From: ml (mbtlehn@ix.netcom.com)
Date: Fri Jul 16 2004 - 04:43:59 BST
Mel SEZ: haven't seen it either... just resend it and
chalk it up to dropped packets...seen a few of those
happen this week...
thanks--ml
----- Original Message -----
From: <ant.mcwatt@ntlworld.com>
To: <moq_discuss@moq.org>
Sent: Thursday, July 15, 2004 4:31 PM
Subject: MD the metaphysics of free-enterprise
> Platt noted July 15th 2004:
>
> > > Ant McWatt comments:
> > >
> > > Firstly, the Sun is as much a newspaper as a surfboard is a reliable
> > > means
> > of trans-Atlantic transport. There's no way the Sun could be perceived
as
> > a credible or seriously unbiased medium and certainly wouldn't be
> > acceptable in an academic context. <snip>
>
> For some reason I didn't get McWatt's post where he penned the above, nor
> have I received a copy of post I sent in response to Mel's comments about
> Islam. Hopefully they will show up soon.
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
> Ant McWatt comments:
>
> Dear Platt,
>
> Thanks for bringing this to my attention. As such, I have re-posted my
original post below for your interest especially as your new points are
still addressed by this.
>
> I had a wry smile on my face when I read your comment "Meanwhile, here's a
confirming story about the sorry state of the NHS in Briton from another
news source, Sky News" as both Sky "News" and the Sun "newspaper" are both
controlled by Rupert Murdoch. Though Sky News may be a quality step up from
the Sun I think the confirmation it provides is analogous to asking two
football fans if football is a good sport!
>
> Instead, as an MOQ Discuss contributor you might consider checking out -
occasionally, anyway - the lower half of my links page at:
>
> http://www.anthonymcwatt.co.uk/Links page November 2003.htm
>
> which contains a number of independent media sources. These were put
there specifically in a group by me to facilitate the rapid surfing between
sites and, therefore, make it easier for someone to gain a more informed
viewpoint on current affairs.
>
> Murdoch tends to provide the establishment viewpoint on events so a
reliance on his numerous and ubiquitous media sources will tend give one a
pretty limited (and therefore lower quality) view on events.
>
> Best wishes,
>
> Anthony.
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Original post by Ant McWatt dated July 15th 2004:
>
> Just had to intervene on one point made between Platt and Arlo in their
recent excellent discussion concerning free markets.
>
> Platt Holden stated July 14th 2004:
>
> Headline in the UK Sun "newspaper" this morning:
>
> Ant McWatt comments:
>
> Firstly, the Sun is as much a newspaper as a surfboard is a reliable means
of trans-Atlantic transport. There's no way the Sun could be perceived as a
credible or seriously unbiased medium and certainly wouldn't be acceptable
in an academic context. You'd definitely fail a paper or an exam if you
relied on a reference from this low quality propaganda rag to support an
argument (other than as a negative example).
>
> For your information Platt, the only British media references I have
received from Pirsig have been the Guardian and the BBC - which are, despite
their limitations, definitely the higher quality sources for UK news.
>
> Platt Holden quotes from the Sun on July 14th 2004:
>
> "Filthy NHS wards kill 5,000 a year."
>
> In the story, the reasons for this sorry record in Briton's socialized
> medicine system are that doctors, nurses and cleaners "not washing their
> hands properly" Also, "Many were overworked and found it hard to maintain
> standards." Furthermore, "Generally unclean hospitals, too few isolation
> units and patients frequently being shifted around all added to the spread
> of the bugs."
>
> Ant McWatt groans:
>
> Yes (as the Sun would conveniently fail to mention) is that all these
types of problems arose in the 1990s after the UK Conservative party
introduced free market policies into the NHS.
>
> The ward cleaners were one part of this privatisation scheme and it is
when the cleaning contracts went to the lowest cost bidders rather than the
highest quality bidders that serious problems (such as the MRSA bug) became
evident. For instance, these private cleaning companies employ low paid
immigrants who often can't speak English. This means they fail to even
understand many of the basic directions given by management when cleaning
wards.
>
> The overwork comment from the Murdoch adult comic is also interesting as
evidently last year (for the first time) there became more bureaucrats
(required to operate all the free market systems) within the NHS than
hospital beds. There also remains a shortage of nurses and of doctors -
another disgraceful legacy of Thatcherite free-market "economics" in the
wrong context.
>
> Platt Holden stated July 14th 2004:
>
> Kerry and Hillary want a similar low quality system for the U.S.
>
> Ant McWatt comments:
>
> I seriously don't think they do! I would assume they want a high quality
system (as the NHS remains in most of its non-privatised elements). The MOQ
indicates that there's a place for free markets in some contexts - however,
I seriously doubt that such markets have a place in a universal high quality
health care service. They tend to ruin it.
>
> Or education for that matter but that's another story...
>
> Yours pragmatically,
>
> Anthony.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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