🚓 What Cab News
Transport for London has revoked 327 Private Hire Vehicle driver licences in 2022 for non-medical-related reasons. In that total 39 licences were revoked for serious sexual offences and a further 26 for ‘other’ sexual offences. Other reasons for minicab drivers losing their licence in London include drink or drug driving (19), driving disqualification (122), dishonesty (46), non-sexual abuse or behaviour towards passenger (12), being arrested or charged for a serious offence (9), fraudulent identifiers (14) and violence (7).
🎧 What I’m Listening
On Sunday the 23rd my phone exploded with a test for an emergency warning. Apparently, Germany, New Zealand, Singapore, and the Netherlands have a similar system. But we’re British, surely we needed Corporal Jones telling us: “Don’t Panic Mr Mainwaring”.
📖 What I’m Reading
John Grindrod has written the secret history of our green belts, Outskirts is the first book to tell the story of Britain’s green belts, a fascinating social history, a stirring evocation of the natural world, and a poignant tale of growing up in a place. Part autobiography and part history of our green spaces.
📺 What I’m watching
I was contacted by Crich Tramway Museum in Derbyshire, who have recently restored a cabmen’s shelter which stood outside Bradford Exchange railway station from 1879 to 1973. On their site, they have produced a virtual tour of the shelter.
❓ What else
I’m not one to talk about health, but on 6th November 2021, I experienced an event. After my excellent GP had ascertained I wasn’t going to peg out any time soon, I was referred to a consultant. Last week, after nearly 18 months, I received my first and only (telephone) consultation. Having paid NI for 50 years and thankfully hardly ever troubled the NHS, one wonders just what are politicians’ long-term plans for this exemplary institution.
CabbieBlog 
The Tories are already in negotiation with American medical insurance companies, health care companies and drug companies. Their long-term plan is to sell off big chunks of the NHS, (some blood banks and testing facilities are already owned by US companies) then ‘means-test’ everyone who needs medical treatment and charge them accordingly.
People with no money would be in a run-down, first-come- first served basic hospital care programme, much like in third-world countries.
One reason they are refusing to settle the Nurses and Doctors pay disputes is so that they can blame them for their own corrupt plans being necessary.
Many Tory politicians (and a few Labour ones too) already own significant shares in the companies being negotiated with.
The idea is to get rid of the NHS as we know it, and implement a multi-tier private system based solely on income.
Sadly, Starmer has given no indication that the NHS is safe with his version of Labour, so I think we can prepare to kiss goodbye to the NHS.
Best wishes, Pete.
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That’s unsettling news from someone in the know. Thanks for the depressing comment.
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