Editor's blog Tuesday 17 May 2011: A final thought on Mr 'Shabba' Cameron loving the NHS

Well, that was a day. PM David Cameron repositioned himself as the Shabba Ranks of the NHS.

He loves the NHS, you know. Loves it. Lovedy-love-love-love—double-love-no-returns-back.

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It’s quite a strange thing for a Prime Minister to say. You can’t somehow imagine Margaret Thatcher talking about her undying affection for HM Customs And Excise, or John Major expressing his profound passion for British Ports.

It’s still a curious concept that the public will buy a protestation of passion from a political leader.

The fashion, since That Nice Mr Blair, is for Prime Ministers to emote. To give Blair some credit, at least he tended to emote about his own reputation (“a pretty straight sort of guy”) or fictional characters from soap operas (“the People’s Princess”). Gordon Brown’s reluctance to emote in public counted against him with many.

I’m sure that we might do a bit better if we were to accept the possibility that someone with real ability might be emotionally indifferent to the NHS on the proviso that they understood intellectually why tax-funded single-payer healthcare is a good system (relatively low transaction costs; equity; universality; cost control).

There is obviously the experience of good NHS care for Mr Cameron’s late son Ivan which informs his affection for the NHS.

For some reason, it reminded me of Enoch Powell’s time as Health Minister, when he was for the 1962 Hospital Plan which was responsible for the rolling out nationally of District General Hospitals. (DGHs may no longer be right everywhere for 21st-century healthcare delivery, but they did us well).

Michael White, who checks his quotes, reports Powell as telling a questioner who asked why he, Enoch, a markets man, was supporting a socialistic scheme such as the NHS.

Powell’s reply is classic: “the people have willed it, so they must have it”.

The NHS is still there, willed by the people. Whether politicians love it or not.