Friday, 14 August 2009

Seeking a healthy majority

Cammers probably welcomed the distraction of having to defend the NHS this week as much as he would the prospect of having to run an obstacle course wearing skis - but he had better get used to both experiences. His path to power is littered with landmines such as the dead-beat Ann Main, dead-meat Alan Duncan and basket-case Daniel Hannan.

The Conservative leader, who is understandably more interested in a healthy majority, has only warm words for the NHS but you can be sure that his on-going praise will be punctuated by references to efficiencies. At the other end of the blue-spectrun, aides will also be keen to suppress the residual colonial jingoism within the ranks who may want to counter the rabid criticisms of Obama's health reforms across the water through daft reactions such as calling for A&E centres to refuse free treatment to US visitors.

The tories have worked hard to regain the ground which allows their shadow-spokesmen to talk with apparent sincerity about cherishing a national health service; without someone sniggering off-camera. Cameron and his strategists know that being considered by the electorate as better equipped to handle the economy is just about enough for the next election - as along as recovery doesn't start too soon. Arguments over diagnosis and mixed messages about how to treat a sickly health service are definitely not needed.

1 Comments:

Anonymous said...

Cameron will have his work cut out in persuading voters that the NHS is safe in his party's hands. I think it is still their greatest political weakness but UNISON will screw things up as they usually do. They should be taking a stand before the tories get into office and not bleating about cuts afterwards.