Yeah true mate... The quality of solicitors didn't exactly go up either when they let the buggers advertise and clamped down on their restrictive trading clauses. Competition and cartel both start with a C.

I'll get me etc

One thing the internal market did do was force us to analyse what The NHS actually costs because without that, you can't know if your improvement changes bear fruit. In some areas of the country, doubling activity cost twice the amount whilst in others, doubling activity could be achieved by being more efficient, organising clinics and theatre lists better, accepting that the cost of two nurses can sometimes bear better fruit than the same money getting one doctor etc. You can't defend it unless and until you can quantify it.

Unfortunately, letting politicians know what it cost was just asking for trouble.......