Andrew Duffin...

... has drawn my attention to this:

HOSPITAL waiting lists in Scotland have hit an all-time high and people are waiting longer for treatment, new figures showed yesterday.

Andrew asks: "if they will ever learn?" No, probably not.

We read that:

The statistics made grim reading for Jack McConnell, who vowed not to be "bound by ideology" in his quest to modernise the NHS in Scotland by using private contractors.

But it's Mr McConnell's "ideology" that's the reason why we have an NHS in the first place. Note what the boss of the doctors' trade union has to say:

Dr Peter Terry, the chairman of the BMA in Scotland, said: "We are increasingly concerned by the commitment that the Scottish Executive is now making to long-term contracts with private sector providers.

"While this may appear attractive to politicians, it is not the solution. Diverting investment from the NHS to the private sector will do little to solve the problems of the NHS in the long term."

The Scottish NHS is stuffed full with "investment" and still doesn't work properly. Scotland's health service enjoys Europe's highest level of per-capita spending and has one of the worst outcomes. Privatise it now, I say.