Rineke Schram

Tweets are my own personal opinion. Obstetrician.

[Gianl1974 @Gianl1974]

“Why do some British people not like Donald Trump?” Nate White, an articulate and witty writer from England wrote the following response:

A few things spring to mind. Trump lacks certain qualities which the British traditionally esteem. For instance, he has no class, no charm, no coolness, no credibility, no compassion, no wit, no warmth, no wisdom, no subtlety, no sensitivity, no self-awareness, no humility, no honour and no grace – all qualities, funnily enough, with which his predecessor Mr. Obama was generously blessed. So for us, the stark contrast does rather throw Trump’s limitations into embarrassingly sharp relief.

Plus, we like a laugh. And while Trump may be laughable, he has never once said anything wry, witty or even faintly amusing – not once, ever. I don’t say that rhetorically, I mean it quite literally: not once, not ever. And that fact is particularly disturbing to the British sensibility – for us, to lack humour is almost inhuman. But with Trump, it’s a fact. He doesn’t even seem to understand what a joke is – his idea of a joke is a crass comment, an illiterate insult, a casual act of cruelty.

Trump is a troll. And like all trolls, he is never funny and he never laughs; he only crows or jeers. And scarily, he doesn’t just talk in crude, witless insults – he actually thinks in them. His mind is a simple bot-like algorithm of petty prejudices and knee-jerk nastiness.

There is never any under-layer of irony, complexity, nuance or depth. It’s all surface. Some Americans might see this as refreshingly upfront. Well, we don’t. We see it as having no inner world, no soul. And in Britain we traditionally side with David, not Goliath. All our heroes are plucky underdogs: Robin Hood, Dick Whittington, Oliver Twist. Trump is neither plucky, nor an underdog. He is the exact opposite of that. He’s not even a spoiled rich-boy, or a greedy fat-cat. He’s more a fat white slug. A Jabba the Hutt of privilege.

And worse, he is that most unforgivable of all things to the British: a bully. That is, except when he is among bullies; then he suddenly transforms into a snivelling sidekick instead. There are unspoken rules to this stuff – the Queensberry rules of basic decency – and he breaks them all. He punches downwards – which a gentleman should, would, could never do – and every blow he aims is below the belt. He particularly likes to kick the vulnerable or voiceless – and he kicks them when they are down.

So the fact that a significant minority – perhaps a third – of Americans look at what he does, listen to what he says, and then think ‘Yeah, he seems like my kind of guy’ is a matter of some confusion and no little distress to British people, given that:

• Americans are supposed to be nicer than us, and mostly are.

• You don’t need a particularly keen eye for detail to spot a few flaws in the man.

This last point is what especially confuses and dismays British people, and many other people too; his faults seem pretty bloody hard to miss. After all, it’s impossible to read a single tweet, or hear him speak a sentence or two, without staring deep into the abyss. He turns being artless into an art form; he is a Picasso of pettiness; a Shakespeare of shit. His faults are fractal: even his flaws have flaws, and so on ad infinitum. God knows there have always been stupid people in the world, and plenty of nasty people too. But rarely has stupidity been so nasty, or nastiness so stupid. He makes Nixon look trustworthy and George W look smart. In fact, if Frankenstein decided to make a monster assembled entirely from human flaws – he would make a Trump.

And a remorseful Doctor Frankenstein would clutch out big clumpfuls of hair and scream in anguish: ‘My God… what… have… I… created?' If being a twat was a TV show, Trump would be the boxed set.

[Doctors of the World @DOTW_UK]

🔴 Middle East Emergency Appeal

Since the U.S.–Israeli airstrikes on Iran, thousands of families have been forced to flee their homes as the violence escalates.

If you can, please donate to help our doctors continue delivering lifesaving healthcare ➡️ https://t.co/8gCuEwExWl

[Hazel Appleyard @HazelAppleyard]

Would you be mad or would you help her out?

[Rineke Schram @cmhschram]

This:

[UN Human Rights Council @UN_HRC]

"Erasing women and women-specific language and needs based on their sex is not only wrong, but also demeaning, regressive and constitutes one of the worst forms of violence that women and girls can experience," @UNSRVAW Reem Alsalem told the @UN Human Rights Council.

#HRC59

[Bev Jackson @BevJacksonAuth]

Anyone trying to figure out how to apologise: Tom Harris demonstrates how to do it. See below👇

[Rineke Schram @cmhschram]

@TheSnoozeDoctor Serious answers only please. Why then do countries who routinely use non physician anaesthetic nurses/practitioners, not have higher anaesthetic complication rates?

[Rineke Schram @cmhschram]

@MonkEmma @threadreaderapp unroll

[Rineke Schram @cmhschram]

Donate to Unicef 2023 https://t.co/FDbAgr63mG

[Rineke Schram @cmhschram]

@AlchemistJedi @kharon1900 @gunsnrosesgirl3 It doesn’t work well as it attenuates in air

[Julie Bindel @bindelj]

Oh Rosie, how I love you!

[Benonwine @benonwine]

Who would like to see Professor Robert Winston back on TV? 🙋‍♂️🙋‍♂️🙋‍♂️

Plus the BBC owes him a apology!

[Rineke Schram @cmhschram]

@AliWrightObGyn @RCObsGyn You have my vote!

[CALL TO ACTIVISM @CalltoActivism]

BREAKING NEWS:

Judge John Coughenour came out with the following statement after issuing a preliminary injunction on Trumps executive order for ending birthright citizenship.

"It has become ever more apparent that to our president, the rule of law is but an impediment to his policy goals.

The rule of law is, according to him, something to navigate around or simply ignore, whether that be for political or personal gain…

There are moments in the world's history where people look back and ask, ‘Where were the lawyers, where were the judges?" Coughenour said.

"In these moments, the rule of law becomes especially vulnerable. I refuse to let that beacon go dark today."

Thank you, Judge Coughenour!

RT if you agree with him! 💙

[Benjamin Ryan @benryanwriter]

A lot of people are portraying USAID as some sort of bastion of looney DEI excesses. Let’s take a look at what the sudden arresting of their operation is doing to global health. Please read the thread (my thread, not Ryan James’):

[Rineke Schram @cmhschram]

🚨WORLD’S RICHEST MAN BUYING OUR DEMOCRACY🚨Elon Musk is set to pump £78m into Nigel Farage’s party—a sum that would allow Reform to flood our politics with targeted ads. Add your name to the petition! https://t.co/e4gWOFUofh

[Rineke Schram @cmhschram]

@doctor_oxford https://t.co/4rbbPE6NLq

[Morgan J. Freeman @mjfree]

🚨‼️MUST WATCH and SHARE before Elon Musk bans it:

Since US media won’t tell you, UK activists, Led By Donkeys, dropped this video on how Elon Musk and his use of X helped get Donald Trump elected.

@ByDonkeys
cc: @BryanDawsonUSA

[Rineke Schram @cmhschram]

@francesbarber13 Under the 2024/25 General Medical Services (GMS) contract, GP practices in the UK are required to provide patients with multiple access options, including phone-based contact. The contract mandates that practices offer telephone access along with online consultation tools.

[Rineke Schram @cmhschram]

It's a challenging time, but we have the power to make a difference. We're calling on PM Keir Starmer to take a bold stance against Donald Trump and ensure he is held accountable for his actions. Will you join thousands of others and sign today? https://t.co/qojUa0kOIW

[Rineke Schram @cmhschram]

@sophielouisecc Try the app Sleepio: life changing for me.