Turgon – Page 41 – Slugger O'Toole

Healthy teeth, happy smile

Turgon on January 21, 2008, 10:40 pm

| Readers 3

Interesting one in the Impartial Reporter (incidentally surely the best name for a newspaper ever) about the lack of dentists in Fermanagh. Of course this problem is not confined to Fermanagh and there are difficulties seeing dentists throughout the UK.The gradual collapse of NHS dentistry has been an ongoing crisis in slow motion. To begin to understand it one must remember that dentists are not employed by the NHS. They are private professionals who traditionally did most of their work …

Happy Birthday Mummy

Turgon on January 21, 2008, 6:34 pm

| Readers 12

My mother was sixty five last week (do not worry I have asked her permission to mention this). There is no Northern Ireland connection here but before you rant read on. Clearly then my mother was born in January 1943; she is also an historian by training (now retired) which is where we are going. On the day when my mother was born one of the most horrific and important events in recent history was gradually coming towards its ghastly …

Martina stands up for whom?

Turgon on January 21, 2008, 4:48 pm

| Readers 27

Today Sinn Fein is having a “cavalcade” from Londonderry to Stormont to highlight what it perceives as a disparity of funding which afflicts the North West. This cavalcade, we are promised, will contain cars and buses and will be a “colourful and noisy gathering”.The demands this “cavalcade” seems to be making include more tourists, though how exactly Stormont can force tourists to go to Londonderry is a little unclear. In addition it is demanding improved road and rail links to …

Limavady councillors and “audit”

Turgon on January 19, 2008, 3:28 am

| Readers 57

This one is in the Newsletter here. It seems that the councillors have audited the council buildings and found items which offend against a “neutral environment” The articles they find objectionable seem to be: Three pictures in a hallway, at least one of which was a gift from a regiment at Ballykelly Army base following a visit to the council One Royal British Legion certificate; Artwork presented to council by the 8th Infantry Brigade; A Charles and Diana mug; One …

Eames Bradley; fit for purpose?

Turgon on January 18, 2008, 11:43 pm

| Readers 12

The Eames-Bradley consultation group on the past was instituted with quite high hopes at least from its leaders. The body was attacked by Sinn Fein’s Francie Molloy as soon as it had been set up as the government would have the final say on its recommendations. The DUP’s Gregory Campbell seemed worried regarding whom the group would be most interested in (same link), whilst the Alliance party welcomed it.Now with the suggestions that the group was advocating that the government …

A brilliant chess player and a truly strange man

Turgon on January 18, 2008, 11:15 pm

| Readers 5

Bobby Fischer has died at the relatively young age of 64. Fischer became famous in 1972 when (still only 29) he became World Chess Champion. This episode was seen as a major cold war victory when Fischer beat the Russian Boris Spassky. Fischer seems to have become progressively more bizarre having his title removed from him for refusing to defend it. He later became known for anti-Semitic comments (despite his mother and probably father being Jewish). He was wanted in …

No snow forecast

Turgon on January 18, 2008, 10:48 pm

| Readers 8

I noted previously that Dr. Paisley had remained in post due to the snow cancelling a previous attempt by the Free Presbyterian Church to elect a new moderator. The weather forecast for Dungannon (where the meeting is due to be held tonight) appears to be wet but quite mild.The BBC and Belfast Telegraph have both suggested Rev Ron Johnston from Armagh will be the next moderator. Whoever wins it seems very likely that the church will have a lower public …

Kenya: further violence

Turgon on January 18, 2008, 1:50 am

| Readers 1

Kenya has slipped a little down the news headlines. The levels of violence seem to have subsided a little. Today is the second of three days of protest called for by the opposition leader Raila Odinga to protest against the extremely disputed elections which saw President Mwai Kibaki re elected. Today six people were killed in clashes between riot police and protesters. Five of them killed in the town of Kisumu on the coast of Lake Victoria which has been …

A very specific NHS saving

Turgon on January 17, 2008, 5:06 pm

| Readers 5

I have complained before about Mr. McGimpsey’s leadership of our health service and suggested that he might have trouble finding his “efficiency savings”. Looking at his department’s latest press release, however, there are some specific points where money could be saved or more precisely excess new spending could be avoided. His announcement is here but I will reproduce the parts relevant to my argument below: “Urgent Care and Treatment Centre This will be a ‘walk-in’ unit for adults and children. …

A non National Health Service

Turgon on January 17, 2008, 3:06 am

| Readers 6

The National Health Service has now entered its sixty first year. Since devolution, however, the health service has been taking significantly different directions in terms of priorities and management structures within the four constituent parts of the United Kingdom.An interesting article by Nick Triggle on the BBC website analyses these differences between the health services in the UK. Whilst the Welsh have increased spending on public health, the Scottish executive have adopted a collectivist approach and the English have looked …

The DUP, their nemesis and Dromore

Turgon on January 16, 2008, 10:34 pm

| Readers 192

During the Second World War the Germans became obsessed on two occasions with capturing Soviet cities which arguably may not have been that important. Their failure to do so changed the war. The non historians can look up the two links: (1) and (2). The historians can point out how poor my analogy is. There is a small town in Northwest Co. Down. The largest Northern Irish political party appear to have become obsessed with winning a council seat there …

Zimbabwe’s agony

Turgon on January 15, 2008, 11:59 pm

| Readers 122

If this one is too esoteric please ignore it. Zimbabwe is back on the news again. It seems that the BBC has managed to get back into it despite being banned. The ongoing tragedy which is Zimbabwe has been going on for years now. What was once a relatively rich African country seems to have descended into being one of the poorest in the world (though of course everyone is a millionaire) and a country once described as the “bread …

SF, ethnic minorities and the PSNI

Turgon on January 15, 2008, 8:15 pm

| Readers 7

Sinn Fein assembly member Daithí McKay issued a press release on Friday complaining about the under representation of women and ethnic minorities in the PSNI. It seems that Mr. McKay is worried about a lack of targets for women and ethnic minority numbers. Whether or not the PSNI should have such targets is an interesting question. Either way of course it could be speculated that this interest in ethnic minorities is at least in part being highlighted to direct attention …

Sir Edmund Hillary Dies

Turgon on January 14, 2008, 8:19 pm

| Readers 13

A quick one this and nothing to do with Northern Ireland politics or culture but, I think, worth a mention.Sir Edmund Hillary who along with Tenzing Norgay were the first people to successfully climb Everest has died at the age of 88 after a short illness (obituary here). He appears to have been an extremely nice man. One point which is often mentioned is who got to the top first. I have done a very little climbing but it has …

The end of the world

Turgon on January 14, 2008, 12:08 am

| Readers 11

In response to my post about Free Presbyterians and fundamentalists some asked for a further insight into fundamentalists. As such I will supply something about one of what must be perceived to be one of our odder sets of beliefs. This is the end of the world, the rapture etc.The following is in absolute honesty a true story. Once as a teenager my parents left me “home alone” for a few days to look after the cats, dog and horses; …

Let’s do drugs

Turgon on January 13, 2008, 11:47 pm

| Readers 11

Drug policy in the UK has been fairly consistent over the last 30 plus years. It is essentially one of opposing the legalisation of practically all the drugs of abuse. To briefly summarise the 1971 Misuse of Drugs Act: Class refers to severity of punishment for possession Class A: Heroin, Cocaine (including Crack), Ecstasy, LSD Class B: Amphetamines Class C: Cannabis, Tranquilisers The only recent change has been to reclassify cannabis from B to C, though this may be reversed. …

Loyalist Paramilitaries: Their uselessness Mk2

Turgon on January 13, 2008, 2:47 pm

| Readers 23

Following on from my discussion about the uselessness and immorality of loyalists they have demonstrated themselves again. (thanks to Wild Turkey for pointing this one out).The UVF appear to have been behind beating and humiliating two young men on the Shankill Road. If you read the Observer’s article on this it seems that the young men have been warned not to speak to the police (unsurprising that). Fred Cobain has denounced all of this, I wonder if Dawn Purvis would …

And so it begins

Turgon on January 12, 2008, 5:10 pm

| Readers 22

I hope I am allowed to post a TUV thread. It seems that the leadership have decided to have a go. Do they have any chance? Of course the people who can actually comment on that are the voters of Dromore. That would not stop us all having opinions on it now would it? TurgonThis author has not written a biography and will not be writing one.

Loyalist Paramilitaries: Their uselessness to unionism.

Turgon on January 12, 2008, 4:47 am

| Readers 33

I think my views on loyalist paramilitaries have been well documented in the past but for any new readers or those with short memories I am totally opposed to all loyalist paramilitary violence. I hope those reading this thread from a nationalist / republican, outsider or non loyalist unionist position will give me a little latitude here as this blog is really addressed to any with a sneaking regard for loyalist paramilitaries.Okay let us get this one out of the …

Mobile Phones and Hospitals

Turgon on January 12, 2008, 4:17 am

| Readers 20

If you walk into most hospitals in Northern Ireland you will see large signs prohibiting the use of mobile phones. If you attempt to use one near a patient you are very likely to get in trouble with the nursing staff. Elenwë had to secretly use her phone when in for the birth of both our children.However, if you spend time in hospitals you will notice that, although the junior doctors have “bleeps”, the more senior one such as Registrars …