Is Andrew Lansley about to catch a cold?

By David Higgerson on Jan 2, 11 11:05 AM

On Monday, the perma-tanned health secretary Andrew Lansley was doing a live interview with Sky News from a beach in Anglesey. I think we can all agree it is unlikely he collected his Ronseal sheen from spending Christmas in North Wales.

He was already on dodgy territory politically - the subject of the interview was his decision not to run the flu advertising campaign. The facts were quite simple: In Scotland, where the campaign had run, take-up of the flu vaccine was higher than in England, where Lansley had insisted GPs should contact at-risk patients directly.

Lansley insisted that there was no need for a vaccination campaign because GPs could be trusted to get in contact with the right people. But what he failed to appreciate is that one, probably round-robin, letter from the GP wasn't having the same impact as the 'catch it, bin it, kill it' campaign which crops up in day-to-day life time and again.

To that end, his decision not to spend money on the annual quit smoking campaign was also under attack from anti-smoking campaigners. The point being made was that one day's publicity about access to support wasn't the same as an on-going campaign during January.

In other words, while the Government sees scrapping advertising as a quick way to save cash, those directly involved with implementing the policies the advertising campaigns promote believe advertising is a vital component of their work.

There's been no U-turn on the smoking advertising, but a very quick about-turn on the flu campaign.

The flu adverts returned to our screens over the weekend. In this brave new world of new politics, shouldn't politicians feel comfortable enough to be honest with us and say 'we get it wrong?'

Clearly, Lansley didn't. Rather than say he'd changed his mind in face of the evidence of low flu jab take-up, he instead said that now was the right time to promote the jab as there was evidence of people falling very sick and, indeed dying, from flu.

That wasn't what he was saying at the start of the week. There's nothing wrong in making a U-turn - but there is a lot wrong in trying to cover up a U-turn.

Of course, admitting a U-turn here would be dangerous for Lansley. The whole policy of getting GPs to drum up people for the flu jab could be seen as a pilot for the future of the NHS - where GPs control almost everything. Ironically, GPs don't want this power - but they're going to be lumbered with it whether they like it or not.

Lansley is exhibiting all the traits of an old-style politician clinging on to a policy which everyone believes won't work. Is delusion an early sign of flu?