Sandy

@KemiBadenoch Banning strikes runs the risk that strikes still occur outside the regulation of established trade unions. Unregulated strike action would be a dangerous situation and has historical precedent. It is very different to uniformed services which are servants of the crown.

@KemiBadenoch Unions and authorised strike action ensure that strikes are conducted in a balanced way that is safe am regulated. Banning strikes outside of uniformed organisations risks the conduct of disorganised and dangerous striking practice. Unless you make strikes a criminal action

Doctors have gone on strike today for the THIRD time since Labour handed out inflation-busting pay rises and told us they were ending the strikes. The Conservatives will ban doctors’ strikes and introduce minimum service levels across the NHS. Only we will stand up for patients.

@mancunianmedic It may not be popular, but trying to maintain full elective capacity in the face of a strike and other pressures on the system is likely to put undue strain on everyone and compromise both elective and emergency care.

@mancunianmedic Emergency capacity towards emergency care. It is what we do all the time, in an under resourced environment.

@WarintheFuture I don’t think those that have listened to him are disappointed and despondent, it says nothing new, just confirms what we all knew already from what he has been saying for years. It has only disappointed those who wanted him to say what “they”think he should be saying.

The Trump administration's new National Security Strategy (NSS) is out. There is disappointment & despondency in Europe. But, in the Pacific, there is reason for cautious optimism and hope. Unless you are China of course. Read my assessment of the NSS and the Pacific here. mickryan.substack.com/p/shell-be-rig…

@warsurveillance exactly what #NationalSecurityStrategy is saying and he has been saying for a few years. Europe, we need you to be stronger, as Russia is not our main focus. You can handle them if you up your game, but we need to focus on 2027, Taiwan and China. We need strong allies. #stepup

🚨🇺🇸 U.S. SET TO REDUCE TROOPS IN EUROPE Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe, says Europe "doesn’t need so many American troops" and will "do perfectly well" even with fewer U.S. forces. Currently, 85,000 troops are stationed in Europe, but the focus is shifting. The U.S. sees China as a bigger threat than Russia and plans to redirect resources to counter challenges in the Asia-Pacific region. Europe won’t be left vulnerable, but the strategic pivot is clear: the U.S. can’t fully tackle Russia and China at the same time.

@World_At_War_6 I don’t think the #NationalSecurityStrategy supports this. It says the US wants a strong NATO and stability with Russia. This will allow the US to focus more on China, where they will need strong allies. What they don’t want is war on two fronts, so need Europe stable

"EUROPE WILL SAVE THE U.S." The US government is warning Europe about the possibility of withdrawing from NATO. European leaders find themselves in a state of paralysis and anxiety. 👀 I can assert that their least pressing worry is whether the U.S. will provide military assistance to Europe in a potential conflict with Russia. What European leaders ought to consider is whether they will support the US when it requests their assistance in addressing military challenges posed by China. In the upcoming years, the U.S. will rely on Europe more than it has at any point in the past 50 years.

@grantshapps Be surprised by any of this, as it just consolidates what he has been consistently saying. Whilst it may not be what Europe wants to hear, we should not apply our expectations into his intention as like it or not this aligns with his election pledges, and to his ground base.

@grantshapps Working with “strong men” and trading with those who he feels are strong, and a more isolationist position, only intervening when it directly affects the US and wanting others to do more, allowing a more Eastern focus, where he perceives the real threat. I don’t think we should

This new 🇺🇸 National Security Strategy, weirdly released in the middle of the night, manages to insult America’s closest partners while offering no coherent plan for dealing with real adversaries. It’s reckless, ignorant & actively damaging to US security whitehouse.gov/wp-content/upl…

@KemiBadenoch We need doctors more than doctors need the NHS. If T&C become worse, more will leave the NHS. The brain drain is very worrying and gets worse. We need to work out a way to retain our workforce. The stick approach does not work, when they are mobile and highly employable.

The militant BMA are asking for a 20% pay rise, having just had a 29% pay rise. They now strike every few months because Wes caved on day one. He's too busy plotting against the PM to get a grip. It’s chaos, chaos, chaos from this Government. Conservatives will ban doctor strikes, just like we do for the police and the military. Some jobs are too vital to weaponise.

@ric_cole @RAF_Luton taken by a Canberra?

@bayraktar_1love Whilst this is great, it highlights the extremely long evacuation times, some of which probably have never been as long before in the history of warfare, and the challenges and complications this brings. Even in WW1 average evacuation times were around 20 hours. @DMS_MilMed

The First Separate Medical Battalion of Ukraine has completed an unprecedented evacuation mission using a ground robotic vehicle equipped with an armored capsule. The operation involved rescuing a wounded defender who had remained in enemy-controlled territory for 33 days after being injured. Six previous attempts to extract him had failed, with six robotic systems lost in the process. The seventh mission finally succeeded, allowing the soldier to be evacuated from the occupied area. On its way, the robotic platform triggered an anti-personnel mine, damaging one of its wheels, yet it continued its mission. During the return, the vehicle came under attack from a Russian drone, but the armored capsule protected the wounded soldier, preventing further injuries. In total, the robotic system covered 64 kilometers, including 37 kilometers on a damaged wheel. 
The evacuee was delivered to safety, provided with medical care, and is now in stable condition — his life is out of danger.

@RupertLowe10 Mandating facilities and time for the father, must come from somewhere and that will ultimately detract from resources aimed at the patients that need it. At the end of the day, the father is not tied to the facility and can get drinks, food etc themselves.

@RupertLowe10 I think in an under resourced system, I would rather the resources maternity units have, are focused on the people at risk (mother and child), I have always found that when there is the opportunity, the father is given attention, but the priority must be the mother and child.

Giving birth is obviously an incredibly challenging experience for the mother - trust me, nobody is denying that. I do think though, that fathers should be shown more respect by the NHS during the whole process. No food provided, no basic bedding, nothing. The father is having a child too - potentially staying multiple nights, sleeping on the floor or a chair? If the NHS can find hundreds of millions for translation/interpretation and the rest of the diversity bullshit, then surely a few campbeds in each ward isn't such an impossible investment? A bowl of pasta for the dad, who does actually pay for that meal through his own taxes? I've asked the Department of Health to reconsider their approach. It would be nice if fathers weren't treated as some awkward afterthought, during the process and so often across wider society. Let's give dads the respect they deserve.

@SomersetWasBlue @KemiBadenoch Exactly, this would be a quantum shift in terms and conditions and has a multitude of implications that stretch far beyond doctors, so not as easy as the initial statement, which was we will remove the right like the AF and Police, which have a very different employment model

@CommandoSurgeon @KemiBadenoch Sure..so all to be negotiated. PS I spent 34 yrs in the AF!

The next Conservative Government will ban doctors from going on strike - just like we do for the army and police.

@SomersetWasBlue @KemiBadenoch Loosing some of these rights which is around 12.5% depending on rank and contract. It also covers other areas of being a servant of the crown. I am not sure if the Police have an equivalent calculation added to their pay.

@SomersetWasBlue @KemiBadenoch They are employees, of the NHS and therefore covered by the same legalisation as someone who works for the council or a teacher in the state system. Very different to the status of people working in the armed forces or police, and in the AF there is X-factor to compensate for