Nurses should not have been driven to take industrial action yesterday.
They did not want to desert their patients.
They were forced into this position because the Health Secretary Steve Barclay chose the path of confrontation over negotiation.
Had he been willing to talk he would have heard how NHS staff fear for the future of the health service, how nurses are reliant on food banks, how their colleagues are leaving because of poor pay and low morale.
Those who served our country during the pandemic deserve better.
They stood on the picket lines because they care passionately about the NHS.
They know better than anyone else that if more staff are driven from the profession then it will be patients who suffer.
As the RCN’s Pat Cullen said, it is not unreasonable to demand better.
What is unreasonable is for the Government to refuse to negotiate and to ignore the concerns of those who serve on the front line.
Left to shiver
Thousands of people are shivering because they cannot afford to pay their energy bills.
As we report today, last year some 360,000 customers were forced to switch off their electricity and 320,000 their gas supply.
Many did so for days at a time, among them the chronically ill and the disabled. A civilised society would look after its most vulnerable but in Tory Britain their plight has been worsened by the cuts to Universal Credit.
Rishi Sunak promised to govern with compassion but where is the compassion in docking the benefits of the sick, frail and poor?
Hymn and err
The Royal Family gathered for a carol concert last night.
But it’s clear from the Netflix documentary that William and Harry are not singing from the same hymn sheet. They should remember it’s the season of peace and goodwill.
