Connecting for health

This project was set on its flawed way by Tony Blair after a 10 minute briefing during one of his sofa sessions at 10 Downing Street. It was ill-conceived and ill-executed. Well, not really executed at all so far (pdf).

There is only scanty documentation (pdf) confirming that this brief meeting ever took place. As was typical for Blair, there were no minutes. How can you do that when deciding on a project which is to cost £13,000,000,000 of tax payers money -some say £50 billion? Dr Grumble keeps minutes of even tiny departmental meetings. Only this morning he has written a record of a meeting yesterday when there were only three present. There are good reasons for minutes - including accountability. But Blair thought he knew better. Or did he not want accountability? Dr Grumble's view is that since Blair had never even run a burger bar he just didn't know how to do things properly and was arrogant enough not to listen to the civil servants put in number 10 to help him.

Dr Grumble did not like Tony Blair. He still doesn't. When he looks at the opposition parties he sees more Tony Blairs. Is that why Ken Clarke is back?