[user104658]

Originally Posted by joeysteele

I can agree partly with a lot there.
However this isn't a new dispute, this has gone on for over 18 months at least.

There have been it appears no meaningful and sincere negotiations from this government.

I can't and won't condemn the Junior Doctors.
In the last dispute when Hunt was Health secretary.
3 of my Cousins who were Doctors in the NHS, left and 2 went to Australia the other to New Zealand.

This government still after all the Health secretaries there has been since Johnson's leadership.
Have payed nothing more than lip service to the NHS and Junior Doctors.

So I stand with them totally.
Anytime they go on strike, it is never the right time for those opposed to strike action.
However this government has had way more than ample or full time to find a solution to this dispute.

I'm not going to condemn the Junior Doctors now for admittedly a not the best time to strike.
It makes little difference,. whenever there's been the strikes over the last 18 months+ this government has never.tried to either avert said strikes or talk during them.

I get that but in this case they are literally striking against no one - standing in front of an empty chair with a placard... it's not that what I think they're doing is wrong in a moral sense, I just think it's a waste of time and makes no sense. I also think [well, know] that a lot of Junior Doctors do actually agree with that.

IMO it would be much more effective to wait and see who gets into power. Assuming it's Labour, immediately get them to commit to improvements that they were all for when they were in opposition. If they start "humming and ahhing" and dragging their heels over it, at THAT point, strike hard. The first Labour govt. in 15 years does not want that sort of heat as soon as they enter power.

Striking before the election if anything completely mutes the effectiveness of any further strike action later in 2024/early 2025.