The Spectator's Notes

12 January 2008

Charles Moore's reflections on the week

For nearly a quarter of a century, I have appeared on Radio 4’s Any Questions? from time to time. The National Health Service often comes up, of course, and for most of the past 25 years, the cheers have been the loudest for the panellist who complains about ‘underfunding’, speaks passionately about the wonderful treatment he or she has received and makes sure words like ‘caring’, ‘angels’ and ‘the envy of the world’ get in somewhere. I have generally been booed for my less enthusiastic remarks. Recently, however, I have noticed a change, and this was particularly striking when I went on the programme last week at Chandler’s Ford in Hampshire. The NHS is 60 years old, and was duly extolled by the politicians present (John Denham for the government and Andrew Lansley for the Tories); but when I did my bit about how the system is bad at root because it cannot respond to the needs of patients, I found that the audience listened. No one shouted me down. The reason, I suspect, is that people are nowadays used to a choice of services in most areas of life — booking a flight, buying insurance, eating in a restaurant — and find it stranger than before that in the most important area of health, they are powerless. They also travel more and they have noticed that the British are simply not healthier and better treated than the French, Germans, Dutch, Spanish, etc. We now know this, which is the beginning of wisdom, but politicians still do not dare discuss what to do about it.

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David Watkins

January 12th, 2008 1:44am Report this comment

Charles Moore, who thinks Ann Widdecombe should be killing the fatted calf in honour of Tony Blair, should re-read the Gospels. The prodigal son publicly and passionately repented: "Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son". Of all living statesmen, the invicibly smug Mr Blair is hardest to imagine using such words.

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