Enda Brady: UK correspondent on the UK doctors' strike potentially being called off

Over in the UK, a last minute offer from the health secretary could stop a planned doctors' strike from going forward.

Resident doctors are set to go on strike next week over pay, working conditions and lack of training opportunities.

UK correspondent Enda Brady says the nation is being hit hard by a flu surge and authorities are warning people to start wearing masks again.

LISTEN ABOVE

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Ryan Bridge get in the Brady a UK correspondent. Good evening,
good morning to you in that.

Speaker 2 (00:05):
Well, said Ryan, love that attitude.

Speaker 1 (00:07):
Now the doctor's strike, this could all be called off
at the last minute.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
So yes, I think a combination of factors here. They're
reading the room for a start. We've got this strain
of a so called superflu which is predicted to get
to a tidal wave level next week. It's bad. I
mean the government and medical leaders are saying to people that,
you know, if you're on public transport, if you're out
and about, start wearing face masks again. And I've noticed

(00:34):
this the last couple of weeks on the tube in London.
Initially I was thinking, okay these visitors, and then it
was happening at six am when I was on the
tube sitting with you know, Ukrainian builders going to work
a lot of people are now wearing face masks because
they don't want to get this superflu before Christmas. So
junior doctors are unhappy about money again, pay and working

(00:55):
conditions and lack of training opportunities in the UK. They've
threatened the five strike starting December seventeenth. So what's that
next Wednesday for five days and they've got the government
over a barrel. And what's happened now, I think the
combination of the super flu and the junior doctors basically
not having a huge amount of public support, the government

(01:16):
has reached out and just said, let's talk. So there's
some sort of an offer in the pipeline. Will it
be enough to call off a strike at the last minute?
Let's see.

Speaker 1 (01:26):
Now they're dropping like flies from Eurovision. This is a
bit of a crisis for them. Now which country is
the lightest to pull out?

Speaker 2 (01:33):
Iceland? So that is now five countries in the space
of forty eight hours have said they will not perform
next year in May at Eurovision if Israel is allowed
to participate. Now the organizers, the European Broadcasting Union, they
are adamant that Israel will be allowed to sing. And
what's happened now This week Ireland, Spain, Slovenia, the Netherlands

(01:56):
and now last night Iceland. Five countries have all come
out and said okay, if they're in, we're out. And
I think it's just real anger over the impunity with
which Israel seems to be allowed to play soccer. Continuing
cultural events like Eurovision despite seventy thousand civilians dead in
Gaza in two years. So all these countries are making

(02:18):
a stand, putting pressure on the organizers who are unflinching
so far.

Speaker 1 (02:23):
Yeah, tell me about that. I love a good local council,
local baro story in London in the UK more generally,
but this one in London, and it's a five hundred
thousand dollars Rolls Royce on the pavement.

Speaker 2 (02:35):
Yes, so there is one of the plushest squares in
London if you want to buy a little property there,
and I'm talking not a massive one. Twelve million dollars
is the average starting price for a property on Grosvenor
Square in central London. So you can imagine the people
who can afford that kind of money. They want to
be able to walk the pavements without having to go
out into the road because someone from Saudi Arabia has

(02:58):
parked a half a minion dollars Rolls Royce. And if
you see pictures online of this vehicle, it doesn't it's
it's not a classy looking vehicle. It's just like a huge,
big blocky chunk of metal blocking the pavement. So they've
been inundated with complaints from local residents saying we can't
walk on the pavement because of all these supercars everywhere.

(03:20):
So the council turned up with a tow truck and
it's gone. They realize that, you know, one hundred and
twenty dollars fine for illegal parking ain't gonna touch the
sides if you can afford half a mil for a
Rolls Royce and you live in Saudi Arabia. So they
forgot about just basically thought, let's just not issue a
fixed penalty notice on the windscreen here, just get the
tow truck out. So they're starting to move them, and

(03:42):
funnily enough, this morning we're hearing that Grosvenor Square and
other parts of Belgravia and really wealthy bits of central
London there's no illegal parking today.

Speaker 1 (03:53):
Right, Well, let's see come you want, let's cancel uspy's
doing its job in the thank you in the Brady
and UK correspondent.

Speaker 2 (04:00):
Or from Heather Duplessy Allen Drive. Listen live to news talks.
It'd be from four pm weekdays, or follow the podcast
on iHeartRadio