Not really a ‘helping hand’, Mr Clegg

Dear Nick Clegg,

Finally you decide some throw around some political rhetoric in a bid to keep your leadership bid on track.  Drawing “clear dividing lines” between the Lib Dems and the other two parties will probably be welcome in the eyes of the electorate, but I’m not sure the supporting policies will help you fulfil this objective.

Spending an extra £2.5 billion on education for the most disadvantaged pupils is not exactly breaking new ground, and banning all forms of selection in state education is not going to impress the middle-classes.  Putting Primary Care Trusts under the control of local authorities would be nothing more than a sideways step, as local authorities will presumably be as inept as central government when it comes to spending taxpayers money due to their lack of expertise or experience.  Allowing patients to be treated by private hospitals or hospitals outside their local area sounds exactly the same as the NHS Passport dumped by the Conservatives many years ago and merely echoes Tony Blair’s obsessions with choice in the absence of any fundamental change to the way healthcare is delivered.

If you really want to be radical, how about giving the consumer the power in the NHS and education?  Your policies fall well short of setting the agenda and will not impress anyone outside the Lib Dems.  Better luck next time.

Yours sincerely,

A.Tory