Poll: We *Heart* the Tories on the NHS

Bad news for Labour:

Labour has lost the August battle on health, with more voters thinking the Conservatives would improve the NHS than think the party would make it worse. While 48% think healthcare would be better under a Tory government, only 41% agree with Labour warnings that it would be worse. Even 24% of current Labour voters think the Tories would improve the NHS.

Hmmm. So the Tories are winning on healthcare, even after the controversial intervention of a certain MEP. Labour's relentless attacks on the Tories and their NHS policies appear to have backfired.

Basically because the Labour party have put themselves squarely in the position of backing the current state of the NHS. And with the best will in the world - even for the most NHS loving optimist - the status quo is also not great. We have dirty hospitals where people go to be cured but wind up dying. We have waiting lists for crucial operations, and we have a massive, wasteful bureaucracy that denies people potentially life-saving drugs. Those who signed up to the "I Love The NHS" campaigns in the wake of Hannan's comments probably love the concept of the NHS. Yet it is a fairly deluded fan who can love the current state of the NHS. Which is, of course, what Labour represents. The - extremely crappy - status quo.

Once again, Labour have been outflanked by a very simple strategy from Cameron. Cameron has positioned himself as a champion of the NHS, but one who is going to spend the vast sums of money to improve it rather than simply maintain it. Now, I don't think Cameron will succeed and that any further spending on the NHS will be largely money wasted. But in terms of the politics of the situation, Cameron has played a blinder. He has set himself not just up as the defender of the NHS - a position Labour has traditionally held - but also as saviour of the NHS.

And so there we have it. The Labour had an open goal after Hannan's comments. It managed not just to fail to kick the ball into that open goal, but instead have charged up to the other end of the pitch and scored an own goal. Really fantastic stuff, and yet further confirmation that Labour are facing electoral wipeout when we next have the chance to go to the polls.