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modeller | 18:04 Sat 01st Mar 2014 | News
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NHS admin worker who ordered £160,000 of printer cartridges no-one needed and sold them on eBay is locked up

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2570509/NHS-admin-worker-ordered-160-000-printer-cartridges-no-one-needed-sold-eBay-locked-up.html#ixzz2ujMPNL00

Anything run by the state rapidly becomes inefficient and wide open to this type of racket. It's true that some big multi-nationals are also bad at times but at least the tax payer doesn't automatically pick up the tab.
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Modeller, in one breath you say Socialism is a cancer, which implies it’s spreading uncontrollably, then you say every socialist state throughout the world has failed economically and socially, so it follows that people are gradually recognising its impossible ideology and, hence, becoming less susceptible.

Gromit, //The NHS has been run like a commercial business for over 15 years//

…. indeed ….by people who have no idea of running commercial business. If any government-run organisation had to compete in the private sector, in no time at all they would all be out of business.
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prudie // I could just as easily blame this on Tory cuts in the public sector//

All this was going on Before there were Tory cuts. ! We surely must ask what the hell accountants actually do , apart from picking up their pay checks.
-- answer removed --
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bouncer //where were the accountants then?//
They failed ! Another example of something financed by the state.

naomi Quite right . It spreads until it destroys itself or it is excised.
Well only those that wish to describe "socialism" as a "cancer" are going to call North Korea or even the old USSR a socialist state. And China seems to be doing pretty well, economically speaking, although being honest even that state is not socialism by the dictionary definition.

As to the business management of the NHS - Successive governments have spent millions both training and bringing in "outside expertise" to bring business management skills into the NHS ( and other publicly owned organisations, come to that), so to try and claim that all of the management within the NHS have no idea of how to run a commercial entity is a bit rich.

Back to the OP - The story modeller offers - that of a greedy and dishonest employee siphoning off products to feather their own product- does not equate to "socialism in action", but just to thievery and dishonesty.

And calling socialism a "cancer" and by implication all of those who are sympathetic to socialist values cancerous is pretty offensive, to be honest. I used to use offensive terminology to describe right wingers, but try to avoid it now, because ultimately it does nothing to further the debate, but just entrenches positions.
A former colleague used to work in the NHS and said then, 20 years ago, the level of theft was staggering.
As a teacher, I had to buy all supplies for my Department through official suppliers. I couldn't see, for example as once happened, calculators on offer for £3, buy 50 and supply receipts to be repaid. No, I had to submit proper order forms and pay £5.99 each for them!
i bet mr and mrs bearing wished nick had only fiddled a few ink cartridges

Barings Bank was an English merchant bank based in London, and one of the world's oldest merchant banks. It was founded in 1762 and was owned by the Baring family of German origin.
The bank collapsed in 1995 after suffering losses of £827 million ($1.3 billion) resulting from poor speculative investments, primarily in futures contracts, conducted by an employee named Nick Leeson working at its office in Singapore.

The collapse cost another £100 million
LG >>And calling socialism a "cancer" and by implication all of those who are sympathetic to socialist values cancerous is pretty offensive, to be honest.
Sorry half my post disappeared AGAIN!

It is also upsetting to be called Fascist scum if one votes Conservative. I hope others follow your example LG.
It seems to me that this thread is desperate Conservatism in action.
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LG //The fact that, for instance, the NHS is still there speaks to the illogic of that statement. //
Do you really believe that nonsense ? It doesn't matter how good or badly the NHS performs it will always be there . NHS Trusts frequently go bust in the true sense of the word but you, the taxpayer, still hand over the millions to keep them going . How do you see the incompetence as in North Staffs ?
Is that also acceptable in the name of your Socialism ?
One thing is certain , no one will ever properly be held to account. A quiet retirement on an enhanced pension is the usual result.
It's not socialism in action. It's a bigger example of a common type of fraud committed in badly audited offices. I wonder what her bosses were squirrelling away if she was up to this.
Anyone working in or around the NHS will confirm that there is no hint of socialism in practice anywhere.
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Mosaic I think we are getting pedantic as to the definition of Socialism. It can mean almost anything. I would describe it as as an organisation that is state run and is largely not answerable to the general public. They are largely judge and jury on all their affairs. That's why it's only when something major happens that we hear about it. Whether it is patient abuse or theft.
This post is an example of it. It took over 6 years before it came to light.
But it's still fraud made possible in a badly run office. Its not socialism.
agree Mosaic

clearly is more about fraud and nothing about socialism
To my mind is nothing to do with Socialism or private enterprise, it's pure greed, and don't forget where the headline came from, oh yes, the Daily Mail.
The DM headline doesn't say anything about socialism.
@ Modeller - I reiterate - the original post of yours, the story you were reporting on, has nothing- absolutely nothing - to do with socialism.

Your are entitled to your views on political ideology, but to attempt to dismiss socialism as some kind of "cancer" is just wrong-headed and pretty offensive to those who support it. Trying to equate Russia or North Korea to Socialism is simply absurd.

"Do you really believe that nonsense ? It doesn't matter how good or badly the NHS performs it will always be there . NHS Trusts frequently go bust in the true sense of the word but you, the taxpayer, still hand over the millions to keep them going . How do you see the incompetence as in North Staffs "

If you think NHS trusts failing, or going bust is an example of socialism in action, you clearly have not the faintest idea of the workings of the NHS, or the introduction of the marketplace into the NHS. Nor is the failure of the North Staffs Health Trust anything to do with Socialism. - It was managerial sleight of hand and dishonesty, chronic nurse understaffing, and brushing objections raised by staff under the carpet in a desperate attempt to meet financial and performance targets in order to qualify as a "foundation trust" that were the root causes of that failure.

You want to object to socialism? Fine, that's your perogative- start a thread specifically for that purpose,defining your terms and citing some real world evidence and examples, but trying to use this story is just silly.
LazyGun, //As to the business management of the NHS - Successive governments have spent millions both training and bringing in "outside expertise" to bring business management skills into the NHS ( and other publicly owned organisations, come to that), so to try and claim that all of the management within the NHS have no idea of how to run a commercial entity is a bit rich.//

Why is it a bit rich? You can hardly claim the NHS is thriving financially. If the people running the NHS knew anything about business the millions spent on training and bringing in outside expertise would have produced positive results, as astute investment does in the private sector - but it hasn't. As a private enterprise the NHS would have been bankrupt years ago. If the intention is to run it as a business, instead of continually throwing good money after bad it should look to Bupa for guidance in, among other things, the art of good business management.

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I see, the United States of Soviet Socialist Russia is not , was not , a Socialist state . Or are you only referring to the present day state. I must admit I only spent time in that workers paradise, and its satellites and Yugoslavia prior to 2000. So maybe I'm biased and today they are all cradles of efficiency and openness . A bit like our NHS in fact ! I wonder if they all take 6 years to discover someones nicked £160 k.

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