Incredible though it may seem, health policy is an area in which the Conservatives are ahead in the polls for the first time since 1948 without actually having the benefit of any real policy. The last thing David Cameron should do is saddle himself with detailed policy in this area, two years in advance of an election. It is a key campaigning subject for the Tories both nationally and locally and the effects of the campaigns are showing in the polls. A truly courageous politician would be totally upfront with the electorate and admit that the NHS will never be able to meet all the demands made on it and that we need to use the private sector too. The obsession in this country with “public sector good, private sector bad” in the field of healthcare is illogical and holds us back. It’s a debate which isn’t present in any other country. Even some Labour politicians are recognising the benefits of private sector involvement and Conservatives should have the courage to do so too. The antipathy to Patricia Hewitt and the way the Conservative Party has supported the junior doctors recently has given Andrew Lansley an opportunity to be really radical and think the unthinkable. For the first time in decades, many in the NHS truly believe that it can be safe in Conservative hands, which in itself is a considerable achievement.
John Reid, our lame duck Home Secretary, is a very little man with very little courage. Not for nothing has he acquired the nickname “Wreck it and run”. He’s been a Cabinet Minister in nine different government departments and left a trail of carnage in each of them. It was he who signed off the ridiculous GP contracts at the Department of Health. It was he who failed to equip our armed services properly in Afghanistan. On Thursday he had the cheek to accuse the Shadow Attorney General of playing politics with anti-terrorist policy because he refused to go along with Reid’s pseudo-fascist authoritarian tendencies. This, from a man, whose every body fibre plays the party political game. We only have to suffer him for another four weeks because on 27 June he will be gone. Those who cherish civil liberties in this country should heave a great sigh of relief.
Nuclear power is perhaps the greenest form of energy there is. There. I’ve said it. The green lobby has a very difficult decision to make soon, which should tell us if they wish to remain on the margins of real politics, or take part on some of the decisions which will shape the future of our planet. If we assume that climate change is indeed happening and we have to reduce out carbon emissions then nuclear power has to be the way forward. If France can supply 75% of its energy needs from nuclear power then there is no reason why we can’t too. Of course we have to be sure about safety issues and deal with nuclear waste, but technology will assist in this. I would love to believe that renewable energy sources would be the answer but they patently are not. Wind power, solar energy and wave power all have a role to play but they can never be the complete answer. Germany and Denmark have invested billions in wind turbines and have been very disappointed by the results. We should not fall into that trap. Of course, this issue presents a tricky problem for the new ‘Vote Blue, Go Green’ Conservative Party. David Cameron must grip this issue can make the case for nuclear power being a green form of energy. He can easily do so as it is the truth. It has virtually no carbon footprint. Let’s see which politicians have the courage to accept the challenge which nuclear power provides.
Let me confess something. As a West Ham fan I hate Chelsea, Arsenal and especially Sheffield United. But if Chelsea or Arsenal are playing a European team (not something likely to worry Sheffield United…) I will always support them. It’s simple, they represent Britain, so they get my support. So I was astonished to see how many British football fans actually wanted A C Milan to beat Liverpool this week. And not all of them were Everton supporters!
Ofcom, the TV regulator, has rapped Jeremy Clarkson over the knuckles for calling a Daihatsu car "a bit gay" and a bit "ginger beer" (rhymes with...). Hasn't Ofcom got something better to do? Neither of these remarks is remotely homophobic and they certainly weren't meant that way. I gather the ruling has led to some gay rights groups and Labour MPs calling for legislation to make such remarks illegal. What on earth is this country turning into? Free speech also means the right to offend. If this were not the case then HAVE I GOT NEWS FOR YOU would have to be taken off the air. Last week Kirsty Young made a remark about the Queen receiving the traditional 21 gun salute from a local high school. I'm sure the population of Dunblane found that highly offensive, but does that mean it should not have been broadcast? Of course not.
