As I was saying, I should like to thank you for your response (post number 5) which is reasoned, thoughtful and not in the least bit tribal. I may be an optimist but I genuinely believe that the majority of people from across the political spectrum support and value the NHS and the vital work that it does on OUR behalf.

And in the spirit of reciprocal confession, I have to admit that I had you ‘pegged’ as a Conservative prior to your admission – but thank you for your honesty anyway !

That doesn’t however mean that I support the government on all its policies nor that I don’t care about the NHS. I do, and I believe that if Cameron wanted to undertake such radical changes to healthcare he should have put that to the electorate.

In truth, John, I don’t know the ins and outs of the Bill. I’m not instinctively going to rail against private sector involvement; I think that debases the debate. However, that’s not to say that I think ‘public bad, private good’ either. Certainly not. It struck me as bizarre that the government was trying to introduce changes which doctors themselves don’t seem to want.

So I (I’m going to use that word again…) hope that the ‘listening period’ will result in a good outcome. Sadly I’m not even going to waste my time writing to my MP. He didn’t bother replying last time and hasn’t replied to other constituents I know either (and, fair cop, he is a Tory!)