Spot says:
Ey up me ducks,
Now in view of how so much can get lost in translation, for those of you who have difficulty understanding the lingo, I’ve got a glossary at bottom of this ere posting for you to peruse at your leisure.
This week I’m returning to the old efficiency chestnut. I’ve already mentioned previously how it’s a working class stereotype that public institutions such as local councils and the NHS are inefficient, and that public sector workers are underworked, overpaid and lazy, but these things can still cause a bit of confusion so I’m homing in on “efficiency savings”
Well now it all started with our household deciding to make efficiency savings! This is on account of how we foresee an increased demand for energy later in the year when our house becomes multi-generational what with the arrival of a new nipper due in August.
We had a big discussion about how to go about it, we decided to be open minded and listen to all David Cameron’s speeches on the subject - cos being so well-educated and all, he must have picked up something as he went along. But you know what ? We was flummoxed - we just couldn’t make head nor tails of it…...he kept saying we had to spend less!
Well I tell you, my hind leg were aching I was scratching my head so many times trying to get some sense out of that one. If we spent less, we’d have less energy – now a new nipper wouldn’t be experiencing that as very efficient would they? Like, if we cut down on our weekly baths, true we’d spend less on energy, but we’d smell more…What’s the point of that?
Well we gnawed it over fer a good half hour and we came up trumps with our own efficiency saving strategy - Did we spend less? Did we hellers like! We forked out an arm and a leg…BUT….pay attention now Dave – it gets a bit complicated…What we forked out on was Solar panels and a brand new modern boiler, so even though it costs us more in the short run…..our household bills will be lower per amount of hot water used in the future! Furthermore we’ll be damaging the environment less! Now that’s what I call an efficiency saving.
When is an efficiency saving not an efficiency saving? When it’s a flippin cut, that’s when.
You can’t make the NHS more efficient by bleeding it dry, squeezing the staff, handing work out to agencies and private treatment centres etc. but that’s not the point is it - they’re not really interested in efficiency they’re interested in cuts.
Public health warning: Don’t believe anyone who says they want to make the NHS more efficient unless they’re saying they’ll need to spend more money to do it.
Yours Spot
(Keeping the spotlight on the stereotypes)
GLOSSARY
lingo - language or dialect
‘ere - here
on account of - because of
nipper - child or offspring
make heads nor tails of it - understand
go about it - do it
picked up - learnt
and all - etc.
as he went along - during his life
flummoxed - confused
to get some sense out of - understand
Like - (here) for example
gnawed it over - considered it
came up trumps - were successful
Did we hellers like! - certainly not
forked out an arm and a leg - paid a lot of money
flippin - [used for emphasis]
(old) chestnut - recurring issue
