Sunak: There is a risk of over-medicalising the everyday challenges of life.

Other ministers, like Stride, have test-driven that line.

This should be introduced as the manifesto slot.

#wato

In an interview with Russian radio stations [Sergei Lavrov] said: 'There have been telephone contacts between the leadership of Russia and Iran, our representatives and the Israelis... we told the Israelis that Iran does not want escalation.”

aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/…

#wato

Why didn't Israel take the win? It insists on having the last word.

Even if it's 'feeble'.

#wato

OK, so Iran looks fairly quiet for the rest of the day.

What's happening in Gaza? And Donbas?

#wato

'if we’re locking small parties out of scrutiny and rights in the Commons, we’re effectively saying the electorate in Scotland and Northern Ireland are not being represented... The more we get a big majority from England, the worse that is”.

politicshome.com/news/article/h…

#wato

#r4today #wato

app.theneweuropean.co.uk/2024/04/19/hop…

My uncle had a story of a friend, after WW2, receiving a letter from some ministry which asked about his long term medical condition in very generic terms.

In his case, it meant 'is the leg still missing?'.

#r4today

Instead of GPs 'who don't understand work', sick notes should be issued by 'work and health professionals' who do know about 'work', but not about *you* or *your work*.

I suspect that some GPs also know about 'work' and even about you.

#r4today

'an app that uses artificial intelligence'

These phrases just fall from people's mopuths as if they know what they're talking about.

#r4today

Here's what Sunak and Stride are talking about.

gov.uk/government/pub…

#r4today

Stride: You wouldn't expect me to know about Menzies, just because his story is this week's latest scandal.

'You wouldn't expect me to know' is an attack before the question, because we do expect him to have been briefed, and those few words are part of the briefing.

#r4today

Mr Sunak will say... 'There is a risk of over-medicalising the everyday challenges of life'.

Other ministers, like Stride, have test-driven that line.

This should be introduced as the manifesto slot.

#r4today

Punt and Dennis suffer 'pre-cancellation' of Now Show.

#r4today

News from official Iranian and Syrian news agencies. . .

Itamar Ben-Gvir's judgement of Israel's attack: 'Feeble'

aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/…

#r4today

Iain Watson exaggerates his pronunciation of 'grey belt' as if the phrase is freshly minted this morning, and somehow disreputable.

I know I've heard it before, and a three-second search finds. . .

localgov.co.uk/Think-tank-cal…

#r4today

I can't remember when I first read about the use by the NHS of blood products manufactured in the USA from blood taken from prisoners, but it was a very long time ago?

How soon after 1973?

theguardian.com/society/2018/m…

#r4today

The conversation is struggling to its feet on B l u e s k y, but there's more every day.

#r4today

Sunak will give a speech today, with Stride touring the studios as pre-publicity.

Is there any chance the proposed change to the sick-note system can be done before an election? Can it be done without primary legislation?

Are they just floating manifesto ideas?

#r4today

Issuing sick notes will in some cases require knowledge of previous medical history. Will these putative new 'professionals' be able to read *and write* patient records?

#r4today