The Government has been accused of fixing the outcome of public consultations on health policy after it emerged that reviews were flooded with block votes from groups funded entirely by the taxpayer.Who was that courageous, people-oriented champion of decency and correct use of taxpayer receipts, just itching to come to the rescue and end such wasteful and corrupt practices?
[...]
[Mr X] said the disclosures summed up Labour's "cavalier" approach to consulting the public.
[He] said: "It will come as no surprise to us if the Department of Health has funded organisations that provide the responses to consultations that the Government is looking for.
"The public are understandably cynical about the way Labour consults the public - it's time we had a Government that treats the public and their views with the respect they deserve."
Why, it was Andrew Lansley, who is currently engaged in forcing plain packaging legislation through with the help of - you're getting ahead of me here, I can sense - "government-funded organisations that provide the responses to consultations that the Government is looking for".
I'm sure he'll be popping up on TV soon to furiously condemn £468,000 of public money being spent by his government to lobby him.
Yep, won't be long now.
