10:26 Tuesday 12th January 2016
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire
PAUL STAINTON: Dee says
“Paul I heard you picking on me earlier. I’ve been all behind this morning. When it comes to the doctors which we were talking about earlier, I’m in full support of them going on strike today. I don’t want someone who’s mentally and physically worn out making a decision on my loved one’s life or my own. This government is messing up all the emergency services in my opinion, and the armed forces. They got one over on the police as they can’t strike. It’s time we looked after those who look after us. If this carries on, we’ll end up with all the doctors and nurses who can’t speak English making decisions on our lives. It’s too late to complain when it’s happened.”
says Dee this morning.” Yes, doctors are on a 24-hour strike. It started at 8am this morning. Many many people across Cambridgeshire have had their operations and hospital appointments cancelled because of the strike. The doctors say it’s about pay, it’s about working hours, it’s about safety. The Government say they’ve offered more money, they’ve offered better conditions. But the two sides are way way off, and that’s why the strike’s been called today. Poll for the BBC suggests two-thirds of people support the strike, as long as emergency care is being provided, which it is. Well Johnny D has been out on the streets of Cambridgeshire gauging support.
JOHN DEVINE: Have you got sympathy with the junior doctors striking today?
PUBLIC ONE: I do. Yes.
JOHN DEVINE: You do? Why’s that?
PUBLIC ONE: Because I think politicians should keep their noses out of the NHS. They’re not doctors. They don’t know the system properly, and they don’t know how to run anything.
JOHN DEVINE: Any sympathy with the striking junior doctors?
PUBLIC TWO: No.
JOHN DEVINE: No, why?
PUBLIC TWO: Because they’re getting enough. If they did a full day’s work, OK. But they don’t do a full day’s work.
JOHN DEVINE: You’ve got a different opinion.
PUBLIC THREE: Well I’ve got a person that is a junior doctor, so you know, I’ve got the sympathy, but at the end of the day they know what they’re going into. This isn’t a you know it’s not a new thing is it? It’s hereditary. It’s a historical thing that they’ve always been … underpaid and overworked. No. They all know what they’re doing when they go into it. It’s the same with nurses. But the people that are doing all the work are the nurses. We’ve seen that these last two weeks.
JOHN DEVINE: Right. You’ve been at the Hospital quite a bit have you?
PUBLIC THREE: Yes. We’ve got a brother that’s just died of terminal cancer. And my brother, their son, and my mum’s been there now.
JOHN DEVINE: I’m sorry to hear that.
PUBLIC THREE: Thank you.
JOHN DEVINE: But you’ve got no sympathy at all with the junior doctors yourself?
PUBLIC TWO: No. No. Their leaders, where are they? Having big holidays. They’re the poor buggers getting nothing. The leaders are getting all the money. The leaders who call the strike, they’re getting paid. Not the junior doctors.
JOHN DEVINE: Have you got an appointment today?
PUBLIC FOUR: Yes I have.
JOHN DEVINE: And it’s all on?
PUBLIC FOUR: Yes, so as far as I know.
JOHN DEVINE: And you came past a sort of picket line on the front of the hospital there with the flags, the banners and all that sort of business..
PUBLIC FOUR: Yes.
JOHN DEVINE: Any sympathies, or how do you feel about it?
PUBLIC FOUR: Yes. No, I think I do sympathise. You always want your doctors to be .. have enough sleep and be on the job, don’t you, properly? You don’t want them to be tired at work. I do sympathise with long hours, yes.
JOHN DEVINE: Are you across most of the issues and things like that.
PUBLIC FOUR: Sorry?
JOHN DEVINE: Are you across all the issues, what the dispute is about really?
PUBLIC FOUR: Yes I think so. Yes. I watch television and listen to the radio. Yes.
JOHN DEVINE: A new contract and of course seven day operations.
PUBLIC FOUR: I don’t know whether it’s necessary to have seven days of operations really.
JOHN DEVINE: No.
PUBLIC FOUR: I merely think six days is probably enough anyway. Five, we’ve managed so far with five haven’t we?
JOHN DEVINE: So you might be bibbing your hooter on the way out.
PUBLIC FOUR: (LAUGHS) Yes.
PAUL STAINTON: Well many of you having your say this morning. That was the people on the streets of Cambridgeshire with Johnny D.
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