Samizdata quote of the day

October 03, 2004
Sunday

Samizdata quote of the day

Michael Jennings (London) Slogans/quotations

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For what Britons and Canadians pay in taxes for their miserable government health service, they ought to be entitled to three terminal diseases a year.

- The incomparable Mark Steyn, being the incomparable Mark Steyn. (Personally, I find the NHS so unspeakable that I try to delay going to the doctor until those times that I visit Australia. But that might be just me).

Comments

Lately, if I want to convince someone that goverment provided health care is a bad idea all I have to do is point at Space Ship One.

30 Million dollars built a re-usable spacecraft that can take off, get into space, and then land on the same runway it took off from (using gravity as it's sole propulsion mechanism for the return trip)...

I bet the toilet seat on the space shuttle cost 30 million dollars...

And people want to bring this kind of efficiency to the US health care system!

tanstafl@gmail.com

Posted by Tony Di Croce at October 4, 2004 05:26 AM

Michael

I'm just like you - waiting for a trip to Australia before I get a cyst removed from my elbow. Sure it looks funny now, but I imagine it's going to look a lot better after it's removed by a proper doctor back home than a butcher over here.

On the plus side, there's plenty of Antipodean dentists over here that I can go to.

Posted by NickL at October 4, 2004 02:20 PM

we do get three terminal disseases - the Tories New Labor and the Lib democrats. and they all love the NHS!

Posted by Giles at October 4, 2004 03:27 PM

I recently (3 days ago) join a UK doctors. It is unnescessary to say how truly awful it was, but I will anyway...

1) Rude receptionist
2) Lazy receptionist
3) Disinterested receptionist
4) Cramped waiting room
5) Filled with "migrants" who couldn't speak English.
6) bEUrocratic
7) 1 week delay to actually see a doctor!
8) I could not join the surgery that was most convenient for my needs.
9) The amount I pay for this "service" as a higher rate taxpayer
10) The crowding out effect meaning there is no private doctor in south west london!

Posted by Rob Read at October 4, 2004 05:10 PM

Giles - too true to be funny ...

Posted by Verity at October 4, 2004 05:32 PM

> 7) 1 week delay to actually see a doctor!

You lucky swine I have to wait 2 1/2 weeks for an appointment when I have wait 30 minutes in a waiting room full of junkies.

1327

Posted by 1327 at October 4, 2004 06:55 PM

I still get my contact lenses sorted out on occasional trips back to Oz. (And now my dentist has left the NHS).

Scott Campbell at Blithering Bunny.

Posted by Scott Campbell aka Blithering Bunny at October 5, 2004 04:05 PM

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