Postcode Lottery Confuses Opposition Minister

The Press Association have circulated a story on Tory anger over what is obviously a postcode lottery for ambulance response times.

The story was picked up by the nationals and mostly repeated ad verbatim. The News of the World however, helpfully listed “The 20 Worst Trusts in BRITAIN”. I was concerned to see that Buckinghamshire was listed the 12th worst out of 150 Trusts in the COUNTRY.

Stephen O'Brien, Shadow Health Minister said: "It is a damning indictment of Labour's treatment of our NHS that ambulance provision varies so widely ACROSS THE COUNTRY. Alan Johnson has clearly not got a grip on the NHS.”

…and Mr O’Brian, like most in Fleet Street, has clearly not got a grip on what constitutes “Britain”, the “English NHS”, the “whole of the country” or Labour’s NHS policies.

We are talking about ENGLAND! Alan Johnson has very much got a grip on “the NHS”; it is not an indictment of Labour… this is how it was designed to be!

If Mr O’Brian needs any more clues, he should read Simon Heffer’s article in the Telegraph. He hits the nail on the head when he says “Two Labour heartlands, Scotland and Wales, were offered their own assemblies. There is no prospect of an English parliament, even though it deserves one”