At a distinctly uncivilized hour yesterday morning I found myself in a back room at the Labour conference in Manchester, listening to various techie types discussing government IT. There were around 30 of us listening, bleary eyed, as the man from Microsoft held forth on the potential computers had to transform public services.
Besides us another dozen or so were watching the meeting from the online virtual world Second Life. In this other reality, the meeting had been upgraded to the main conference hall, where politically minded avatars could watch proceedings on the screen and occasionally throw out questions to the participants.
A broadcast in this alternative reality seems oddly apt for a meeting that seemed to take place in a parallel universe. No one here is worried about cost over runs or repeatedly prolonged deadlines, and paranoia about data security was nothing but a barrier to progress. Any concerns people have about lost data discs are simply paranoia whipped up by the Daily Mail.
But then, the entire conference seems to be taking place in some other Britain. Here the party is united, despite the string of MPs calling for a leadership contest. Here the economy is strong, despite soaring food costs and banks dropping like flies. (In one faintly surreal incident Alastair Darling frantically tried to cut short his own standing ovation after 20 seconds, apparently petrified he'd look out of touch.)
The health debates, too, diverge startlingly from the GPC's agenda. A King's Fund debate on the state of the health service was packed out, but the issues uppermost in people's minds were dentists, top ups and prescription charges. In three days I have not heard a single reference to polyclinics, GP-led health centres or MPIG, and just one mention of Lord Darzi. The only sign that GPs aren't entirely contented with the way things are going is the solitary figure of Dr David Baker, hyperactively lobbying against the pharmacy White Paper.
The GPC, one suspects, would say this is no bad thing. They'd argue that the important conversations are the ones that happen with NHS Employers. It has limited time for political work, and schmoozing a party likely to be out of power within two years isn't the best way of using it.
Perhaps. But Dr Baker's cautious optimism suggests that a few quiet words with the right people might do wonders to redirect the government away from painful policies. The next time you find yourself furious that the Labour party doesn't understand general practice, you might wonder when anyone last tried to explain it to them.
jonn.elledge@haymarket.com