He's now getting his knee patched up, which is presumably something the NHS could have done in the first place.
The problem with 'presuming' and being presumptuous and judgemental, is that it is often based on complete ignorance of the facts. I see now that he has received 6 knee operations preformed by the NHS, and was told would have to wait until he was 55 for a knee replacement.
Peter has already had six knee ops but was told he'd have to wait until he's 55 to have a joint on the NHS
There is absolutely no way that a joiner can work with a buggered up knee. And since the NHS has preformed 6 operations on his knee and promised him a joint replacement in 5 years time, I think we can safely assume that his knee is indeed buggered up.
So any work that he might have been able to do during this time would had to have been unskilled. I am fairly confident that employers up and down the country aren't rushing to offer work to unskilled middle-aged men with buggered up knees.
I am also fairly confident there is not an abundance of unfilled vacancies for work which requires no skill at all, and for the employee to merely sit on his arse all day.
As far as retraining a middle-aged man is concerned, the 6 knee operations would suggest that sorting out his knee was an ongoing process. So retraining a middle-aged man without having come to any definitive conclusion concerning his mobility, would have made no sense…..and could perhaps be described as rather "bonkers".
Your apparent disapproval of the man's ability to "drop his wife off at work", suggests that you see driving a car as exactly the same as standing up and carrying the weight of your body. You obviously have no idea whether or not it caused him any pain or discomfort, nor whether he could have kept driving continuously throughout a typical 8 hour day.
But perhaps your snidey dig at his ability to drive was because you resented him owning a car ? I personally recognise that for a person in his situation, having a car is particularly essential, and I hope he received an allowance to help him with the costs of running a car.
On the other hand I might have got it all wrong and what you really object to Farmer_John, is the fact that his wife had a job ? …..perhaps you would have preferred if both of them were claiming benefits ? …..do tell
I actually believe you owe this guy an apology Farmer_John, because if there is anything about this story which proves that the 'system is bonkers', it is the suggestion that you need to win the lottery before you can get your knee sorted out.
Waddya reckon ?