hv indyrd stres n fōlñ livñstanddz fr yirz.
Ɖoz grīvnsz wr set asd jrñ ɖ pandemic – a cmitmnt rec̣gnîzd in ritẏl clapñ on ɖ neśn’z dorsteps. Bt aplōz dz’nt pe bilz, az ɖ nrsz’ banrz se. Critics v ɖ strîc mt trî t cast industrịl ax́n az an abdceśn v ɖ dyti t cer, bt ɖ gretr ʈret t sefti z c’roźn v wrcñcndiśnz n stāf strećt tù ʈin. Peśnts sufr most ẃn nrsz r forst ǎt v ɖ pṛfeśn n nn cn b rcrutd.
Ɖ sem aplîz t ambyḷnsdrîvrz, hu hv olso votd t strîc. Ɖz r wrcrz wɖ a voceśn. Ɖe nǒ betr ɖn ɖer critics ẃt z at stec ẃn ɖe wɖdrw ɖer lebr. Ɖt ɖe fīl cmpeld t d it z a meźr v desṗreśn. It xpresz fir v peńri n olso angr at ɖ stet v a hlʈsrvis ẃr guvnmnt rlayns on ɖ wilñnis v unḍpeid stāf t g ɖ xtra mîl hz trnd t sinicl xplôteśn.
Ẃɖr ɖ public siz it ɖt we z hard t pridict, nt līst bcz ɖ mūd arnd strîcs n ɖ guvnmntriax́n wl b śept bî dspyts in uɖr sectrz. A wintr v discntnt wl tst ɖ peśns v ppl huz srṿsz r wɖdrwn. It wl olso compǎnd ɖ growñ sns v naśnl stagneśn undr a guvnmnt ɖt z wìc n d’rex̣́nlis.
Îɖr we, ɖ prîm̦inistr śd nt imajin ɖt h cn rîd ǎt ɖ cmñ storm or dflect blem fr dsrupśnz n stoṗjz. Ɖr z rūm fr dbet ovr ɖ meʈ̇dz bî ẃć hlʈwrcrz xpres ɖer grīvnsz, bt litl qsćn ovr ẃr ɖ rsponsbiḷti lîz fr a crîsis ɖt hz bn bildñ fr 12 yirz v Cnsrṿtiv guvnmnt.
