Hay pudding, sorry if my post offended you, I was just trying to have a little fun, it was not meant as a put down, in any way. It was meant as a bit of a welcome. [Gets foot out of mouth, AGAIN]

Yes Belly QLD hospitals were once the envy of every other state. That was when they had local hospital boards. The locals could get right up the board members, when things went wrong. A Patell could not have happened them.

It was Goss, a control freak, who stuffed that system, probably did not like all the national party blokes on the boards, along with stuffing the locally based ambulance system, which worked much better [at least in the bush, where I lived], than the bureaucratic system he introduced. At least in the bush, we had the ambulance service we were prepared to support by fund raising. The vehicals were less of mobile hospitals, but there were enough to serve the district.

I don't know about Ruddies plan. It does include local boards, which sound good, but unfortunately, I just can't trust him. Just too plastic, & controlled for me. I'm sure we never see the real man, & I wonder if anyone knows what he really thinks.

I could be wrong about him, I was wrong once before, I hope I am, but only time will tell. At the same time, I am yet to form any idea of Abbott.

Still the 60/40 split in funding worries me, but I'm not sure it worries me enough to say no. I don't like the idea that all bureaucrats will keep their jobs. Too many of them is most of our problem right now, so what's the point of the plan, if we don't get some improvement in efficiency?

Our local hospital is pretty good. Even if I can't understand a word the doctor says, he seems to be able to fix most things, damn quick. It's when we get to the bigger places, with too many managers that it all goes wrong.

... no problems, Hasbeen, clearly I can't take a joke and, according to Belly, my postings represent the epitome of verbal snobbery, too. And I thought that I was just using the language appropriately. Clearly, I have that wrong, too.

However, you do have one thing wrong, Belly: self-confidence is something I've never had and I probably wouldn't have contributed at all were it nor for what I thought was an invitation to do so. As it is, please accept my apologies for upsetting your apple-cart, I'll butt out now and leave you to your playground.

take care and enjoy, I wish you all well.

Come on Pudd, now we've sorted that out, come & join us, it can be fun. Yes really.

Belly has had a couple having a go at hin for his spelling, & puncuation, so he's a bit sensitive right now, too. Some are more interested in the how, than the what is said. There's nothing wrong with that either, if that's your go. I enjoy professor Rolly whats his name, talking real english, but hell, I spent so much time speaking only pidgin in PNG & the Solomons, me no got tomush left, Im all he go pinis one time, true.

We need all the ideas we can get, so stay with us.

Yes stay YP I am trying not to reveal to every new poster my education back ground, it smells[to me] of fishing for pity.
By the age of 12 years and ten months I finally left school to work full time.
I had been absent as much as present in any case working , yes it was not hard to get part time work then.
My teacher in country NSW Mittagong in fact, stood in front of a whole class and tore up my school details card.
He would not be so displeased with me I think now, long gone Doc stood for ALP selection.
In my job, long ago at work too, I found so very many who can not read or write.
My radar is set on full scan, I left my glasses at home, wife does the paper work, lead to can I help mate questions from me.
I became obsessed with reading, at 16 years of age ,age put up to 18 I stayed in road side accommodation camp reading while mates went into town.
Reading? every thing! bought a 32 volume set on dairy cows and two world war two massive things, never stopped, have just got life story of weary Dunlop, can not wait to get it started, then full out put of Banjo Paterson.
YP my opening up is my sorry bloke, sorry too ofend you, stay please.
But let your radar switch on when confronted by some one who gives his/her spell check a break down ask why.
Some know no better,my idea of Grammar is a pie.
Some never got the help I did to use spell check, some are not able to truly look before posting, some are driven by other problems.
Education is not a measure of IQ.
You mate can not be expected to know others problems, but in time you too may understand some have a far different back ground than us.
my regards.

Some of us who have been around OLO for far too long, are aware that Belly's English expression has actually improved beyond expectations over the years. Having been guilty at casting aspersions on Belly's spelling and grammar when I first appeared here under a different moniker, I make the effort to understand the MEANING Belly is conveying, rather than taking issue with his gaps in formal education.

<<< Education is not a measure of IQ. >>>

Well said, Belly.

At the risk of turning this into a spelling flame, ISTM that Belly makes a positive effort to be difficult to read, simply because that way he's always got an out if people disagree.

Speaking in rhetorical gibberish is second nature to union officials and there's no reason to suspect that Belly is any exception. I'd say he writes more or less as he speaks.

yorkshire_pudding, I like the idea of an Athenian democratic model too. I reckon we've got the technical means to implement it via biometric instruments and the 'net. Getup! is an early effort at a demonstration of it.