Oh how they must have laughed at Richmond House when the DoH realised that BMA chairman Dr Hamish Meldrum was involved in a polyclinic bid.
Yesterday's story in The Guardian that a consortium involving Dr Meldrum had won a bid to run a GP-led health centre in east Yorkshire must have made health minister Ben Bradshaw's day.
His quote: ‘I am delighted by this vote of confidence from the head of the BMA in the new GP-led health centre programme' says it all.
Mr Bradshaw's mood at the DoH's Christmas reception was similarly upbeat and appeared to coincide with a lull in the BMA's Support Your Surgery campaign. He even mentioned his starring role in HCR's recent photo caption competition.
Have GPC - government relations improved because GPs are bidding and winning the tenders for GP-led health centres?
If so, surely this is a good thing for everyone. Well, GPs, patients and Labour at least.
Today the CBI stirs the pot, adding its congratulations to Mr Bradshaw's.
Arguing against polyclinics in 2008 and then being awarded a contract to run one in 2009 might not play terribly well in any of the nationals but, as ever, the story is a little less straightforward.
As Dr Meldrum told The Guardian: ‘What is happening is probably the least worst option. I would deny the charge of hypocrisy.'
How were practices supposed to react to the news that each PCT was to put a contract to run a new health centre up for grabs? Sit back and let a private firm win before setting its sights on your practice's patients.
GP was the first newspaper to reveal that GP-led bids were outdoing private companies.
We have consistently reported the success of GP-led bids even when private firms' dominance was being detailed elsewhere.
Indeed there's never been any shortage of good news stories about GPs winning contracts if you look hard enough.
GP has consistently argued that, where there is a level playing field, bidding practices do so from a considerable position of strength because no one understands their business better than they do. Our Valuing General Practice campaign was singing the praises of practices long before PCTs cottoned on to where they should be awarding the latest wave of APMS contracts.
Far from being a hypocrite, I think Dr Meldrum and the consortium which beat a private firm bidding to run a GP-led health centre should be patted on the back and applauded resoundingly for making the best of a bad job.
Shouldn't we be congratulating not condemning him?