Though Cowards Flinch

After the weekend’s news that Peter Cruddas re-opened the cash-for-access can of worms, and the secret donor dinners at No. 10, I read with great interest the following words from a speech in July 2011:

‘People with money can get friendly with their local GP at a dinner party, maybe see them out of hours if there’s an emergency. In this world of restricted choice and freedom it’s the poorest who lose out.’

Those are the words of David Cameron accusing GPs of giving preferential access to ‘dinner party’ cliques.

The deputy editor of Pulse Magazine, Steve Nowottny, in a blog post after Cameron had made his accusation, said that Cameron was missing a trick, asking all the wrong questions. He concluded:

Lots of questions then, and no easy answers. Perhaps Mr Cameron could run them by a local GP at his next dinner party?

Not bloody likely.

Unless, of course, there are any GPs here:

Dinners in No 10 which major donors have attended:

14 July 2010 – No 10.  Attendees:

Anthony & Carole Bamford

Michael & Dorothy Hintze

Murdoch & Elsa Maclennan

Lord John & Lady Sainsbury

Andrew Feldman

Jill and Paul Ruddock

Mike and Jenny Farmer

Michael and Clara Freeman

28 February 2011 – flat

David Rowland and his wife. Andrew Feldman also attended.

2 November 2011 – flat. Attendees:

Henry and Dorothy Angest

Michael Farmer and wife

Ian Taylor and wife

27 February 2012 – flat

Michael Spencer and partner.