What I don't understand is if Saffy is ill I phone the Vet and get an appointment the same or next day. If she needs medicine I get it from the Vet there and then. If she needs an operation I don't have to wait 18 days let alone 18 months. If I don't like the Vet I can go to another one without hindrance. All I want is the healthcare I can get for my dog.

We pay for the NHS one way or another but I would rather have the choice to choose my own healthcare. The amount we each pay for the NHS would pay for a lot of health insurance cover.

Graeme

and why do the parties only contact us when theres an election?

Ive had so many letters posted to me recently from various parties and normally i dont hear from one

I got this through as an email today, the Monster Raving Loony Party Manifesto, I will cut and paste it on here, made me giggle........

> They get my vote!!!
>
> The Monster Raving Loony Party's genius manifesto....
>
> Overview
>
> Our team of experts has decided that Income Tax has not proved popular
> with the public and will therefore be abolished. It was
> started in order to finance the Napoleonic war in 1799 and we now believe
> that the time is right to announce the cessation of
> hostilities with Napoleon.
>
> Some of the money left in the coffers will be used to fill in our part of
> the Channel Tunnel in case no one has mentioned it to the
> French.
>
> Any remaining money will be strategically placed on a horse at the 3:30 at
> Haydock Park at odds of at least 12/1 in order to see us
> through until the next election.
>
> Income Tax will be officially replaced by people lending the government a
> bob or two at the end of the week when we're a bit skint.
>
>
> Other policies:
>
> We will issue a 99p coin to save on change.
>
> The Official Monster Raving Loony Party will not join the single European
> currency. We will invite all Europeans countries to JOIN
> THE POUND.
>
> Rich people should be taxed to pay for the printing of money, as they use
> most of it.
>
> Tax credits will be paid to nice people. There will be a "total *******"
> tax for everyone else.
>
> Any cabinet minister found telling lies will be shot across the English
> Channel in a high velocity circus cannon to save time and
> first class travel expenses. Top British engineers will be employed to
> plot the correct trajectory. A European funded net will be
> set up strategically in front of the European parliament so that when the
> errant MP hits it, he or she will bounce through the
> second floor window where they will be handed champagne and canapé at a
> reception hosted by Leon Brittan and Peter Mandelson.
>
> To help finance the above mentioned net, when it is not required it will
> be hired out to the London production of 'Chitty Chitty
> Bang Bang!' for the child catcher.
>
> Policies For Children:
> In reaction to the old adage, "Children are so honest" we intend to reduce
> the age of standing for parliament from 21 to 5.
>
> SAT's tests will be abolished and replaced by Gordon Ramsey style cookery
> lessons and Rolf Harris art classes.
>
> All children will be given two birthdays like the Queen.
>
> Any child who is cleverer than their teacher will be allowed to take over
> the class and the teacher will stand at the back with a
> dunce's hat on. He or she will then be on half pay until he or she has
> learnt enough to regain the upper ground. This is our policy
> for child empowerment.
>
>
> Transport:
> The number 13 will be abolished due to its longstanding unpopularity. The
> bus to Acton North will now not have a number on it but
> not much else will be affected. Therefore if you see a bus with no number
> on it, it will be going to Acton North. Please remember
> this for future reference.
>
> Pram lanes will be created in all shopping centres.
>
> Drivers will be allowed to drive over roundabouts when there's nothing
> about. This will make driving through Milton Keynes much more
> fun.
>
> In order to combat motorway congestion we will immediately close all
> motorways to all vehicles with the exception of bicycles to
> encourage our green policy and fitness. Any bicycles with more than 3
> gears will also be banned for safety reasons. Apart from
> anything else this will allow police to get on with catching burglars.
> Traffic cops who are not intelligent enough to cope with
> proper police work will be allowed to wear their uniforms for a
> transitional period before being re trained as vicars.
>
> All cars will be converted to run on Venos to help stop congestion.
>
> 4 wheel drive vehicles will only be allowed to drive off road, therefore
> stopping mothers picking up their children from school in
> them when they only live 100 yards down the road. They will also be
> wrapped in bubble wrap to make them safer.
>
>
> Policies for students:
> Eton and Oxford will be relocated to Blackpool and Bognor Regis leaving
> the other Universities with a chance of a bigger intake.
>
> We intend to make free university tuition available to all students named
> Grant.
>
> Any student who says the word "Like" when not grammatically called for, as
> in, "Hey, I'm .. Like, going down the... like, pub", or,
> "I was, like, don't do that" will be made to go and stay with George Bush
> for a week in order to discourage them from other stupid
> 'Americanisms'.
>
>
> Democracy:
> The Houses of parliament will be demolished and replaced by a mobile
> parliament. This will allow MPs to be picked up in the mornings
> if their cars won't start. It will also allow the public to see parliament
> at work and members will be able to wave to the public as
> it is going along. It will also cut out any necessity to have regional
> assemblies as it can park up at different towns and villages
> throughout the year. On the old site of parliament a large statue of
> Screaming Lord Sutch will be erected and a loony village will
> be built where it will be obligatory to enjoy yourself. Pogo sticks will
> be provided free of charge.
>
>
> Law and Order:
> We fully back the government's policy of discouraging binge drinking by
> opening pubs for 24 hours. We believe that 24 hours is not
> quite long enough and propose to make the length of a day 32 hours long so
> that the pubs can be open for even longer.
>
> We also rather like the government idea of coming down hard on drugs by
> legalising them. Regarding tobacco it will now only be legal
> to smoke it with cannabis. Anyone found to have a ciggy not containing any
> cannabis will be made to walk to Coventry with a stone in
> their shoe, unless they come from Coventry in which case an alternative
> major city will be substituted on the advice of a committee
> who will meet far too often and eat dope cakes.
>
>
> Health:
> To prevent congestion on hospital wards, all hospital visits will be cut
> to 30 minutes a day, with the exception of Coco the clown
> to entertain the nurses.
>
> All foreign G.Ps in England and Wales will be taught the local dialect so
> they know when their patients feel Jiggered (Tired), Manky
> (Rough), Gipping
> (Vomiting) or have got somit rang with their Fizog (Face).
>
>
> Defence:
> All WMD's (weapons of Mass Distraction) will be made highly visible so
> that we can find them.
>
> The white cliffs of Dover will be painted blue to camouflage our islands.
>
> Buckingham Place will be defended by triffids, cultivated by Prince
> Charles.
>
>
> General:
> Anyone believing that their pet understands every word that they say to
> them will be asked to make the pet write a thesis to prove
> it.
>
> Norman Wisdom will be made Minister of Pensions. Pensions will be raised
> by 100% on inflation, because I am nearly at retirement age
> myself.
>
> All footballers will be made to wear slippers to make the game more
> interesting.
>
> Boxing will be made obligatory for people we don't like.
>
> The Olympic Games will only allow British sports people to take part in
> order to help our gold medal chances.
>
> To keep up with the present government we promise to introduce many
> policies that have not been thought through properly, purely for
> cheap votes. These include: Making everyone a lottery winner Providing
> beer for school children Giving everyone a quid who votes for
> us and finally
>
> The Queen In future the National Anthem will be 'Bring Me Sunshine' as
> sung by Morecambe and Wise. It is quicker, more tuneful and
> people know the words. On state occasions Prince Philip will juggle his
> spectacles up and down and say, "Hey!" before the whole of
> the The Royal family do the dance off at the end. If the music can not be
> found because it was left in the pub then it may be
> substituted by 'The Hippo Song' by Flanders and Swann.
>
> Vote for Insanity - You know it makes sense!
>
> © OMRLP 2003 The Official Monster Raving Loony Party is a registered
> political party in the UK - HQ: The Dog & Partridge, 105
> Reading Road, Yateley, Hampshire GU46 7LR.

Well my choice is quite easy after all as I have to choose someone I am forgetting about parties and voting for a local councillor who has at least got off his bum and tried to do something for the local community, unlike the present MP who has been there for about 30 years and done nothing of note except further his own career in his party . If everyone voted this way it might be an interesting result.

Still unsure - my Daughter is well miffed that she cant vote, she is visiting us!
Also Election day is her Birthday! 05/05/05 spooky

Main reason is the NHS is free one way or another, vets for dogs are like a private health service! You get what you pay for if you know what I mean. Plus people are living so much longer now and the amount of hospitals are not increasing, hence the over crowding and waiting lists etc. Another reason is the amount of managers the NHS has now, that's where all the money goes to. More managers less cleaners, yeah very sensible!!!
From another perspective the NHS does a fantastic job and I think were all so much better off for it. When my sister lived in America her daughter needed a referal for a health problem but they couldn't afford it, so had to wait til they moved back here, even though their monthly wage was better than most in this country for the same type of job!!
It may be on it's last legs but at the end of the day no matter what your financial situation, you know you're not going to go without. If you want a health service like your dog, I would definitely go private!

From time of phoning the surgery, the longest I have had to wait to see my GP is 6.5 hours (phoned 9.30 am, was in her office talking to her at 4 pm).

The longest I've waited to get into hospital here is three hours (I was given time to pack some gear).

Mrs S is still waiting to see when she goes to Aberdeen NHS Trust (I suspect that this delay may be occasioned by the fact that NHS Orkney is broke and hasn't been keeping up with the bills).

The idea of splitting it all into Trusts, paying each other, was lunatic (Tory idea) because the little areas haven't enough money to pay the big ones - b**dy silly, when it all comes from the same pot, anyway - all it did was to create a new battalion of accounts clerks.

It really doesn't matter who forms the Government, as it's the serried ranks of morons giving cr*p advice on the phone who really run the country, which is why nothing works properly. You know, the prats who can't actually do their jobs!

Snorri
(still fuming at an Index mail order Customer Service mincehead)

I was reading somewher the other day that if the conservatives get in they will repeal the hunting ban and also allow docking to continue in dogs

Thanks Charliefarly, by going on that website, I am now going to change my vote! Thanks for that!

Don't think that's true, as far as I'm aware all three main parties are against fox hunting. Hope so anyway!