The news that a new "superbug" originating in India comes as no surprise considering the state of public health infrastructure and increasing population in that country.
The fact that it has now appeared here is also no surprise given the frequency of foreign travel between our two countries. If true it is another example of the downsides of Globalisation the globalisation of disease.
It is said that it has the potential to cause a pandemic of E coli infections which are antibiotic resistant and that more funds are needed to research this disease.
I hope this is not true but allow me some scepticism.
We have been here before.
Only last week the "swine flu" epidemic was stated to be over after our government spent £ 1 billion on drugs and immunisation prevention for the disease which never happened.
Previously the SARS virus was going to kill us all.
Before that millions of people were going to die as a result of "New Variant CJD" as a result of people eating BSE infected meat. When the death numbers did not match the predictions it was stated more funds were needed to research future risks.
Now I know we have to be careful but after all these false alarms can we be sure they are not "crying wolf" in order to gain more funding?
It was done on the three examples above and vast amounts of money and drug companies profits are at stake.
The fact that the week after we are given "the all clear" on one disease another raises its ugly head seems to me too much a coincidence.
Or am I being too cynical? I hope not.
Wednesday, 11 August 2010
BENEFIT FRAUD
The proposals to hand over the persuit of benefit cheats to private firms is I feel a dangerous precedent. I accept that benefit fraud is a major problem which has to be tackled but I dispute whether private firms are the right way to go about it.
There obviously has to be a profit motive in such organisations who will be paid on results.
This brings the danger of innocent people being denied their rightful money or bounced into admitting fraud even if innocent.
The firms will obviously go for the easy targets that is the generally law abiding British people who are easily traceable and can be harrassed into admitting fraud where there is none.
Although a government agency the "Child Support Agency" was one such organisation which persecuted many hard working fathers while ignoring those more difficult to trace. It was easy to have money stopped out of wage packets while the idle absent parents paid nothing. Immigrants wanting sex impregnated stupid British girls and disappeared while the state was left to pick up the pieces, while those British fathers in work but often poorly paid had deductions from their pay which reduced them to poverty.
With the new plan there will be the added difficulty in the "race" field. It will not pay them to hound ethnic minorities who will no doubt use the "race card" and either complain to a sympathetic police force or sue with the help of Legal aid. It will be impossible in many cases to confirm who is in some of these large immigrant families . They are often difficult to track down and as many claim for children living in their countries of origin how will these be monitored? They can't be. This will be a severe disincentive to the fraud tracing firms and as following these ethnics will not pay they will be left in peace.
Once again I feel the native Brits will be discriminated against while the immigrants will have a relitively free ride.
I hope I'm wrong.
Yes combat fraud but make sure there is justice and fairness in the system. With the profit motive driving it I doubt it.
There obviously has to be a profit motive in such organisations who will be paid on results.
This brings the danger of innocent people being denied their rightful money or bounced into admitting fraud even if innocent.
The firms will obviously go for the easy targets that is the generally law abiding British people who are easily traceable and can be harrassed into admitting fraud where there is none.
Although a government agency the "Child Support Agency" was one such organisation which persecuted many hard working fathers while ignoring those more difficult to trace. It was easy to have money stopped out of wage packets while the idle absent parents paid nothing. Immigrants wanting sex impregnated stupid British girls and disappeared while the state was left to pick up the pieces, while those British fathers in work but often poorly paid had deductions from their pay which reduced them to poverty.
With the new plan there will be the added difficulty in the "race" field. It will not pay them to hound ethnic minorities who will no doubt use the "race card" and either complain to a sympathetic police force or sue with the help of Legal aid. It will be impossible in many cases to confirm who is in some of these large immigrant families . They are often difficult to track down and as many claim for children living in their countries of origin how will these be monitored? They can't be. This will be a severe disincentive to the fraud tracing firms and as following these ethnics will not pay they will be left in peace.
Once again I feel the native Brits will be discriminated against while the immigrants will have a relitively free ride.
I hope I'm wrong.
Yes combat fraud but make sure there is justice and fairness in the system. With the profit motive driving it I doubt it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)