"Andrew Lansley could make himself a legacy greater than that of almost any other Health Secretary in history,"Prof John Britton, September 1st 2012
Andrew Lansley has been replaced as Health Secretary by Jeremy Hunt as part of an extensive government reshuffle.BBC News, September 4th 2012
Does 3 days count as a 'legacy'?
"We don't want to work in partnership with Andrew Lansley because we are trying to arrive at a point where he has no business in this country."Dick and the Jewel Robbers, September 4th 2012
So then, Mr Hunt, are your balls big enough, and located where they're supposed to be, to tackle the unelected, unaccountable, self-administering prohibitionist civil servants at the Department of Health? Or are you going to juggle them on your chin like Lansley has been doing in the past year?
We're all ears.
UPDATE: Guido reports that Paul Burstow has also been kicked out of the Department of Health in favour of Norman Lamb.
So we have gone from this attitude:
Paul Burstow MP, Liberal Democrat Shadow Health Secretary, said:To this one:
"This is further evidence that passive smoking kills. Ministers should introduce a ban on smoking in enclosed public places to protect people working in bars and restaurants from the effects of second hand smoke. This was recommended by their own chief medical officer last year. A ban should be on a national basis and not a piecemeal ban which only takes in certain parts of the country."
Health minister Paul Burstow said: "The health and economic benefits of stopping tobacco displays far outweigh the costs of covering displays.
"But we know there is no single answer to cutting smoking rates. That is why we will soon be consulting on plain packaging of cigarettes and whether this could be an effective way to reduce smoking take-up."
Shops will be ordered to keep cigarettes 'under the counter' in an attempt to cut smoking rates among children.Hmmm, encouraging.
Liberal Democrat spokesman Norman Lamb said: 'This is the nanny state going too far.'
