Where will the money come from?

Super-tax the super-rich. They will never vote labour in any case.

But pulling the strings there is again the oleaginous Peter Mandelson, who remains very relaxed about people making themselves stinking rich, with whom he eagerly consorts.

My wife, who is 84, recently telephoned the local GP group practice for an appointment.

She was  “triaged”, not by a medical practitioner, but by the receptionist. She had two conditions she wished to have checked; swollen ankles and small wart-like lesions on her face. It was explained that these two conditions would require two separate consultations and she would be sent two appointments in due course.

“Why can’t we arrange appointments now? After all, I may not be free to attend the appointments you offer. “In that case, you will have to phone us again and  go through the triage again.”

Appointments came via text messages. Today, my wife was seen by two different doctors at two different sites. This practice operates from two surgeries.

Notices in the waiting rooms stated that consultations are limited to ten minutes each. My wife saw two doctors she has never met before. Each consultation lasted just five minutes. She was told that, should the condition of her ankles not improve, she should send the surgery a photograph.

General practice is now a miasma of bureaucracy designed to make the NHS unpopular with the public, or to encourage the public never to be ill at any cost.

It is clear that the aim is to make everything online. The ideal patient is a healthy digital person, an avatar.