The NHS

An off message MEP has caused a few problems for Dave Cameron, although I thought Andrew Lansley retrieved the situation well on Radio 5 this morning by emphasising that the Conservatives wanted an equitable health service (always difficult to achieve in practice whoever forms the government) but also one that was more responsive to its clients.

The MEP who started the storm has set out his views here: NHS

Whatever the merits of Singapore style health accounts, they would represent a fundamental change in the current NHS. How 'centralised' or 'statist' it is is a matter for debate, but I don't think it is helpful to Conservatives to have questions raised about their commitment to the NHS which, for all its shortcomings, has broad popular support.

Obama's efforts to provide health care for 47 million Americans has provoked a visceral debate in the US. This is really not about socialism or a Soviet model but trying to fix a situation where the US spends twice as much as a share of GDP on health than then UK does, but without achieving significantly better outcomes.

But Fox news is keen to get any Brit to contribute to their narrative of the situation. Don't let evidence stand in the way of an ideological claim.