Misnomers

I think the National Health Service is a misnomer. It's actually a National Illness Service. The people who use it are already unwell & need treatment. That is very costly - medics salaries, ancilliary salaries, medical equipment, buildings, drugs....the NHS England budget is £164.9 billion as of 6 Mar 2024.

Maybe what we need to do is make a radical change in the whole mindset. Obviously people who are unwell need treatment. However, maybe there needs to be a much bigger focus on helping people to be healthy & avoid actually getting ill. Education must be a huge part of that, possibly focussing on nutrition & exercise. Early diagnosis also seems to be really important, so speedy access to well trained doctors seems vital. Just letting people become ill & then stepping in seems to me to simply increase the costs.

On those lines I also think that Leisure Centre is a misnomer. Leisure Centres provide fitness activities of all kinds - swimming, gyms, group exercise....It shouldn't be considered as leisure. It's actually an Activity Centre which aids fitness. In our age of the car, when many people have sedentary jobs, many get very little exercise. People really need well run, accessible & affordable activity facilities. We seem to be brilliant at watching sport, but not so good at participating in it. Again we need to change our mindset. We need to accept that we have a personal responsibility for our own health & wellbeing. 

Finally I think Refugee is a misnomer. In what sense does the UK provide a refuge to people who are fleeing war, persecution, dictatorship, famine & poverty? The Home office detains people in Immigration Removal Centres (IRCs) Residential Short-Term Holding Facilities (RSTHFs) pre-departure accommodation facility (PDA) short-term holding rooms based at ports of entry (STHFs) & prisons. Also in Hotels. Yes they have very basic facilities, but they are often traumatised & have suffered persecution & discrimination.

https://migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/resources/briefings/immigration-detention-in-the-uk/

Over half of asylum appeals were allowed in the year to March 2023. Refugees may arrive "illegally" because it's the only route available, but most deserve to find refuge even given our very stringent processes.

https://www.refugeecouncil.org.uk/information/refugee-asylum-facts/top-10-facts-about-refugees-and-people-seeking-asylum/ 

I think all of this & more is important. We are living in a "post truth" era where "Spin doctors" are in charge & we, individually, need to verify the truth of what we are being told through the Media & in print. We can no longer rely on honesty from those in charge. Public opinion is manipulated all the time. It has never been more obvious than in this run up to a general election. 

It's 1984 with bells on!