The CTU are running a series of videos on YouTube featuring young workers who have been dismissed under the 90-day probation legislation. The first caused a bit of a furor in that the young lady featured was also a Labour party activist. She is certainly an articulate young woman. I note that at no time [...]

Dear Mr. Ryall I hear you are occasionally dropping in to emergency departments unannounced and talking to patients. This is excellent news. Under no circumstances should you continue to sound defensive about this in any way. After all, exactly who is the hospital service for, if not the patients accessing it? How can it be [...]

Parliament really does follow its own little set of rules, doesn’t it? Where else could one broadcast that your boss can’t do his job and insist that he be fired and then be allowed to take sick leave? I have had patients come to me asking for a week or two of stress leave, but [...]

◊Apparently Helen Kelly has announced that the CTU will no longer co-operate with government on trade issues. I assume this is union code for “business as usual”. ◊It’s been fun watching Chris Carter implode, but it seems the show is coming to an end. His latest bout of self-immolation appears to be his last. Still, [...]

I blame the feral response to National’s announcement – that they will not be dropping the legal blood alcohol limit to 0.05 g% – squarely on the media. I am certain that it is the media’s propensity always to give the maximum amount of airtime and newsprint to the most hysterical over-reaction that encourages people [...]

Apparently there is a war on obesity. Trouble is, there does not seemed to be a well-defined enemy in this war. Is it the fast food industry? Perhaps it is the actual fat in foods? Maybe it is the obese person themselves? Or their wicked, neglectful parents? Or perhaps it is carbohydrates, not fats, that [...]

It has been interesting reading the various responses to the government’s plan to ban smoking in prisons. Most have been quite predictable. The libertarians have scoffed at the idea of a ban. The left-wing blogs have droned on about human rights. Most of the right-wing blogs take the tone that prisoners forfeit their rights upon [...]

Did you miss me? Exams and a recalcitrant internet connection have kept me away from blogging until today. Not sure if I have missed much. Perhaps the best summary of the last 10 days is: “politicians lie”. Not exactly earth-shaking stuff. Exhibit A: The Thrilling One denies that his daughter has ever taken drugs, despite [...]

I have been following the credit card “scandal” with great interest but little shock. My only comment is that I am surprised anyone is surprised by this. What we are witnessing is the natural behaviour of a human being granted access to somebody else’s money. Although some limits might be placed on the expenditure by [...]

It seems that the Ministry of Health is now concerned that women may get the wrong message and think that they no longer need regular cervical smears after they have had the cervical cancer vaccine, Gardasil. The MacDoctor wishes to point out that he made this exact point nearly two years ago. He wonders how [...]