THINGS THAT MATTER

A few weeks in Britain in March, which is considered spring but featured all of winter’s elements – freezing, frost, ice, snow, hail and rain, rain, rain – really put life in Barbados in proper perspective. In spite of all our challenges, coming home a few days ago was coming back to Paradise. Living next to bubbling sewage or in a parish without water is truly horrible, but for the other lucky 90 per cent of us, there’s nothing like this rock, with its perfect temperature, beautiful beaches, health-preserving sea, gorgeous greenery and friendly neighbours. And the social, political, health, economic and infra-structural problems in Britain are just like ours! Honest …

Britain still has a wide range of national newspapers. The content reflects their politics and their readership – from the slightly leftist Guardian and centrist Times to the conservative Telegraph and the ultra-conservative Daily Express; from the rather trashy Sun and Mirror to the “quick-read” Independent. And I like to sample them all, but chiefly the Times, Guardian and Independent.
The daily fodder changes, but there are two strands of news – in order of intensity of coverage there is the constant, daily barrage of news about Brexit, the failings of the NHS (National Health Service), the political circus in the USA, British politics and the delicately poised British economy; and then there are big events that take over the press and news bulletins for a few days or even weeks. The biggest of these was the nerve agent poisoning of Russian defector, former agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter, allegedly by order of President Putin. Next came the revelations of the anti-Semitism of Labour leader Jeremy Corbin and other leading Labour politicians. And the revelations of the scandal of illegal data use by Cambridge Analytica and its associates, the crisis in education, the epidemic of potholes in the roads, and other social issues make for continuing venting of spleen – some with astonishing rancour and some with wit and sarcasm. How similar are our societies and our problems.

As we know, the referendum on Brexit (exit of Britain from the European Union) resulted in a narrow majority voting to leave. It’s a truly vexed issue, with whistle-blowers indicating infelicities, while it’s been revealed that there was not only misleading propaganda but highly immoral ways of disseminating misleading information, resulting in a strong emotional vote based on fear of immigrants. (The more-than-mischievous data company Cambridge Analytica even carried out a successful sting on the Opposition leader of St. Kitts and Nevis – so be warned!) There is still an active element trying to reverse the now probably inevitable divorce, while Prime Minister Teresa May and her controversial Foreign Minister Boris Johnson go all out to make it happen within one year from March 29, which would be almost three years since the referendum, and with ever increasing unforeseen difficulties and many, many billions of dollars in punitive divorce alimony payments!

Boris Johnson proclaims: “Our national journey out of the EU is almost over and a glorious view awaits.” And the ultra-conservative Daily Express has done their own poll which proclaims, surprisingly, or perhaps not surprisingly, “65 per cent say ‘No’ to second referendum.” Also surprisingly, there’s been no independent poll on the call for a second referendum, now that the infelicities have been exposed and called the validity of the referendum into question. But “remainers” are not rolling over yet, and controversy over the critical issue of the Irish border could still lead to crisis.

The other perennial problem in Britain is the under-budgeted National Health Service (NHS). Once the much-vaunted model of a national health service, and now 70 years old, the problems of exponentially rising costs, maladministration and under-funding have created a continuing problem identical to ours here in Barbados. There are clearly shortages of nurses and doctors in many areas, with severe burn-out of staff and low morale, yet as in Barbados and the Caribbean, some politicians with heads in the clouds think the solution is to build more new hospitals! When will politicians ever learn, and listen to the health professionals?

Here are just some of the many headlines: “Patients abused and dying in NHS mental health care”; “Half of care home staff have seen the elderly neglected”; “Why are we making our doctors ill?”; “Why did 10 000 more Britons die in first seven weeks of year?”

The political circus in the USA is of on-going interest, and inspires some magnificent cartoons in The Times, worth the cost of the paper alone! And the fragile economy and the usual many views are, as in Barbados, support for the theory that we need one-handed economists, since so many say: “On one hand so and so, and on the other hand so and so.”
Politics of course is food for fun, satire, sarcasm and what we might even consider libel. The Times columnists Matthew Paris and Patrick Kidd are particularly on the ball in their comments on MPs – caustic and with draconian wit. “They’re all talk,” says Patrick Kidd, “Radio coverage of Parliament began on April 3, 1978, and within two days the BBC had received 343 complaints. By the end of May they were up to 2 799. The speaker noted that many hitherto mute MPs were suddenly rather fond of their own voice, but the BBC’s political editor thought radio would improve things. ‘One might get shorter speeches, or ones to the point.’ We’re still waiting.”

However, the hottest topic has been the poisoning of Russian defector, former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia, with a Russian toxic nerve agent Novichok, in Salisbury on March 4. The UK government claims Russia is behind the attack but Moscow has denied all involvement, calling the accusations “horrific and unsubstantiated”, and says the UK is “playing with fire”. Many people feel Britain should boycott the Soccer World Cup, and target the many controversial oligarchs who’ve been buying up huge chunks of London and the computer belt. Meanwhile, after some four weeks Yulia and her father are now both recovering, so the mystery may soon be elucidated.

The educational crisis keeps erupting in the media. Schools are allegedly mostly in a mess, there are wildly different academic standards of schools, a serious shortage of school places, and some teaching policies and philosophies seem quite bizarre. And it’s some 15 or 20 years since failing a student became politically incorrect, “deferred pass” was the new norm and grade inflation was rampant. They have as great a need as we do, and we certainly do, to get our school system sorted out and fair to all.

Nonetheless, the most amusing thing perhaps in the British news in March has been the explosive revelation of the explosion of their roads into potholes – it made me feel really at home! Some headlines: “Potholes set to close 24, 500 miles of road” and “Poor state of local roads is an economic burden and threat to the public” (Editorial) – both articles March 20); “Tories dig deep with £100 million more to ease pothole crisis” (March 26). What was more surprising than this Third World type problem and the colourful reporting was the instant response of government to solve the problem with £100 million.

Then there’s the corruption, the bigotry and the anti-Semitism that’s now destroying Mr. Corbyn and the labour party. We’ve followed the Westminster model in more ways than one.
But give me our one-and-only Paradise – “We hopes and we prays, for better days.” Give me
Home, home on the range,
Where my dogs and my bitches play,
Where often’s now heard a discouraging word,
But the sky is not cloudy or grey.

Bouquet: To my friend for his daily “Jewel for the day”. Today’s: Showing gratitude is one of the simplest yet most powerful things humans can do for each other. (Randy Pausch, Carnegie Mellon University Professor, who died of pancreatic cancer at 47, and whose famous Last Lecture “inspired many to live with wonder
and made him a symbol of the beauty but brevity of life”.)
Professor Fraser is Past Dean of Medical Sciences, UWI and Professor Emeritus of Medicine and Clinical Website: profhenryfraser.com