Pope Francis and the future

Earlier today Pope Francis died after a struggle over many weeks with pneumonia. Just yesterday, Easter Sunday, he appeared on the balcony of St. Peter's in Rome to utter a few words to the faithful who'd come in the hope of seeing him. He wasn't his usual self, and wasn't able to deliver his traditional Easter message, but his appearance was significant at a time of a major religious festival.

Now Pope Francis is at peace. It's always sad when someone dies, but when it's the head of the Catholic church a successor must be found. As the saying goes, "The King is dead. Long live the King." With the Vatican, there will be another Pope. Among the front runners are only two Italians. We could have an African pope in Peter Turkson, something that would recognise that the power base of rank and file Catholics has shifted from Europe to other regions of the world.

In the past Vatican employees received a financial bonus when a new Pope was elected. Pope Francis abandoned this tradition, instead offering the money to charitable causes. Pope Francis always tried to do things differently from his predecessors. When first elected he chose not to live in the splendour of St. Peter's. He had a gentle touch that saw him revered by many Catholics, but also put noses out of joint in the Vatican hierarchy.

For now the institution of the Catholic church continues whilst the Cardinals arrive from around the world to elect a successor. When the white smoke comes out of the Vatican chimney signaling a successor has been found, one thing is for sure, it will be a man👨!

Is the NHS beyond repair?

The National Health Service (NHS) is a national institution It's held up around the world as an example of how healthcare can be provided free for all at the point of need. Founded in post-war Britain by the Labour government in 1948, it is a socialist's dream designed to ensure everyone is treated equally. It's been a huge success, but its not without its problems. Whether it's the inability to get a GP appointment or the infected blood scandal, everyone has a view on the NHS and isn't afraid to vocalise it.

The NHS is a big organisation. It employs 1.5 million employed in 10,000 buildings, including 1140 hospitals, and treats 1.3 million people daily. Treatment covers everything from ingrowing toenails to life threatening illnesses. It employs not only doctors and nurses. Dentists, physiotherapists, social workers, GPs, hospital porters, receptionists, pharmacists, and midwifes or just some of the professions.

In human terms if you're 78 years old, things start to go wrong with you. As you get older you need more help with your health. So just how healthy is the NHS? People today are quick to criticise it when they fail to get a dentist appointment or wait five hours in A&E. We all know the NHS isn't perfect, so just how good or bad is it?

My experiences of it are mixed. Yes I have issues getting a GP appointment when I need it. Yes my family have experienced poor service from healthcare professionals. Here's the thing though. I've also experienced some first class healthcare when I've needed it most.

To illustrate the good and bad NHS service, take one of my experiences. I fell over heavily whilst out running. I quickly realised I had an issue and unable to walk. Unfortunately I fell on a path where virtually no one went on. I had my phone and phoned 999 only to be told that I had to wait three hours for an ambulance. As I got colder and started to shiver, I rang again only to be told there was nothing they could do. I crawled in a lot of pain down to the street where I was able to hail a cab to take me to hospital. Once there I received good care, even if the x-rays and scans took a total of seven hours, and I was admitted to a ward with a pelvic fracture. Although the care I received on the ward from the nurses was largely exceptional, the service by the orthopedic surgeon was the opposite. This was partly due to it being a weekend, and that my bone fracture was in an unusual position requiring a second opinion. It took four days for anything to decide on my course of treatment.

On leaving hospital I had physiotherapy sessions, but this was done privately. I'm fortunate to have private health care through my job, and will more than likely continue to pay for this when I retire. It doesn't cover everything. It has it's limits, but it does provide a safety net for when you may have issues getting NHS treatment. I also have private dental cover as NHS dentists where I live are as rare as a Donald Trump admission of a lie. For most though, private healthcare doesn't provide full health care. It's OK for small elective procedures like cataracts and frozen shoulders, but it won't cover you for heart attacks or major cancer treatment. That is where the NHS must take the brunt.

So is the NHS is crisis? It depends on your view. If it is there to fund universal healthcare for all, the current taxation model could change to ensure it has the funds to meet demand. You could add top up fees or levels of health insurance in the same way as my private health care provider does. The problem is that drives a coach and horses through the NHS's original aim of free healthcare for all. It would also likely be political suicide for the government who made that decision.

It's not just healthcare that's the issue. Decades of under investment by successive governments in infrastructure, has left many healthcare facilities in a woeful state of disrepair. footing the bill to bring them up to scratch whilst ensuring the technology and drugs are available to treat patients will require massive investment. Who'll pay for that? We will of course, but will be want to?

The risk is that unless there is the required investment, the NHS will steadily turn into an organisation with poor service for those unable to afford private health care. The UK government is making efforts to reduce the time patients wait for treatment. According to Private Eye magazine, there are nearly 7.5 million cases waiting for treatment, with a wait of 14 weeks for elective consultant treatment and two months for cancer treatment!

The 2023 social attitudes survey reported that only 24% of people are satisfied with the NHS, and only 13% with social care. It also reported that 48% said they'd support further taxation to spend on the NHS, but just how much would they be willing to give up and would it be enough?

WDSA April 2005 - PSV show us how it's done

Before the recent Barrow game JJ was asked what he was like as a youngster watching from the terraces. Perhaps his on the terrace behaviour was slightly better than a certain WDSA correspondent. My sources won’t who apparently was caught on TV just after our goal against Salford making derogatory gestures in the direction of a certain opposition manager. Let’s just say he’s slightly embarrassed but thoroughly enjoyed the experience! Whether JJ ever did something like this is best kept in the past, but he knows what a raucous and visceral home crowd brings. He showed real emotion after the 3-0 home demolition of our nemesis earlier in the season. JJ admitted that when the crowd gets behind the team, it really helps them put in that extra effort.

There is criticism of the Plough Lane atmosphere. We talk about a “fortress”, but until recently it occasionally has been made of wet cardboard. There’s no doubt that when the place is rocking, it’s an intimidating place. Players can play their part. I wish more would. There are precious few who do. Josh Neufville is one, and I love him for it. It always gets a reaction. Opposition players say they shut out the crowd, but that’s impossible. Plough Lane crowds are a bit of a mixed bag. There are days when it really rocks, but there are plenty of others where it disappoints. Results have a lot to do with this of course. Lee Finch of the Wombles had a dream podcast regularly travels to Europe to watch football. He eulogises about the atmosphere at grounds, with the pyrotechnics, flags, and singing. It’s clear watching football to him is more about the atmosphere than the game itself, but he has a point. A good atmosphere allows spectators to become as one with the club. It adds that connection that is likely to get them coming back again and again.

At Plough Lane Lee Willett’s team of flag hangers do their bit before a game. The number and variety of flags in recent seasons is impressive. It adds colour, but that only goes part of the way. We need songs, and plenty of them. As someone who also likes a good sign song, the problem for me is getting the right chant. There are some that are turgid, boring, and downright dull. One prime suspect is the “AFC Wimbledon” chant as the teams come onto the pitch. Anyone coming out of a coma as that’s sung will probably go back under. It’s simple but it doesn’t meet the intimidation brief. Maybe we could learn from other European clubs? The recent game against Cheltenham saw 50-100 PSV Eindhoven fans take a detour to Wimbledon enroute to Highbury the following day. Clearly out for a good time, well what else is there to do when you’re trying to overturn a 7-1 first leg defeat, they brought a real European atmosphere to Plough Lane. They may not have been many of them, but they encouraged others around them to join in. Positioned in the north stand, the noise they created attracted some fans from the east stand to join them, despite the best efforts of the stewards. The result was a noisy collective teaching each other their club’s songs and generating a good atmosphere. It was like having two home ends. The proximity to the away fans also created a degree of fan baiting.

Going back to our songs, simplicity is key for one to catch on. It has to be easy to learn and enjoyable to sing. A few new ones have started to catch on at recent games. Mostly they’re short, easy to pick up, and sung in the round. The “bounce around if you love the Dons” is a good one and can even get some members of the West Stand out of their seats. Whilst I’m talking about songs, let’s stop signing the “Champagne” song. I know it’s a right of passage for teens to want to swear, but we’re not Millwall. We do care that people like us, and the song’s lyrics belong more on a bawdry night out in SE16 than SW17. It belongs in the era of lads mags and should be assigned to the same sexist dustbin as them. If we’re to continue to attract families to games, we need to suppress elements of the game that don’t fit this brief. It’s a tough challenge, as it is the passion of fans that makes for a good atmosphere. Now let me go and complete my homework.

I must not make rude gestures to opposition managers.

I must not make rude gestures to opposition managers.

etc.

Stick or bust - How to win a football game

You may not agree, but trust me, football is a wonderful if unpredictable game. It can throw a curve ball at you in the blink of an eye, with the game turning on its head. Normally the curve ball is the result of something that happens during the game, but occasionally it can be something off it.

AFC Wimbledon's game last night against Swindon Town was a case in point. Swindon's manager Ian Holloway decided to play their centre forward in the middle of their defence. That's akin to Rory McIlroy deciding to play every tee shot with his 9 iron. When asked why he did this, he responded that he wanted to see the look on his opposite number's face.

Whether this is true or not, the tactic worked a dream. Not only did it fool Johnnie Jackson, Wimbledon's manager, but their defenders had to rethink everything they'd prepared for. Having their main target at the other end of the pitch meant they had to deal with the unexpected. The fact they largely did, says a lot about their ability, but the tactics also perfectly demonstrated the difference between the two manager's.

Having gone 1-0 down early in the second half, Holloway almost immediately made three changes. 12 minutes later he made another two. All of a sudden half his side was compiled of players with fresh legs. Wimbledon by comparison made one half time substitution, but then waited until the 89th minute to make another. By this time they had conceded an equaliser. Quite what a new player was expected to do with a minute left on the clock is unclear.

Wimbledon's substitutions have been an area of debate amongst fans all season. They're often conservative, and happen comparatively late in the game. Often they're like for like with little or no tactical switch. If the substitute is to play the same way as the player they've replaced, then they're unlikely to be as good as them otherwise they'd have started. The result is ineffective substitutions.

Swindon's substitutions changed the game in the same way Wimbledon's half time change brought their goal. Having five fresh players playing against a tiring side was key. So was having their centre half, sorry striker, changing position with 20 minutes left to play in his normal position. Suddenly our tiring defence had a lot of issues. These mind games aren't new to Holloway. He's often found taking educated risks to outflank the opposition. By contrast Jackson's natural caution played right into his hands.

As for the game itself, the Swindon win with two penalties in the last five minutes was painful to all Wimbledon fans. The management complained about the referee, but I didn't think he had a bad game. Sometimes you just have to acknowledge when you've been out smarted. Holloway did that to a tee. If Wimbledon don't at least make the playoffs, there'll be increasing calls for Jackson to go. Wimbledon had more to lose than Swindon last night, but that shouldn't result in conceding five goals from winning positions in their last three games, all coming in the last 10 minutes of each game. If Jackson is still Wimbledon manager next season, he must learn to trust his squad to do the job.