And here is a post tha slipped in under the lines, which otherwise might be overlooked.:

Subject: RE: BS: Why is the UK in such a mess? From: Tone d' F Date: 07-Feb-02 - 11:20 AM

Swirlygirl, the problem with getting tougher as we saw when our reveered government when it stopped people under 18 claiming benefit, after the age of 16 their parent could not claim for them.

The only way this could be circumvented was for the parent to throw the kid out and write saying they would have nothing to do with them.

The end result was a massive rise in crime. It even took them six years to link the two.

I suffer from what they think may be unstable angina, I have arthritis in both legs, spine and hands, my 5th lumbar vertebrea is crumbling, I have meneires disease and If I don't use a CPAP machine at night I stop breathing 4 to 5 times a night.

I have had three heart attacks and when at my worst cannot walk across my kitchen. Due to the new criterea I am not eligable for DLA because I do not qualify I am expected to work.

So no toughening up is not the idea, getting it right would be better.

I was taken to hospital at 10:30 last week, after being sorted out in the resus unit I was put in a corridor for 6hrs whilst test etc. were sorted, there were 16 other people in the corridor of A&E, at least I wasn't alone.

This A&E is to be closed due to lack of money, bad management and bad planning, our local MP even believes it's reasonable, he lives near the next hospital along the coast which is keeping it's A&E, whilst another is up in arms as he would lose the use of A&E (both ae Tory).

The system does not work for the politicians who run the country why do you expect it to work for the populace