I work as a GP locum throughout the Thames Valley. Hence, I visit more than one practice. A colleague of mine in one such practice grabbed me today to express his disgust at being asked to distribute copies of a leaflet detailing the Chancellor’s recent Pre-Budget Report. Apparently, every GP to his knowledge had been sent a batch of these leaflets to be handed out in the waiting room. He informed me that this had also been the case for the last few budgets. He deeply resented his practice being used to spread political (dis)information.
So, here we have a clear example of this government taking every opportunity to spread its own interpretation of the state of the British economy. And more importantly, to charge us for the pleasure of receiving this party political literature. The leaflet is noted as being from Her Majesty’s Treasury, however, on closer inspection one sees the following headings:
- Investing in Britain’s potential
- Maintaining a stable economy (no mention of borrowing requirement being higher than expected for this year)
- Delivering high employment (?trend in recent years)
- Building a fairer society (?social mobility trend)
All rather New Labour, I think. The audacity of this approach is remarkable – vulnerable patients being hit with party political literature which they have had no choice but to pay for!
